Developed by Home Forward, also known as the Housing Authority of Portland, this project sets a new standard for services by combining supportive
housing with a community resource center. Located at the gateway to downtown Portland, near historic Union Station and bordering the Pearl District, an upper income mixed-use neighborhood, Bud Clark Commons achieves a perceivable balance between the rigorous programmatic requirements of a coalition lead by the City of Portland, a progressive design approach, and sustainable building practices. The building has a LEED Platinum certification by the United
States Green Building Council, with savings from the use of energy-efficient technologies estimated at $60,000 per year.

The mission of Bud Clark Commons is to provide a continuum of services to help transition homeless individuals from an unstable condition to a more permanent living arrangement. The architecture helps achieve this goal in the expression of both form and function: a walk-in day center with a public courtyard and access to services; a shelter accessed through a secure entrance with 90 transitional and temporary beds for men; and a separate and secure entrance to 130 efficient, studio apartments for single women or men seeking permanent housing. Holst approached the design of Bud Clark Commons with the attitude that addressing basic needs is not exclusive of design that dignifies the human condition.