Portland Courtyard Housing | Robert Hernández III

This project was one of the winning design proposals in my studio. The architectural intent of this project is a collage of solutions addressing multiple architectural problems in this specific area. The discovery of these solutions was through the experimentation of massing shifts based off of context. This final mass is a formal reaction to the positive and negative energy the site promotes. This result also creates two types of courtyards, one for the public and another for the residents. Altogether it is a combination of the traffic energy, view orientation, and finally a division between the functions of commercial and residential. The bend of the mass is the reaction of traffic energy on 23rd and sinks inwards to allow for crowds as well as gesturing people into the courtyard who are coming from 22nd. The mass bends also promotes the best views in this area as they are limited due to the relationship between the 22nd and 23rd and the surrounding environment. Finally, the separations of commercial and residential allows for a public courtyard with multipurpose activities and a private courtyard in the back for the residents.