Portland, Oregon, property named Gold Nugget Multifamily Community of the Year

Saltwood, a 354-unit multifamily property in Portland, Oregon, has been named Multifamily Community of the Year in the 2023 Gold Nugget Awards building design competition hosted by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference. Winners were announced on May 24.

The property, completed in 2021, is located in Northwest Portland’s Slabtown neighborhood, a formerly industrial area re-envisioned as a mixed-use community. It spans two blocks — known as Saltwood North and Saltwood South — with apartments located above retail, courtyards and pedestrian walkways. Units range from 468 to 1,711 square feet in size, with rents starting at $1,853.

A room with many couches, tables, and chairs, along with glass walls looking out onto a rooftop. — The rooftop lounge space at Saltwood. The property is one of 12 completed market-rate apartment buildings to receive Gold Nugget Grand Awards this year.

Christian Columbres

Designed by Portland-based SERA Design and Architecture and developed by San Mateo, California-based Prometheus Group and Portland-based Cairn Pacific, Saltwood’s brick facades are meant to evoke the area’s industrial history. The interior material palette mixes smooth, light wood paneling against white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows with thick black frames.

Amenities at Saltwood include a “spa experience” with a steam room, dry sauna, hot and cold dipping pools and a covered outdoor lounge. The rooftop features a greenhouse and potting shed, as well as a clubhouse and grilling area.

Saltwood is one of a total of 12 completed market-rate multifamily projects that received Grand Awards in this year’s Gold Nugget competition. The others are:

Best Renovated, Restored, or Adaptive Reuse Residential Project: Duffey Lofts in Minneapolis.
Best Mixed-Use Project: 1288 Howard in San Francisco.
Best Multifamily Housing Community - Under 17 Du/Acre: Cordillera in Las Vegas.
Best Multifamily Housing Community - 17 to 30 Du/Acre: Selo of Pastoria Apartments in Sunnyvale, California.
Best Multifamily Housing Community - 30 to 60 Du/Acre: Mandarin Oriental Residences Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California.
Best Multifamily Housing Community - 60 to 100 Du/Acre: The Benton in Santa Clara, California.
Best Multifamily Housing Community - 100 Du/Acre or More: Līlia Waikīkī in Waikīkī, Hawaii.
Best Student or Faculty Housing: Trailside Student Living in Seattle.
Best Service-Enriched 55+ Community: Mirabella ASU in Tempe, Arizona.
Best Landscape Architecture for a Community: Exhibit Japantown in San Jose, California.
Best Single Family-For-Rent Community Product Design: Seneca at Southern Highlands in Las Vegas.