165 Washington Ave | Northern Burner Supply Redevelopment | Portland

nomc said:
Did they design it or were they just the Architect of Record? I would assume a similar situation would happen with Holst unless they're licensed in Maine.
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Elkus Manfredi in Boston did the initial basic design and SMRT completed the remainder. For a University structure, Passivhaus and LEED are big feel-goods and probably result in additional and free money from the Fed Gov. I know that the U.S. Dept of Energy is "throwing" money at energy ideas and startups now. Passivehaus structures are considerably more expensive to build. And I think triple glazed windows and doors primarily come from Germany. Kaplan Thompson has a partner deal with a small company in Belfast that make Passivhaus certified pre-fabricated walls. They built the green colored L shaped apt building alongside Franklin Arterial.
 
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Elkus was the design architect and SMRT was the AOR, meaning they did the more detailed construction drawings and was the local liaison for permitting work:

nerej.com

Elkus Manfredi designs University of Southern Maineâs Career & Student Success Center and Portland Commons Residence Hall projects

University of Southern Maine’s Career & Student Success Center - Portland, ME Portland, ME A new chapter for the University of Southern Maine (USM)...
nerej.com nerej.com

Passivhouse isn't merely a "feel good," it requires much more attention to detail and is therefore a clear indicator of higher construction quality, which longer-term tenants like universities and nonprofit housing developers are willing to pay for.

There's also considerable evidence that within 10 years, the energy savings more than pay for the additional construction cost. Again, not something that cheap condo-flippers are interested in paying for, but long-haul tenants and building owners will.

FWIW, the Bayside Anchor building in East Bayside is Passivehouse and came in around $170,000 per unit for total development cost, which is insanely cheap, and AFAIK most of the new-development Portland Housing Authority projects since then have been designed to target Passivehouse certification.
 
I have a friend who has built a few. It's not really about quality, though detail is important to eliminate thermal bridges. Then comes the "blower test" to see how tight everything is to get certified. And, ironically, one of the best designers/builders of Passivhaus is in Portland, OR! They are so good at it that they have figured out how to allow a gas range in the kitchen. But the best heating source, in my experience, is heated stone floors. It's like having a foot massage when walking on them--no joke. Not really possible with a Passivhaus as the interior would become too warm and you'd have to open the windows or turn on the AC.
 
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TC_zoid said:
Elkus Manfredi in Boston did the initial basic design and SMRT completed the remainder. For a University structure, Passivhaus and LEED are big feel-goods and probably result in additional and free money from the Fed Gov. I know that the U.S. Dept of Energy is "throwing" money at energy ideas and startups now. Passivehaus structures are considerably more expensive to build. And I think triple glazed windows and doors primarily come from Germany. Kaplan Thompson has a partner deal with a small company in Belfast that make Passivhaus certified pre-fabricated walls. They built the green colored L shaped apt building alongside Franklin Arterial.
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There are a number of manufacturers building triple glazed windows in the U.S. including Paradigm in Portland.
 
This doesn't look like a building that needed an architect from the Pacific Northwest to design. Rather disappointing really. It has the opportunity to be a gateway project to the Wash Ave corridor. Instead, it's vanilla.
 
From the PPH article-

“This is a former industrial site on a major transit corridor that is well-suited to larger-scale development. The city is always changing to address society’s needs, and we only begin to solve our housing and climate crises when we prioritize dense, walkable housing over some static view of our city’s character.”

The apartments would be small – 300-700 square feet – which Culley said helps keep the cost down. The 300-plus unit building would feature just 20-30 parking spaces, which he said is intentional, given the “walkable neighborhood on a transit corridor.”

“Our goal is to accommodate people, not cars,” he said.



Love this and hope the sentiment spreads.
 
DV74 said:
Not true actually. SMRT and Elkus designed it together. Passivhaus is not just a feel good goal. It will result in considerable energy savings. It's all about reducing energy use intensity right now.
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Manfredi did the initial creative design. They are a far better and much bigger arch firm. And Passivhaus is a certification that is done with a blower test. If you are 95% there and not Passivhaus it is better than Passivhaus. Otherwise, you can't use a gas range or gas fireplace in the house. So, "Passivhaus" is not the best way to go. It's a feel-good, mostly. Windows are often opened with it. Air is good. A house is not a spaceship or plane flying at 35,000 feet up.
 
