Something Big

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Blaine Merker of REBAR in San Francisco. REBAR has made a name for themselves with progressive city planners as the go-to design team if you want to rehabilitate vacant urban landscape in order to create vibrancy and usefulness. Their projects in both New York and San Francisco feature converted cargo container architecture to highlight that the current use is transitory and acts as a place holder for some future, more permanent use. I've been working with a group to implement these containers in a new, flexible and creative way for retail uses in addition to building residential structures. I'm feeling particularly well equipped to help REBAR in this new Portland project. 

Rebar has been working with a client here in Portland that has a little bit of maritime waterfront next to downtown, about thirty acres! The client, Zidell Maritime, gave REBAR the challenge of reconnecting the people of Portland with the Willamette River waterfront. For years there as been almost no river access and the Willamette's water quality reputation kept it from being an ideal location for a swim. That reputation is more than a little dated. The City of Portland recently completed work on a giant infrastructure project that diverts city waste from the river. After spending more than twenty million dollars of their own money to clean and clear the brownfield status of their shipyard site the Zidell family wants to present Portland, Oregon with a new public space, that includes a beach.

Blaine and his partner Mike flew up to Portland last week to meet with the people from Zidell. The next day I hosted a lunch to introduce the guys from REBAR to a group of artists, makers and builders that I'd assembled to hear about REBAR's vision for the site and how we can bring that vision to life. It was truly impressive. They'll be back in a few weeks to take us for a site walk through and to present how they want to define the space. So far the specifics discussed are a metal arts fabrication facility, artist in residence structures, a beer garden and a public sauna. We've been encouraged to come up with additional on-going programing and to develop ways to raise awareness of the site.

Google Maps to; 3121 SW Moody Ave Portland, Oregon 97239. The site is all the undeveloped waterfront land between the Ross Island Bridge and the Marquam Bridge.