as this wooden trellis on a rooftop deck.
Nihonmachi Terrace
Architect: Pyatok Architects
Owner: Inter*Im Community Development Association
ABC members: Bratrud Middleton Insurance, DeBolte Plumbing & Heating, Matheus Lumber Co., Tueffers, Guckian & Gamon
Nihonmachi Terrace provides low-income housing while preserving the history of the International District. Inter*Im Community Development Association purchased the property in 2003 to build housing in a pre-World War II style to accommodate families in the heart of Nihonmachi or Japantown.
Nihonmachi Terrace contains 50 apartments in configurations from studios to four bedrooms. The doughnut-shaped building allows all units to face an open-air, landscaped courtyard that was designed to be a children’s play area. There also is a communal rooftop deck, office space for the International Community Development Association and a 40-stall parking garage.
Some unique Asian-inspired features of the building include a rooftop wooden trellis that overlooks the International District, Japanese Bonsai pine trees on the rooftop deck and bamboo plants in the courtyard.
Marpac had to install shoring with soldier piles and wood lagging because of the site’s steep slope. It also had to install an erosion control system.
Since the project’s design was completed prior to huge increases in the cost of steel, Marpac did extensive value engineering to meet the owner’s budget. Some of the changes included substituting vinyl for metal siding and using different finish materials inside.
Marpac’s culturally diverse staff was able to speak to the neighbors in their native languages, allowing the project to run safely and without interruptions to the community.
The $8.35 million project was completed on time. It required 19,156 work hours and had no injuries or time-loss accidents.