Front 17 is a large mixed-use development on an incredibly challenging site. The narrow, wedge-shaped property is located between railroad tracks to the Southwest and NW Front Avenue to the Northeast, it is at the edge of the Northwest District with a direct path into the Northwest Industrial area, and has views of the river, Fremont Bridge, and Mount Hood. The project was broken into three buildings sitting atop a large podium to maximize daylight and minimize the imposing area of the site. The podium provides a collection of micro-industrial and retail/commercial space to create and sustain a critical density needed for vibrancy, before the rest of the neighborhood fills in with expected development.

The design of the project takes cues from the old industrial buildings that currently occupy the area, particularly from the diagonally braced, wood-framed warehouses clad in metal panels. Showing off a slightly different face from each approach, it reflects the diversity of the area and its unique location in between several very different neighborhoods.