The Meriwether. Two LEED Gold certified towers along the Willamette River set the bar for residential architecture in Portland, Oregon.

In mid-2003, Busby Perkins+Will completed the master plan for the North Macadam Waterfront district in Portland, Oregon. On the heels of this success came the design of the first residential block: The Meriwether Development. In association with Portland’s GBD Architects, Busby Perkins+Will developed a scheme comprising two residential towers (21 & 24 floors), a retail/residential podium, and two levels of underground parking. The first residential ‘point towers’ constructed in Portland, the project will set the bar for development in the district for many years to come.

The Meriwether is connected to several arteries flowing in and out of the waterfront area: on the south by a universal street providing predominantly pedestrian access; on the east by the Greenway which fronts the Willamette River; on the north by Curry Street, providing primary access to the waterfront; and on the west by a retail-oriented north-south street. The podium-level retail space faces River Parkway, with townhomes addressing the Greenway and Curry and live/work style townhomes along Curry and Pennoyer. Private interior courtyards and planted eco-roofs extend the natural qualities of the Greenway into the residential areas, establishing the character of this unique riverfront development. The towers will feature curtainwall glazing with spandrel glass and a pre-coloured and panelized precast concrete system. This material palette will continue down to the podium.

Because the towers’ floor plates are so large—almost 10,000 sf—the design maximizes their vertical nature. Varying solar conditions around the building are addressed through the use of solar shades and balconies on the south and west faces to minimize solar gain. Highly insulated glazing will be used with a judicious distribution of vision glazing, in order to meet the strenuous Oregon State Energy Code requirements.

The Meriwether was certified LEED-NC Gold in 2007; at the time of certification, it was the largest residential project to achieve LEED Gold from the USGBC.