Marquis Lofts

Photos

credits: Rob Karosis

Project Name

Marquis Lofts

The Marquis Lofts is the first project in which Bild was commissioned and given latitude to create a contemporary design. Challenges included the use of an existing foundation, a compact urban site, and an aggressive project budget. While intended to be a high-end product, the Marquis Lofts client was a developer seeking to meet market demand, not a private home-owner with the liberty to make purely emotional decisions.

The façade composition takes cues from several local inspirations. The use of clapboards is both a contextual reference and an abstraction of a sunrise reflecting on Casco Bay. The stepping back of the canopy and balcony elements is both a functional way of creating zones of privacy and a reference to the stepping passenger decks of the local ferry, the Machigonne II. The massing and color palate of the Marquis Lofts relates both to commercial ships of the Portland harbor and to the classic Portland triple-decker apartment building.

The Marquis Lofts is a truly urban project for people seeking an active lifestyle. The site is located within blocks of neighborhood restaurants, general stores, a performing arts venue and an elementary school. The Portland Downtown is only a twenty-minute walk away. Residents are provided bike racks and only one compact parking space per unit. A covered canopy comes out to the sidewalk to greet visitors, and a planter of comfortable seating height displays a sculpture garden to the public.

Energy conservation features of the project include high-efficiency triple-glazed windows, re-use of an existing foundation, urban-infill development, small flexible unit layouts, air-tight envelope, high-efficiency electric heat-pumps, heat-recovery-ventilation, and a continuous insulation layer in the walls. Particular attention was paid to creating a continuous air barrier between the living units and the enclosed parking.

One particular design and execution challenge was aligning all the building elements within the panelized grid. While alignment of windows is easy to imagine on paper, saw-cutting a window opening into an existing foundation before framing has begun sets up a situation in which a waterfall of decisions have to be understood long before they are going to be executed. One factor that made the process easier to execute was that the panels were cut on-site. This same factor that made for better design results also slowed down the progress of the project. The designer/owner/contractor team worked diligently and cooperatively to produce an outstanding design, home, and product.

Architecture or A/E Firm Name

Bild Architecture

Architect

Evan Carroll, Maine Licensed Architect, AIA

Team

Evan Carroll - Project Architect, Jesse Patkus - Architectural Intern, Jacob Wheeler - Architectural Designer

Consultants

Structural Integrity Consulting Engineers, Tony Mench LA, BH2M Engineering

Location

33 Lafayette Street, Portland, Maine 04101

Client

Peter Bass, Random Orbit

General Contractor

Wright Ryan Construction