Julia West House, a groundbreaking 12-story mass timber building, now stands as Oregon's tallest structure of its kind in downtown Portland. Designed by Holst Architecture and developed by Community Development Partners (CDP), this innovative 56,000-square-foot development represents a new benchmark for supportive housing construction. The building features 90 fully furnished apartments, including 60 studio units and 30 one-bedroom apartments, specifically designed for households earning 30 percent or less of the area median income.

The development replaced an underutilized lot that was sold by a local church, transforming the space into a vital resource for Portland's most vulnerable residents. Julia West House integrates natural materials, lighting, and communal spaces alongside comprehensive supportive services provided by several partner organizations, including Northwest Pilot Project (NWPP), Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA NW), Community for Positive Aging (CfPA), and Lift Urban Portland.

"What we love about this business is that we're able to focus on what we're passionate about, bringing in some of those climate-forward elements and trying to be progressive on sustainability and design," said Eric Paine, CEO of CDP. "This was a really exciting project to use a brand-new-to-us construction typology in mass timber, and a high-rise. It was the first time we had used cross-laminated timber in a multi-story building, and it was the tallest building that CDP has ever developed."

The building directly addresses Portland's housing crisis, where nearly a quarter of the homeless population is aged 55 and older, and BIPOC individuals are significantly overrepresented. Julia West House employs type IV-B mass timber construction, featuring glulam columns and exposed wood ceilings that create visual warmth and establish a connection to the Pacific Northwest's natural ecology. The extensive use of wood is complemented by a sophisticated gray masonry facade that provides both aesthetic appeal and structural integrity.

Architecturally, the building's design expresses communal areas through large carve-outs in the building's massing, which are connected by a basalt-like crack that subtly articulates the facade. "From an architectural perspective, there's a huge benefit to using wood on the interior to provide a connection with nature that's visible and beautiful, especially for affordable housing," said Nici Stauffer, project architect at Holst Architecture. "We feel strongly about that, in terms of providing beauty, quality, and a better experience for the residents."

The comprehensive supportive services offered at Julia West House include case management, culturally rooted recovery programs that honor Native American traditions, and various initiatives designed to address social determinants of health, combat isolation, and improve residents' access to benefits. These services reflect the building's commitment to trauma-informed design principles that prioritize resident well-being and long-term stability.

Beyond individual living units, the building provides extensive amenities including a rooftop patio with city views, a communal kitchen for shared meals and community building, comfortable lounge spaces, secure bike parking facilities, and on-site offices for both property management and resident services. These features are designed to foster community connections and support residents' overall quality of life.

The project's funding represents a successful combination of public and private sources, demonstrating innovative financing approaches for affordable housing development. Key funding sources included Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, USDA Wood Innovations funding that supported the mass timber construction approach, and grants from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, reflecting the project's environmental sustainability goals.

Julia West House stands as a compelling demonstration of how mass timber construction, when combined with trauma-informed design principles and integrated support services, can create a viable high-rise model for affordable housing. The project successfully prioritizes resident well-being, environmental sustainability, and urban density, potentially serving as a replicable model for other cities facing similar housing challenges.