Honor Award — Urban Design

Gradient House Portland, Oregon

Linden, Brown Architecture

Christopher Brown (B.Arch. ’04)

The Gradient House transforms a postwar house in Portland into a timely and sophisticated live-work campus. United by a shared roof and material palette, the house and studio frame a courtyard that overlooks the iconic St. Johns Bridge, the Willamette River and the West Hills. Though the new house and studio more than double the size of the original house, the scale of the surrounding neighborhood is maintained. Interior walls are lined with textured maple panels, subtly changing configuration to adapt to a variety of needs. The simple, gabled roof is punctuated by distinct light monitors that bring soft daylight into several interior spaces. The selective use of steel for railings and stairs continues the material and directional strategy of the structure. The landscape mixes a meandering softscape with a series of board formed concrete frames that match the original foundation, gradually following the slope of the site toward the river valley.

“The dramatic transformation of the existing ranch-style house into a modern home and studio is impressive,” the jury said. “The rhythm of the front elevation into a series of vertically proportioned rectangles and portals is a compelling interpretation of the existing conditions.”