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Tower of glass rises above the fishbowl
Over the past 18 months, Katarina Czege inspected more than half of the 223 units in the new Eliot Tower, making sure that construction details matched design specs. At some point, the architectural designer for Ankrom-Moisan Associated Architects had seen enough of the 18-story, glass-walled condo at 1221 S.W. 10th Ave.
She decided to move in.
"The entire team's goal was to make it one of the best buildings in Portland," Czege says of the Eliot's architects and builders. "I think we did."
Today she lives in an 854-square foot unit on a lower floor facing 10th Avenue. Like all units, the exterior wall of her living room is glass from floor to ceiling. Glazing accounts for 60 percent of the Eliot's exterior, Czege says, making it the "glassiest" building in Portland.
Some office buildings may look all glass from the outside, but many glass panels cover insulation and structural elements. This becomes apparent at night, when interior lights make clear which panels are windows and which are not.
Given building codes, Czege doubts any new tower could have a higher percentage of glass walls than the Eliot. Which raises the question: Does living at the Eliot feel like living in a fishbowl?
"That's the biggest surprise," says Czege, who moved in late in May. "I was worried that you could see the entire living room from the street.
"You really can't. Unless you stand right against the window, people can't see you. In fact, I find the opposite. I can see everybody on the street. It can be really entertaining." The units offer a push-out window and a sliding door to allow fresh air. The glass curtain wall was manufactured by Benson Global, a Portland-based firm that engineers and builds glass walls and windows for buildings around the world. The Eliot's units come with no window shades, but tenants can buy a roll-up screen that filters 95 percent of sunlight. Czege has yet to decide whether she needs one.
"I like the morning light," she says. "That's why I chose this side of the building." But she also finds streetlights brighter than she expected at night.
Czege moved from an 800-square foot apartment at RiverPlace that had a semi-private garden. "I kind of miss it," she says of the garden. "But there's so much green when you come in here. You see the street trees first."
The Eliot's interior offers few solid walls, although tenants can add more if they wish. In Czege's unit, only the bathroom is fully enclosed. Kitchen, living and dining spaces flow together.
"It feels enormous," Czege says. "That has a lot do with not having the extra walls." Not to mention a wall of glass.
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A mind that is expanded by a new idea can never return to it's original dimensions.
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