Shortstack

Shortstack is a replicable, mass timber, housing model situated in Portland, Oregon. With recent increases in housing density allowances, Shortstack offers an accessible development option to meaningfully address the region’s affordable housing deficit. The model leverages the courtyard housing typology to accommodate lots of varying scale and proportions. Shortstack’s flexibility delivers responsive housing, with a focus on neighborhood scale, missing middle infill development.

The building plan is organized around a central courtyard framed by exterior timber walkways. The timber structure draws residents into a lush, communal courtyard bordered by stairs at either end. The timber palette extends to walkway decking, building cladding, and unit interiors, featuring exposed Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) ceilings throughout. Generous single-loaded balconies on Levels 02-04 abut unit living spaces, affording residents ample access to light and air. Plumbing cores concentrate MEP services to the center of the plan, orienting bedrooms back toward the street.

The project utilizes a hybrid construction system that combines panelized, wood-framed walls with Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT). Mass timber plays a critical role for Shortstack, lending itself to productization, speed of construction, and market differentiation. Bearing walls, shear walls, and MEP penetrations are consistent between unit types, allowing developers to tailor the mix without compromising the building structure. Unit planning modules adhere to ideal CLT dimensions, providing maximum structural spans while minimizing waste. Shortstack Mississippi, featured here, is one of three variations under construction.