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Dr. StrangeHat said:
All aboard the NIMBY Express!! Next stop, "Butwhataboutparking Station" 🚂😂
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DV74 said:
This doesn't look like a building that needed an architect from the Pacific Northwest to design. Rather disappointing really. It has the opportunity to be a gateway project to the Wash Ave corridor. Instead, it's vanilla.
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Design presented is preliminary, we still have a lot of designing to do. Input is always appreciated from this Board. We will share progress drawings as they are available!
 
Redfern said:
Design presented is preliminary, we still have a lot of designing to do. Input is always appreciated from this Board. We will share progress drawings as they are available!
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For the most part, Gen Z doesn't or prefers not to drive. If you can determine the numbers who will be renting an apartment in this group that will help. All the boomers in town (Maine has the oldest population demo in the nation) who are so vocal about this are doing so by basing it on their memories of driving from their past. Gen Z can't use their phones for scrolling when driving, so they prefer not to. I'll bet most Gen Z in your building will be taking a car rideshare. Point that out to these people. They are still living in the past.
 
Do I dare read these, or are they just going to tick me off? 😂

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TC_zoid said:
For the most part, Gen Z doesn't or prefers not to drive. If you can determine the numbers who will be renting an apartment in this group that will help. All the boomers in town (Maine has the oldest population demo in the nation) who are so vocal about this are doing so by basing it on their memories of driving from their past. Gen Z can't use their phones for scrolling when driving, so they prefer not to. I'll bet most Gen Z in your building will be taking a car rideshare. Point that out to these people. They are still living in the past.
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This may be characteristic of Gen Z'ers in larger metropolitan areas but is not really representative of those in that group in Maine and other more rural states. All of my nieces and nephews are Gen Z'ers and they all drive.
 
See this is what happens, "we need to provide parking" no you don't. If we want people to be carless, save the environment, use the bus or Uber, then provide stores within a walking distance. Does Casco provide a 300 car parking lot? what about Mercy? We have been brought up in a society here in Maine that we need a car or two or three. We have to park right up front or I am not going into the store. Most people who are moving from out of state are used to not having a car and use Uber. What happened to Ushare car service from uhaul? let's explore have car share on site at these apartments that allow people still the freedom to roam but not totally being dependent on a vehicle.
 
PlantArch said:
This may be characteristic of Gen Z'ers in larger metropolitan areas but is not really representative of those in that group in Maine and other more rural states. All of my nieces and nephews are Gen Z'ers and they all drive.
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Do they live on the peninsula? I'm basing my theory on Gen Z in L.A. as my brother works with around 200 of them there. One bought a Tesla and doesn't really drive it. He just wanted it to brag about.
 
This has been submitted for 2400 Mass Ave. in Cambridge. I like its form, but not the exterior materials. How tall would this need to be for the Wash. Ave. footprint to contain 324 units? 10 plus floors?

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PlantArch said:
This may be characteristic of Gen Z'ers in larger metropolitan areas but is not really representative of those in that group in Maine and other more rural states. All of my nieces and nephews are Gen Z'ers and they all drive.
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This kind of cognitive bias ("everybody that I know has a car") is a great example of how car-dependent communities get forced on us.

In fact, the Census Bureau counts over 40,000 car-free households in Maine, the vast majority of whom do not live in Portland (but would probably love to live in a walkable neighborhood, if only segregationist NIMBY homeowners would let them):

https://censusreporter.org/data/tab...5&primary_geo_id=04000US23#valueType|estimate
 
cneal said:
This kind of cognitive bias ("everybody that I know has a car") is a great example of how car-dependent communities get forced on us.

In fact, the Census Bureau counts over 40,000 car-free households in Maine, the vast majority of whom do not live in Portland (but would probably love to live in a walkable neighborhood, if only segregationist NIMBY homeowners would let them):

https://censusreporter.org/data/tab...5&primary_geo_id=04000US23#valueType|estimate
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Did I say "everybody that I know has a car"? NO
 
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