Argyle Gardens

Project highlights: Argyle Gardens

• Architect: Holst Architecture
• Owner: Transition Projects
• Location: Portland, Ore.
• Category: Specialized Housing
• Project site: Brownfield
• Building program type(s): Residential — multifamily, 5 or more units

Argyle Gardens is the first implementation of a modular, low-income single-adult housing model developed by the design team and Transition Projects, an organization dedicated to providing life-changing assistance to Portland’s most vulnerable residents. The first modular housing project permitted by the city, this new community of 72 housing units in the Kenton neighborhood stands as a new co-housing model whose residents share community space and other support systems. It represents a crucial step forward in the effort to design, build, and maintain affordable housing across the nation. 

As a development, Argyle Gardens comprises four different buildings, the largest of which contains 35 220-square-foot studio apartments as well as a community room, laundry facilities, and support services that make it a central hub for the community. The three separate cohousing buildings contain two units with six bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large kitchen. Argyle Gardens opened at a pivotal moment in 2020, providing critical housing for formerly homeless and low-income Portlanders during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The overarching design concept offers maximum impact for minimal cost. To that end, the buildings are formed by modular units that were constructed off-site and further enhanced by gabled roof trusses, shingled roofs, and durable cladding that obscure the modular components from the exterior. Each of them takes on a simple rectilinear form with a bold slice removed to reveal the color and light that passes through polycarbonate panels. This approach, supported by low-income tax credits from the state of Oregon, allowed the team to reduce development costs by 31% compared to typical affordable housing projects. Those savings are passed on to residents who pay as little as $300 monthly rent. 

Existing vegetation and steep topography on the formerly industrial site challenged the team to arrange the buildings in a way that accommodated ADA access requirements, environmental considerations, and the large staging area required for modular construction. But the resulting calibration of the siting addresses those issues successfully while minimizing direct solar heat gain on the polycarbonate walls. The project also garnered an Earth Advantage Platinum Rating because of its numerous features that reduce its impact on the environment, including drought-resistant landscaping, LED fixtures, and a rooftop photovoltaic array. 

From the outset, the design team engaged Kenton’s supportive and progressive community, which recognizes that the transformation of the site, once plagued by illegal dumping, has boosted the neighborhood’s vitality. With its efficient construction techniques and aesthetic typology, Argyle Gardens can be scaled up or down and easily adapted to suit a variety of locales, providing similar benefits for communities across the country.