72Foster

In Portland’s bustling Mount-Scott Arleta neighborhood, 72Foster provides 101 units of affordable housing, with lively ground-floor retail that has become a community staple.

Project Details

Location

Portland, OR

Client

REACH Community Development

Year Completed

2019

Project Size

79,600 sq. ft.
101 units

Certification

LEED Gold for Homes, Multifamily Midrise

Sustainability

On the roof, an expansive 106.5 kW solar array offsets utility costs for common space areas of the building. The building skin features two inches of continuous insulation, and the solar array’s energy production is tracked through a building management system with data publicly displayed on a screen in the lobby.

Land Recognition

We have a responsibility to not only acknowledge but also elevate Native communities and their needs. This project sits in the area currently known as Portland, which encompasses the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River.

Educating ourselves is an important action. We encourage you to explore the stories of these communities through Native-led resources like David G. Lewis, PhD’s The Quartux Journal and Leading with Tradition.

Awards

2020 AIA Oregon Merit Award
2019 Multi-Housing News Award of Excellence, Design + Development, Bronze Award
2019 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region (NWPR) Design Merit Award

View of 72Foster taken from across the street as cars and a bus drive down Foster in front of the apartment building.

Affordable Intergenerational Housing

One of the area’s first multifamily buildings, Holst thoughtfully balanced affordability, durability, and sustainability at 72Foster. Designed with intergenerational families in mind, the project is located close to transit, and includes a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Every unit features comfortable room proportions, large windows, ceiling fans in every room, and generously sized kitchens with mechanically ventilated range hoods.

A person in a yellow shirt rides by 72Foster on a bike.

Fostering a Vibrant Community

Ground floor retail has been a success story, with various restaurants and local shops becoming fixtures of the neighborhood.

Bird’s-eye view of 72Foster to show the building’s interesting shape and neighborhood context.

Fitting into the Neighborhood

The building’s angled shape respects the existing neighborhood scale, creates a new public courtyard, and acts as a buffer from Foster Road.

A person carrying a shoulder bag walks toward 72Foster’s front door, past a built-in wooden bench, which is situated under the “72Foster” sign.

A Dynamic Façade

The building’s exterior alternates brick and fiber cement siding for texture and variation without sacrificing durability and affordability. Standard thick, seamless fiber cement siding modules are arranged and applied with rigorous attention to detail. The strategic use of cedar surrounding the entrance and breezeway brings visual warmth to the human scale. Orange-painted metal details tie the wood’s warm tones to the other materials and bring vibrancy without competing with the colorful Mercado next door.

A person opens the door in the warm-toned, wooden-clad breezeway at 72Foster.

Neighborhood Connection

An open breezeway connects the residential neighborhood to the popular Portland Mercado across the street.

72Foster’s ground-floor community room’s Nana Walls are open, revealing the vibrant floral mural on the room's back wall.

Cultural Vibrancy

Local artist Haruka Ostley’s painted murals lead visitors through the lobby and the ground floor community room.

View of 72Foster’s ground-floor community room, which features a kitchen, several tables, gray acoustic panels hanging from the ceiling, and a vibrant blue floral mural.

View of 72Foster’s 4th-floor community room, which features various seating options.

Designed to Foster Connections

The large community gathering spaces features a communal kitchen and folding NanaWall system that opens to the courtyard to accommodate a wide range of programs and events. The building’s amenities include a fourth-floor lounge with an open terrace that balances the opening at the ground floor and offers views of Mount Hood.

We're already a diverse community. So, gaining more housing to support our neighbors who are getting displaced by increasing housing costs in the area is very positive.

— Sean McClintock, Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association Volunteer