Construction of Parkview, a high-rise expansion of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) in Portland, Ore., completed recently. The senior living facility is touted as the largest Passive House structure on the West Coast, and the largest Passive House senior living building in the country.
Parkview, a 10-story building, adds 127 independent living apartments to the Terwilliger Plaza community, increasing the total number of residents to about 550. The 370,000 sf concrete structure connects to the existing campus via a new steel skybridge, the first of its kind within a new city policy that allows pedestrian bridges for senior living communities. The bridge was an integral part of the design of the $105-million Parkview project that had the goal of interconnectedness throughout the campus.
Architecture firm LRS took inspiration from the surrounding Pacific Northwest region in creating the design that includes interior motifs of mountains and roses. Incorporating efficiency and renewable energy, the structure features solar window shades, energy-efficient appliances, and photovoltaic roof panels.
Parkview is projected to achieve a 42% reduction in energy consumption compared to average senior living buildings of comparable size. The building is projected to save $100,000 annually from Passive House design.

The Parkview building consists of 10 levels of residential units sized from 1,100 sf to 2,200 sf. It includes two levels of underground parking.
Master planning for the project began in 2013. Groundbreaking took place in May 2021 and the building opened in Fall 2023.
Terwilliger Plaza is governed by a board of directors composed of a resident member majority, which supports a representative self-governing leadership style that is a unique feature within the senior living industry, according to a news release.
The project's Passive House-related features include:
• Superior air quality and thermal comfort
• Airtight construction
• Reduced thermal bridging
• All-electric design
• High-performance building envelope
• High-performance triple-pane windows
• Heat pump washer-dryer combo units (washes/dries in single unit)
• Heat pump water heaters
• Triple pane windows, sound attenuation
• Solar window shades
• Energy-efficient appliances
• Induction stovetops
• Heat recovery ventilation
• Photovoltaic (PV) roof panels
Owner: Terwilliger Plaza Inc.
Owner’s Development Consultant: MHS Consulting
Project Manager: BC Group
Architect and Interior Design: LRS Architects
MEP, Energy, and Passive House Analysis: PAE
General Contractor: Walsh Construction
Structural Engineer: IMEG Corp.
Civil Engineer: DOWL Engineers
Landscape Architect: PLACE
Acoustical Engineer: ABD Engineering and Design


Related Stories
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 75 Multifamily Engineering Firms for 2023
Kimley-Horn, WSP, Tetra Tech, Olsson, and Langan head the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 190 Multifamily Architecture Firms for 2023
Humphreys and Partners, Gensler, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Niles Bolton Associates, and AO top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Affordable Housing | Oct 20, 2023
Cracking the code of affordable housing
Perkins Eastman's affordable housing projects show how designers can help to advance the conversation of affordable housing.
Senior Living Design | Oct 19, 2023
Senior living construction poised for steady recovery
Senior housing demand, as measured by the change in occupied units, continued to outpace new supply in the third quarter, according to NIC MAP Vision. It was the ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a net absorption gain. On the supply side, construction starts continued to be limited compared with pre-pandemic levels.
MFPRO+ News | Oct 6, 2023
Announcing MultifamilyPro+
BD+C has served the multifamily design and construction sector for more than 60 years, and now we're introducing a central hub within BDCnetwork.com for all things multifamily.
Biophilic Design | Oct 4, 2023
Transforming the entry experience with biophilic design
Vessel Architecture & Design's Cassandra Wallace, AIA, NCARB, explores how incorporating biophilic design elements and dynamic lighting can transform a seemingly cavernous entry space into a warm and inviting focal point.
Affordable Housing | Oct 3, 2023
Standard Communities acquires six 100% affordable housing communities
These affordable housing communities total 407 units, and five of the communities are dedicated to senior living.
Affordable Housing | Sep 25, 2023
3 affordable housing projects that serve as social catalysts
Trish Donnally, Associate Principal, Perkins Eastman, shares insights from three transformative affordable housing projects.
MFPRO+ Blog | Sep 21, 2023
The benefits of strategic multifamily housing repositioning
With the rapid increase in new multifamily housing developments, owners of existing assets face increasing competition. As their assets age and the number of new developments increases seemingly day-by-day, developers will inevitably have to find a way to stay relevant.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023
New York City creates team to accelerate office-to-residential conversions
New York City has a new Office Conversion Accelerator Team that provides a single point of contact within city government to help speed adaptive reuse projects. Projects that create 50 or more housing units from office buildings are eligible for this new program.