Portland Hotel (2000)

Vancouver, British-Columbia, Canada

Picture Gallery

The Portland Hotel is a residential facility for people with drug addiction. The client commissioned Arthur Erickson and Cornelia Oberlander to design a building and landscape of merit, believing that if you give people respect and dignity through appropriate housing, they may be able to address their problems and change their lives.

The Portland Hotel is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, an area devoid of nature and green spaces. In designing a landscape for this special clientele, two distinct gardens were created. The contemplative garden with benches functions as a sanctuary for solitary enjoyment, or as a quiet space for memorial services. On one side of the shady courtyard, a wall of water masks the sounds of the city. Other walls are clad with climbing vines. Woodland ferns and perennials soften the edges of the garden. A large honey locust tree creates a flickering of dappled light.

The open terrace on the second floor provides contrast to the enclosed courtyard. The sunny roof garden is a place for people to gather. With its lawn, it is like other backyards in Vancouver – a place for the residents to sit, relax, and enjoy the sun. Willows and cedars partially enclose the terrace in green with apple trees, blueberry bushes, and strawberries. The residents take care of the plants and develop awareness of the seasons.

The low-maintenance landscape meets the basic human need of bringing the residents closer to nature. The gardens provide a physical and social environment which assists psychological and social healing.