Portland architects propose connected mixed-use skyscrapers

Dive Brief:

A Portland, Oregon, firm, William Kaven Architecture, has proposed a mixed-use project for the city's Broadway Corridor featuring dual towers connected by a glass botanical bridge, according to designboom.
The taller of the two towers would be 970 feet and the glass bridge would connect the two buildings at 680 feet. The 5-million-square-foot project would also include an underground high-speed transportation center, as well as retail, office, hospitality and residential components.
William Kaven submitted its proposal for the project last year in response to a Prosper Portland request for proposal (RFP). Prosper Portland owns multiple properties where the project would be built and is trying to settle on a redevelopment strategy for the Broadway Corridor. An offshoot of William Kaven, Kaven + Co, would serve as the development's master planner, according to the architecture firm's proposal.

Dive Insight:

Developments with onsite transportation options, or at least in close proximity, are often referred to as transit-oriented developments (TODs). These projects are typically high-density – in residents, commercial tenants or expected visitors – in order to make construction of the transportation component worthwhile.

Sometimes, TODs help promote ridership in cities exploring new modes of mass transit. Hillary Foose, director of communications and marketing for the Valley Metro in Phoenix, told Construction Dive last year that TODs and strategic rail placement near Arizona State University in Tempe and along high-use city-bus routes helped the area's new system reach its 20-year goal of 50,000 daily riders within just a few years.

The Valley Metro also helped the city financially. Albert Santana, director of high capacity transit for Phoenix, said that the city's TODs resulted in a $9 billion economic boon.

Phoenix construction crews broke ground late last year on a new high-density development, the LINK PHX. The project is a 30-story, 375,000-square-foot mixed-use tower in the downtown that will feature more than 250 market-rate apartments, more than 15 penthouses and 7,000 square feet of street-level retail.

In December, New York City-based developer Tishman Speyer proposed a mixed-use TOD called Reston Crossing for a 14-acre site in Reston, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. The project will be served by the yet-to-open Reston Town Center rail station, which will connect to the Metro Silver Line. The Tishman Speyer development would feature 30,000 square feet of retail and up to 860 residential units, 380 of which would be multifamily, around a central park. As of the December announcement, the project would be 38% to 58% office space, 36% to 59% residential and 3% to 6% retail.