REGIONAL PORTFOLIO • THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

©STRODE ECKERT PHOTOS

Andover Park

Beaverton, Oregon

Fisher-Friedman Associates, Architects

Although this multifamily rental project by San Francisco architects Fisher-Friedman Associates departs from the Northwest idiom, it remains true to the region's traditional respect for nature. In a place where the forest long preceded the suburb, it successfully addresses the challenge of designing high-quality housing without destroying the environment.

Beaverton is a growth center immediately west of Portland, and Andover Park is Fisher-Friedman's fourth rental-housing development for GSL Properties, a developer that seems to have a genuine interest in architectural quality. At Andover Park, the architects eschewed many of the devices—overhanging roofs, soft colors, and generally familiar forms—that had made their other projects in the area popular. However, they did carry over skillful site planning and a canny balancing of developers' and dwellers' needs. Here the buildings are hard-edged, angular, and plain-spoken, almost to the point of starkness. They are bright white with equally bright red chimneys, their roofs flat, their windows rectilinear, their balconies shiplike.

The project's 24 two-story and 14 three-story buildings are interspersed with trees up to 180 feet tall, a condition that was the prime determinant of both site planning and design. From the outset, the large groves were deemed sacrosanct, especially at the edges and the crest of the hilly 17-acre site. Footprints of the two- and three-story buildings were kept as tight as possible to avoid site disruption, and some parking was placed under buildings to minimize ground coverage.

Andover Park's bold colors and simplicity of form were part of a deliberate effort to create a contrast between buildings and nature, while the absence of roof overhangs permits as much light as possible to enter the buildings. The red chimneys are a unifying visual counterpoint to the tall trees. The overall effect is decidedly Scandinavian, a tradition that has had considerable influence on the Northwest.

The architects speak of the buildings' dominant and subordinate sides. The latter face parking and auto courts, the former are oriented toward downslopes and views. Approximately 92 percent of the 240 rental units have unimpeded views, many with corner apartments that enjoy two, or even three, vantage points. Some of the three-story buildings are given additional character by hexagonal bays. The most complicated forms are found in the artfully composed recreation center, a 6,000-square-foot complex comprising a pool, spa, exercise room, racquetball court, and a variety of community facilities. D. J. C.

92 ARCHITECTURAL RECORD

MAY-1990

The architects call Andover
Park's recreation and
administration building
(above) "relief from the
rigorous requirements of
the residential units' design
program." As the public's
first point of contact, the
building introduces visitors
to the project's
architectural character.

BUILDINGS TYPES 1 AND 2 CLUSTER

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD · 93