Thursday, October 23, 2025
In a landmark development for both the woodworking industry and affordable housing, the Julia West House, a 12-storey timber apartment building in downtown Portland, has set a new record as Oregon’s tallest mass timber building. Rising to a height of over 44 metres, this pioneering project showcases the potential of cross-laminated timber (CLT) as a sustainable and cost-effective construction material in the delivery of affordable housing.
The Julia West House project was developed to address the ongoing need for affordable housing in Portland. The 12-storey tower offers 90 furnished apartments, including 60 studio apartments and 30 one-bedroom apartments. These units are specifically targeted at households earning 30% or less of the area median income (AMI), which for a one-person household is set at $26,070 in 2025. The building was constructed on a 5,000-square-foot lot, previously owned by the First Presbyterian Church of Portland, which had been underutilised for several decades.
This development not only provides essential housing for vulnerable communities, including seniors and Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) residents, but it also serves as a powerful demonstration of how mass timber can be used economically in high-performance, mid-rise housing projects.
The Julia West House project was initiated by Community Development Partners (CDP), a developer focused on providing affordable housing in Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado. The project represents both a significant achievement in the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) for CDP and marks the tallest building the company has ever developed. Eric Paine, CEO of Community Development Partners, noted in a podcast with The Urbanist that the project was the first time the company had utilised CLT in a multi-storey building.
Holst Architecture was responsible for the building’s design, with KPFF serving as the structural engineer and Walsh Construction acting as the general contractor. The team successfully combined design excellence with efficient construction practices, aiming to deliver both sustainable and affordable housing.
The Julia West House is also notable for being one of the earliest buildings in Oregon to employ Type IV-B mass timber construction. Oregon’s 2018 adoption of a mass timber building code was a significant milestone, allowing taller buildings constructed from wood to meet modern safety and environmental standards. Prior to this change, heavy timber construction in Oregon was limited to six storeys, but the new regulations allow Type IV-A buildings to rise up to 18 storeys, Type IV-B buildings up to 12 storeys, and Type IV-C buildings up to nine storeys.
The use of CLT in this project exemplifies how engineered wood can be employed to create sustainable, high-performance housing at a mid-rise scale. “This project is a great example of how to economically build high-performing, desirable housing for people who desperately need it,” said Christopher Pitt, an associate engineer at KPFF. The combination of sustainable building materials and efficient construction methods offers a model for addressing housing shortages while advancing low-carbon construction techniques.
In addition to its environmentally friendly design, Julia West House offers a range of amenities to support the residents. These include a community room, lounge, communal kitchen, rooftop patio, laundry facilities, and secure bike parking. The building also includes offices for property management, resident services, and case management, all aimed at providing essential support for tenants.
The development was financed through a blend of public and private funding sources, including a 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) allocation, USDA Wood Innovations funding, and a grant from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund. This diverse financing approach has helped ensure the project’s affordability while leveraging sustainable materials and practices.
The Julia West House is being hailed as a test case for the broader adoption of mass timber in affordable housing projects across the U.S. Its compact footprint and the use of prefabricated timber elements are seen as key advantages, making the construction process faster, quieter, and more efficient. Community Development Partners and other project stakeholders believe that the lessons learned from this project will be instrumental in shaping future developments aimed at addressing housing shortages and promoting sustainable urban growth.
“The blend of targeted funding, updated building codes, and modern timber construction offers a replicable model for delivering affordable, sustainable housing in constrained urban sites,” said project consultants. They added that the success of this project could pave the way for more mass timber developments aimed at combating the housing crisis and advancing sustainability goals.
As the building is now complete, with residents beginning to move in, Julia West House stands as a testament to the growing role of mass timber in affordable housing projects. The use of cross-laminated timber not only showcases the material’s potential for high-rise buildings but also demonstrates how engineered wood can be integrated into urban housing solutions that prioritise sustainability and carbon reduction.
Looking ahead, it is clear that mass timber could become a key component in the evolution of the woodworking industry and the construction sector, especially in addressing critical issues like affordable housing and urban sustainability.
News Source- https://woodcentral.com.au/
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Tags: affordable housing, cross-laminated timber, engineered wood, Julia West House, low-carbon construction, Portland mass timber, woodworking industry
