丨United StatesPortland

Alberta Arts House

Project Info

LOCATION

Portland, Oregon

SCALE

1250 sf

COMPLETION

2024

Created for an active couple in their 70s, this compact single-story home is meticulously designed for aging in place comfortably. The residents chose to downsize from their three story house to a new 1,250 square foot home with no stairs, built next door.

Well proportioned and flexible spaces, abundant natural light, and an elegant, low-maintenance palette make this three-bedroom, two bath house comfortable to live in through all of life’s stages.

Combining contemporary form and grounded materials, the home blends in amongst the Craftsman-style homes of their neighbors. As longtime residents, the clients welcome their neighbors with a friendly front porch with large, street-facing windows. A covered terrace for evening dinner parties in the garden is the centerpiece of the couple’s vibrant social life.  A front office and bathroom build capacity for an in-home caregiver in the future, and generous and level circulation space makes for comfortable navigation.

Designed to feel warm in winter and cool in summer, the house is super-insulated with European triple glazed windows and a heat recovery ventilation system: a model of environmentally responsible design.

“After caring for her own older parents, Ms. Ford [owner] asked herself:

‘What do we really need? And how can we take all these things into consideration and still have a place that looks beautiful and is functional for anybody at any age?’”

—Julie Lasky, The New York Times