An impressive building block
Construction for the mammoth tower known as Block 216 has broken ground in downtown Portland. The project’s general contractor, Howard S. Wright, has begun excavation of the hole for the garage with mechanical and plumbing work soon to follow. Last October, it was announced that MacDonald-Miller had won the Design-Build for the HVAC systems, sheet metal, hydronic piping systems, and plumbing work for Block 216. Since then, a dedicated team of MacMillan’s have been working hard on the design and engineering work with 100% of the construction documents on track to be completed by late February.
This project has been defined as a huge win for MacMiller! Block 216 will be a 460 ft tall structure and one of the most expensive single building projects in the city’s history.
Block 216 will be composed of 35 levels with multiple purposes. The ground level will contain approximately 10,000 SF of retail space; separate residential, hotel and office lobbies; a hotel lounge; and a gourmet food hall. The food hall is anticipated to replicate the same energy that Portland’s famous food carts used to bring when they previously framed this block. A grand ballroom, junior ballroom, event space, and meeting rooms will inhabit the second floor. Levels three through seven will be filled with roughly 180,000 SF of office space.
The most talked about part of this structure is levels nine through eighteen. These levels will be home to the Northwest’s first Ritz Carlton, Portland’s first 5-star hotel. The last fifteen floors will be made up of 138 luxury condos. Levels nineteen and twenty will be shared space for the hotel’s and condo’s amenities, and will also contain a restaurant and bar with panoramic views of Portland and the Cascade mountain range.
Bret Lovely, VP Project Executive, stated that project completion is slated for mid-2023. When asked about his thoughts on the project, he explained that what excites him most about Block 216 is the plethora of different spaces and high-end amenities involved in the design and construction.
This is certainly a high-profile project! It’s also another opportunity for MacMiller to foster our strong reputation and promote our renowned Design-Build capabilities throughout Portland.
More project highlights from our Perspective Newsletter.