Pearl District News

[WestCoast]

The Enso is a 6 story apartment complex in the pearl, on lovejoy and 14th

Crane went up last week and construction is ramping up.

This might be buried in Infill or Pearl District threads, but once that red crane went up, it was time for a dedicated thread.

Building looks great, hope they don't pull a 937 on us and dull all the color out.


Picture from Myhre Group website:
http://www.myhregroup.com/portfolio.php?ctgry_id=1

[sowat]

I wonder why they're keeping the old one-story building on the corner and not tearing that down?



ps. that building was the old Wyatt sales office. Maybe Enso doesn't own it?

[65MAX]

^^^^
Unfortunately yes, different owner.... otherwise it would have been demo'd. Too bad it wasn't.

[urbanlife]

if you were Pearl Real Estate, would you want to give that spot up?

I hope this project turns out like the rendering, I kind of like it. Been a while since I have been through the Pearl, I really need to make a trip out that way (I love it that I make is sound like it is so out of the way when it is only a mile walk from my house.)

[NewUrbanist]

The project is moving along nicely. I walk past daily, and they have already set up the crane. My digital camera was dropped in water during New Years Eve(no comment on how), otherwise I would take some photos on the way home.

[65MAX]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

if you were Pearl Real Estate, would you want to give that spot up?

Not at all, I just hope it doesn't stay a one-story bunker. A nice Skylab 1/8-block point tower would look good on that corner....

[Snowden352]

This is kind of off-topic, but does anyone know how the market is faring in the Pearl District? If this IS under construction it can't be that bad, right?

[Leo]

Originally Posted by Snowden352

This is kind of off-topic, but does anyone know how the market is faring in the Pearl District? If this IS under construction it can't be that bad, right?

This is a rental, and a fairly small one at that.

The Asa rental also just opened (near Safeway); it probably brought about 150-200 units to the rental market, in addition to the 150-200 units the Wyatt brought to the market a few months ago. I think we’re going to have a pretty large inventory of rentals available in the Pearl District over the next few years. I would expect demand to decrease at the same time, since people will begin to rent in SW (Ladd Tower, Cyan, SoWa) more than in the past. Also, corporate leases (direct and indirect) appear to be decreasing, at least in my building. Freightliner and its employees, for example, probably won’t be renewing many leases in Pearl District.

The Enso may be a challenge to fill, since it’s sitting right next to I-405. There are gonna be some apartments where I-405 is at eye-level, right outside your window. I can’t imagine too many people paying top dollar for that. It’s unfortunate that the Safeway didn’t’ end up on this block instead.

[edirp]

The Pearl Real Estate builing is vacant and has "For Lease" signs on it.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by edirp

The Pearl Real Estate builing is vacant and has "For Lease" signs on it.

umm, wow, now that sounds like a bit of bad news from the economy.

[65MAX]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

umm, wow, now that sounds like a bit of bad news from the economy.

Not so bad. It was only recently vacated, and I think the owners are asking for a hefty rental rate.

[RED_PDXer]

Originally Posted by 65MAX

^^^^
Unfortunately yes, different owner.... otherwise it would have been demo'd. Too bad it wasn't.

I'm glad it's still there. I can't stand these full block developments that create absolute sameness for 200' of each block. Same materials, same windows, same storefronts, same parking garage openings, same colors, etc. While some architects try to break buildings up, most utterly fail in achieving anything that looks authentic. The only way to successfully create an interesting block is to have more than one building on it (preferably lots more!). It will turnover in time and hopefully late enough so that it can have a different architectural style to contrast with what's being built now - creating even more interest for the block.

[Leo]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

umm, wow, now that sounds like a bit of bad news from the economy.

The Pearl Real Estate office was being used as the sales office for Robert Ball's new construction projects (Marshall-Wells, Avenue Lofts, Embassy, and Wyatt). When the Wyatt condos failed to sell and instead converted to rentals, there was little reason for the sales office to exist.

I suppose they could have tried to run it as a regular realty, but half of the space was used as a showroom model, which would be completely unnecessary if your realty was not connected with a particular project...

[nobody]

^Seriously. I hope the street-life picks up a bit now despite how ugly the rest of the buildings are, though. I'll be more willing to let it slide if it doesn't create a dead-zone.

