Lever Architecture transforms Portland industrial buildings into creative workspace
American firm Lever Architecture used weathering steel and original timber in the adaptive reuse of two factories built over 70 years ago for a hay bale manufacturer.
Photograph by Lara Swimmer
The project, called Redfox Commons, is located in an evolving industrial district in Northwest Portland. Encompassing 60,000 square feet (5,574 square metres), the project entailed the conversion of two heavy timber buildings into a speculative office complex for creative tenants.
Rectangular in plan, the structures were built in the 1940s for JA Freeman & Sons, a manufacturer of hay bales and related equipment.
Local studio Lever Architecture sought to honour the site's industrial heritage while upgrading the buildings for contemporary use.
On the exterior, the team added ribbon windows and clad walls in pre-rusted steel, replacing the building's corrugated tin siding. Pitched roofs were also sheathed in weathering steel. Within the buildings, original timber trusses were left in place.
"Recognising the historic and environmental significance of the old- growth wood structure, the renovation preserves and restores the original lumber," the team said. "The existing trusses were sand blasted and remain exposed, highlighting the natural beauty of the wood."
In both buildings, the team added 80-foot-long (24-metre) clerestories. The elevated glazing brings daylight into the vast spaces below.
The buildings feature large, open floors, with column-free spans of u...
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