The lots were underutilized or held a structure that the owner wanted replaced. Architects stepped in to create housing projects to satisfy the landowner's ideal and match the inner Portland neighborhoods.

Did they succeed? You decide.

You can go inside eight contemporary houses, apartments and townhouses on AIA Portland's 2014 Homes Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11. Tickets ($40) can be picked up at the AIA Portland office, 403 NW 11th Ave. (503-223-8757).

The self-guided tour, which is part of Design Week Portland, is a chance to see sustainable, creative design solutions to adapt at home or inspire a new construction.

"A cool thing to note about this year's tour is that all of the homes are very close in Portland," says Amy Dragon of AIA Portland, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects. "You could cycle the tour. The furthest east is the Tabor area, west is no further than NW 20th and northeast is 14th and Ainsworth."

Riders of all sorts can run over these highlights before putting pedal to the metal:



Rooftop view box: Ash + Ash

The contemporary house with a rooftop view box and pool terrace was designed by Timothy R Eddy of Hennebery Eddy Architects. Views of land and cityscape to the east, north and west extend the boundaries of the lot. The residence, completed this year, is composed of white stucco planes with glass and cedar panels that float above a dark brick base. Deep cedar soffits at the porches extend above the glass, forming rich interior spaces. Rift cut white oak used throughout the interior is complemented by a cantilevered walnut stair.

Design Week Portland 2014

Design Week Portland, Oct. 4-11, is a series of interactive events, installations, conversations and Open Houses across the Metro area showcasing the evolving state of design in architecture, interiors, products, graphics and retail. Visit the geodesic domes in Pioneer Square or

for details.

Retaining the ceiling and roof framing: Bowstring Truss House

Works Partnership Architecture converted a 5,000-square-foot warehouse and awning fabricator's shop into a residence and studio. The designers maintained the vast bowstring trussed ceiling, exposed roof framing and open floor plan, while adding flexible live-work spaces. The adaption, completed in 2013, offers a sense of the expanse of the entire structure as well as scaled, discrete living areas.

Stable to lofts: Dr. Jim's Still Really Nice Lofts

A 1919 livery stable was transformed into four rental lofts with private courtyards by architect Brett Schulz, who says, "I enjoy creating livability through high quality compact design, and I'm a strong proponent of adapting older, underutilized building to new uses."

The livery stable had became an automobile repair shop and then workspace for a recumbent bike manufacturer.

As much of the original material as possible was retained and exposed, including brick walls and wide-span wood trusses. The most dramatic transformation was the removal of about a third of the roof, leaving the old trusses spanning over a new shared courtyard. The interior finishes' clear fir millwork defer to the historic wood, concrete and brick finishes.

Adaptive reuse: Division Street Residence

Melody Emerick, Geno Salimena, Diane Cook and Brian Emerick of Emerick Architects found an inventive way to turn three disjointed structures, constructed over the last century, into an energy-efficient house with a new penthouse and a roof garden. With almost 2,000 square feet of solar arrays, this project, completed in 2013, is practically off-the-grid. Almost everything was handmade by Portland artisans from raw materials, including cabinetry.



Future conversions: The Gragg Apartment Building

Architect Richard Potestio of Potestio Studio designed a triplex to be built on the site of a former parking lot. Two loft-type apartments occupy the first two floors and are separated by a central stair, which leads to the penthouse unit. The layout of the apartments, which were completed in 2013, allows for future conversion from two to four units. The building is intended to meld with its neighboring commercial buildings, yet also relate to the residential structures across the street. Light and natural ventilation and year-round usable outdoor spaces were primary considerations in the design.

Passive House goals: Kiln Apartments

Kiln Apartments was designed by GBD Architects to develop the most energy-efficient, market-rate apartment building possible. Housing 19 apartments and ground-floor retail, the building was completed in 2014 in a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly neighborhood in North Portland. To earn Passive House certification, the building must have energy performance that is approximately 65–75 percent better than Portland's already industry-leading code requirements.

Live-work townhouses: Overton 19

Overton 19 townhouses in a Northwest Portland neighborhood were designed by Works Partnership Architecture for the urban entrepreneur. Each street-front work-retail space, completed this year, has a second-floor living space. The facade, which takes the form of a veil of trees, offers a sense of openness while also providing privacy.

Flexible living arrangements: Pavilion House

Architect Benjamin Waechter designed a pavilion-like house with four rectangular piers that house stairs, kitchen, bathroom and storage, and support the second story. Between these piers, the open-floor plan expands to outdoor living through floor-to-ceiling glass and sliding doors.

The exterior of the house, built in 2014, is clad in charred, vertical cedar board siding. In contrast, the living area has painted white plywood and drywall.

A stairway leads to three bedroom suites that wrap around a central landing and common study space, and can accommodate a multigenerational family or housemates.



--Janet Eastman