Ellen Browning Building / Hacker

Architects: Hacker
Area: 34,000 ft²
Year: 2024
Photography: Jeremy Bittermann
Design Principal and Principal-in-Charge: Corey Martin
Principal Project Manager: Scott Mannhard
Principal Technical: Matt Sugarbaker
Project Architect: Vijayeta Davda
Interior Designer: Emily Knudsen-Leland
Design Team: Emily Hays, Lewis Williams, Sam Yerke, Rashmi Vasavada, Whitney Dienes, Keri Hayenga, Keri Woltz, Joe Swank
Interior Design: Garrison Hullinger Interior Design
Construction: Truebeck Construction
Civil Engineering: Vega
Structural Engineering: DCI
Landscape Architecture: Szabo
Design-Build Mechanical: Hunter Davisson
MEP and Fire Protection: PAE
Lighting Design: OLighting
Specifications: Michael Thrailkill Associates
Owner’s Representative: UD+P. Urban Development Partners
Owner: Molly McCabe
City: Portland, Oregon
Country: United States

The Ellen Browning Building apartment project, designed by Hacker in Portland, Oregon, has introduced a sustainable co-housing model that supports aging in place through private, light-filled homes paired with generous shared amenities. Completed in 2024, the 34,000 sq. ft structure features ten single-level residences, ground-floor guest units, and two retail spaces that contribute to the neighborhood. The building uses post-tensioned concrete, prefabricated CLT, and custom fluted terracotta cladding to reduce construction time and enhance performance. A rooftop community floor and terraced outdoor spaces promote connection, accessibility, and long-term adaptability, offering an alternative to conventional multifamily housing for older residents.

The Ellen Browning Building was shaped by the direct involvement of its future residents, who led the design process to reflect their specific social and spatial priorities. Unlike typical housing developments driven by market metrics, this project was initiated as a personal and collective investment in long-term quality of life. The site’s dual condition, facing a busy commercial corridor and backing into a quieter residential zone, influenced the massing, orientation, and spatial hierarchy of the building. By engaging with both urban scales, the design establishes a sense of rootedness that reflects the residents’ commitment to aging within their community rather than apart from it.

Developed as a co-housing model for a tight-knit group of friends and extended family, the building combines the social character of collective living with the privacy and independence of apartment life. The program includes ten single-level residences ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 square feet, along with two ground-floor guest units intended for short-term visitors or future caregivers. The ground level also contains two retail spaces, contributing to the street’s mixed-use character and reinforcing the building’s relationship with its surrounding neighborhood.

Terraced patios with leafy privacy screens articulate the four-story volume and reduce the scale of the street frontage. These outdoor spaces function as vertical front yards that extend each unit outward, allowing casual social interaction and access to light and air. Custom off-white fluted terracotta cladding wraps the exterior and responds to changing daylight with shifts in shadow and tone, introducing a crafted quality that aligns the building more with single-family design than commercial multifamily typologies.

The structural system uses post-tensioned concrete for the lower levels and cross-laminated timber with exposed wood beams for the uppermost floor. Prefabrication of both the CLT panels and terracotta units allowed for a shorter construction timeline and lower on-site labor requirements. Supporting materials include thermally efficient fiberglass windows, Ipe decking, and painted steel trellises and guardrails. A compact underground parking garage was added to meet essential needs without dominating the site’s footprint.

The interiors follow a restrained and cohesive palette. White oak flooring and ceilings, gypsum board walls, and predesigned kitchen and casework templates were offered for resident customization. Residents selected their furnishings while contributing to the curation of shared art pieces in communal areas. These include a custom chandelier, a digital art display wall, and an outdoor sculpture. Painted steel tube structures on the patios support climbing star jasmine that will gradually grow to soften and partially green the facade.

The entire fourth floor is dedicated to shared amenities, consolidating spaces for cooking, dining, crafts, reading, fitness, spa use, games, and a swimming pool within one accessible level. This configuration supports both solitude and social engagement, allowing residents to choose how they participate in daily life within the building. The centralized layout was designed to foster inclusivity and long-term usability as physical needs evolve.

The Ellen Browning Building offers a framework for residential life shaped by personal agency and community commitment. By taking control of the design and development process, its residents created a built environment tailored to aging with purpose, clarity, and connection. As Design Principal Corey Martin noted, “developing our building means we can sustain a supportive and engaging environment, both physically and socially.” The project stands as a refined and adaptable alternative to traditional senior housing.