Photo courtesy of Sally Schoolmaster.
Bud Clark Commons
Portland, OR
Business Type
Residential and mixed-use building featuring social-services resources and low-income housing
Size
108,000 square feet
Architect
Holst Architecture
Owner
Homeforward (formerly Housing Authority of Portland)
Certifications
- Architecture 2030
- LEED Platinum
Bud Clark Commons delivers dignified housing and essential services to Portland’s most vulnerable while setting a national standard for sustainable design—recognized as a 2014 AIA COTE Top Ten Green Project.
Located at the western foot of the Broadway Bridge in downtown Portland, Bud Clark Commons combines a day-services center, a 90-bed men’s shelter, and 130 studio apartments for individuals transitioning from homelessness. Developed by Home Forward in partnership with the City of Portland, the project embodies both social responsibility and environmental innovation.
Designed to promote health, stability, and sustainability, Bud Clark Commons demonstrates how thoughtful engineering can strengthen community resilience while reducing operational costs and environmental impact.
Special Features
- Lighting design exceeds energy code requirements by 25%
- Solar hot-water heating that is among the largest in Oregon
- A greywater reclamation system that is among the largest in Oregon
- 100% outside air with heat recovery to supply outside air directly to each residential unit
- Low-flow plumbing fixtures
- High-efficiency HVAC system with UV filtration and displacement ventilation
- Advanced utility sub-metering system
- Achieved 45% energy efficiency
- Achieved 53% potable water efficiency