[philopdx]

Update 1-19-2008:

[65MAX]

Looks like it may be time for a new thread....

Let the posts begin.

[65MAX]

From DJC:

Ankrom Moisan to design Vestas Americas' new headquarters in Portland

POSTED: 11:28 AM PST Tuesday, January 27, 2009
BY SAM BENNETT

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects has been selected by Vestas to design its new American headquarters office building in Portland.

The first step in the design process will be final site evaluation and selection, followed by campus and building design.

The proposed headquarters will be built in two phases. The first phase will be approximately 400,000 square feet of office space. A second phase could add another 200,000 square feet. The project will depend on finding and developing plans for a suitable site, as well as creating a finance plan that would include developing tax and financing options with the State of Oregon and city of Portland, according to Vestas.

The building will be LEED platinum certified and consolidate Vestas' presence in Portland as well as allow for future growth, the company said.

Stewart Ankrom, co-founder of AMAA, said the new headquarters design will be a key project for the firm.

"Given the status of this company, with their strong focus on sustainability, AMAA was thrilled to be selected for this prestigious commission," said Ankrom. "We look forward to partnering with Vestas to help them realize the full potential of this important facility for their organization."

Vestas is the largest supplier of wind turbines in the world.

[nwroots]

400,000 sq feet....this should be fairly tall! Anybody guess? 250 plus feet?

[dkealoha]

Live update from neighborhood meeting: Vestas will pick a site very soon and is anxious to break ground. Did not disclose a timeline but the company is acting with a sense of urgency.

[leftopolis]

Here's a link to the Portland Business Journal story I posted earlier in the "projects" thread...

...and

Here's the press release from the architects:

Vestas Selects Portland’s Ankrom Moisan Architects To Design New Americas Headquarters
Press Release – January 27, 2009

Vestas, the largest supplier of wind turbines in the world, moved one step closer to making the new Vestas Americas’ Headquarters in Portland a reality by selecting Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects (AMAA) to design its new Americas headquarters office building.

Vestas Americas is the Danish-based company’s business unit responsible for wind turbine sales, installation, and service and maintenance in North America. The first step in the design process will be final site evaluation and selection, followed by campus and building design.

The proposed headquarters will be built in two phases. The first phase will be approximately 400,000 square feet of office space. A second later phase could add another 200,000 square feet. The project is reliant on finding and developing plans for a suitable site, as well as creating a finance plan that would include developing tax and financing options with the State of Oregon and City of Portland.

The building will be LEED platinum certified and consolidate Vestas’ presence in Portland as well as allow for future growth.

According to Stewart Ankrom, co-founder of AMAA, the new headquarters design will be a key project for the firm:

“Given the status of this company, with their strong focus on sustainability, AMAA was thrilled to be selected for this prestigious commission. We look forward to partnering with Vestas to help them realize the full potential of this important facility for their organization,” said Ankrom.

Vestas – No. 1 in Modern Energy
With a 23 per cent global market share in 2007, Vestas is the world’s leading supplier of modern energy solutions. The company’s core business comprises the development, manufacture, sale and maintenance of wind technology that uses wind energy to generate electricity. Vestas has installed more than 35,500 wind turbines in 63 countries, and has a track record of installing more than 9,600 wind turbines on American soil. www.vestas.com

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects – Design with Purpose
Ankrom Moisan, with offices in Portland and Seattle, is committed to designing a sustainable future. The firm has completed 6 LEED certified projects, including the first LEED Gold housing projects in California – Luma and Elleven - and the First LEED ND certified project in the country, The Eliot in Portland. AMAA also has 15 projects that are LEED registered, including Independence Station, which is currently tracking as the highest LEED rated project in the country. www.amaa.com

Finally,

Here's an example of a 19 story 500K sq. ft. office structure by them--100 NE Multnomah, Portland

It's really gonna be a function of the land they come up with--regarding floor plate size--but 250' for a 19-20 story office building is in the ballpark. Given the smallish size of Portland blocks and that there is a half-size phase two planned(presumably on the same property)...there's a good chance it would be significantly taller! Perhaps more importantly...Can anyone think of a more apropos building in which to incorporate wind turbines as part of the structure?