The Muse Apartments in NW Portland is a quarter-block, market rate multifamily housing apartment complex of 58 studio, one-, and two-bedroom homes, including 3 ground-floor loft units. Developed by Gerding Edlen and designed by GBD Architects, this LEED-H Platinum certified project consists of five floors of wood frame apartments over a concrete podium.

The project boasts a number of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) characteristics including excellent transit, bike and pedestrian connections; a location that includes a rich mix of housing, jobs, shopping and recreation opportunities; reduced parking; ample bike storage and a design that promotes a strong sense of community and enhances the pedestrian realm.

The building envelope consists of brick, metal panel, wood siding, aluminum storefront, aluminum clad wood windows, and custom art glass, while the roof features an amenity space with a trellis, shared BBQ, and a custom fire pit. The garage houses a state-of-the-art mechanical parking system that has the capacity of storing 29 cars.  The challenging logistics of building in a tight urban infill site were mitigated by using pre-fabricated panelized wood wall framing.