One of our tallest master plans found its inspiration in the universal set of a Venn diagram comparing density and salability. We think there is a natural synergism between responsible building and commercialism.

Today over half the population lives in cities, and by 2040 that percentage will be two-thirds of an estimated 5.6 billion people. From a human perspective we need to plan for the expansion. One way to ease the strain on urban infrastructure is to build toward self-contained neighborhoods: Density. From a developer’s vantage, getting the most out of your investment and property is often the paramount purpose. And so we look at salability. The Talbert Towers Masterplan was a study to find the overlap.

Here we took an awkward piece of property and worked to get the most out of its offerings. To start we take advantage of the lack of height limits—we plan tall and capitalize on the views of Portland and of Mt. St. Helens. We site parking underneath 20 story towers to counter the grade coming off Mt. Talbert Nature Park just across the street. And we propose ample retail space so that for the inhabitants of the 520 condos + 50 townhomes, a carton of milk is just an elevator ride away. Clackamas may not be a metropolis just yet, but when we study the future we’d better plan for the bustle.