Salvation Army Dining Hall

Design Vision

The finished Dining Hall provides an open, naturally lit dining and gathering space for the work-therapy residents of the Adult Rehabilitation Center. Residents queue for meals along the fully accessible ramp that links the old and new buildings. From the queue, residents are able to see the entire dining space as well as the city and streetscape around the building. The design emphasizes communal experience of the shared meal through waiting to be served together and enjoying a dining space scaled for a group to share.

Program

Portland’s Adult Rehabilitation Center houses 70 male residents at a time, with the purpose of assisting the men to recover and reintegrate with their communities through work therapy, counseling, and spiritual guidance. The Salvation Army approached Bild Architecture to design a 4,000 square foot dining hall addition to serve their Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) on Preble Street in Portland. The addition would replace the existing outdated dining space located on the third floor of the facility, and the existing dining space would be divided and converted into a community room and a two-bedroom apartment to be utilized by Salvation Army commanders.

Design Considerations

Multiple locations on the ARC site were considered before settling on the corner of Preble and Lancaster streets. The location takes advantage of the existing thrift store parking lot, which is no longer in use since the thrift store has been closed. The location provides a large outdoor space to be revitalized into a privately screened court yard and picnic area acting as an outside extension of the dining hall.

The proposed design for the dining hall addition had to be integrated into the first floor of the existing building while maintaining the current security requirements of the ARC. In light of the security requirements of the ARC, the challenge arose of how to engage the surrounding urban environment along Lancaster and Preble Streets. This engagement was achieved through varying fenestration and building materials, as well as the inclusion of an accessible entry at the corner of the two streets.

Construction Cost: $1,800,000

Project Area: 4,000 Sq. Ft.

Completion Date: Fall 2017

We stand for equity and human rights

The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) is built on the believe that people deserve a second chance to overcome substance abuse challenges in their life. The architecture supports the accessibility of this program by providing a queuing pattern that is the same for ambulatory and wheeled people alike. The Center is located in close vicinity to other necessary social services and public transportation so as to be easily accessed regardless of transportation means.

We stand for architecture that strengthens our communities

The mission and location of the ARC are specifically oriented towards the support of a more resilient community. The project is built with quality materials in a prominent location with context sensitive design. The design engages the street and welcomes the curious to view the activities inside. The over-arching goal is to give the Salvation Army a benevolent presence as an institution that provides a community service.

We stand for a sustainable future

The Dining Hall project is both urban infill within downtown Portland, and an addition that furthers the useful life of an existing three-story building. No greenfield sites were part of the project and all utility connections were made off of existing in-street infrastructure immediately adjacent to the site. The building construction meets energy codes with particular attention to air-tightness and proper mechanical ventilation.