Blueprint for August
#Design
By Jessica Hoefer
3 min read
I recently attended the National Council of State Housing Agencies conference in Chicago. While there, it was recommended that I take the Riverwalk architectural boat tour down the Chicago River. I thought, ‘What a great way to see the city and get some great pictures.’ And it was. But what I did not anticipate was actually seeing the individual buildings along this famous canal.
It’s easy to appreciate Chicago’s glittering skyline. But when you deconstruct it and look at each building on its own merits, Chicago becomes awe-inspiring. It showcases some of the greatest technological architectural innovations of the last century.
I saw structures with undulating waves; boxy modernist and neo-gothic buildings; honeycomb buildings; gravity defying buildings; a building with a roof shaped like an iPad (hint: the new Apple Store); the first and second tallest buildings built by women; a LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) building; skyscrapers bolstered by metal frames; just to name a few. No wonder Chicago came to be known as the nation’s leader in architectural innovation, the true GOAT (greatest of all time).
Though each building lends its own unique appearance to the Chicago skyline, many have a singular commonality, a unique design feature that protects them from the notorious windy city. Spoiler alert: They use water in a tuned liquid damper to balance the buildings’ height and weight against the wind.
This got me thinking about how design technology, the proliferation of prefab construction, modular housing and the 3D printing of building materials are redefining architectural design. Additionally, how they can and are benefitting affordable housing.
This edition of Tax Credit Advisor covers the evolution of design, design trends, changes in construction technology and design features for comfort.
David Smith (The Guru Is In) leads off the issue with the evolvability of design by reflecting on 13 hypothetical design principles that he finds important for architects and developers to consider. Basically, everything needed for a housing glow up.
Looking at the promising trend of prefab construction for affordable housing developers, including the environmental, cost efficient and time saving benefits in Housing USA writer Scott Beyer says, “A huge forward step would be for the genre to become codified into government housing policy, including Low Income Housing Tax Credits.”
In Breaking Ground Darryl Hicks interviews award-winning architect Michael Binette, of The Architectural Team, on current issues and trends in design and how the relationship between architects and affordable housing developers has evolved over the past year.
And Pamela Martineau’s Innovations in Housing Construction Offer Promise in Increasing Affordability considers how “housing researchers and builders throughout the nation are eyeing cutting-edge innovations in construction and design as methods to drive down the cost of building housing and increasing the stock of affordable housing.” While in Volunteers of America National Services and Wells Fargo Explore Innovative Design in Affordable Housing she shares “forward-thinking construction methodologies of small-scale modular builders specializing in “tiny homes” and accessory dwelling units.”
I encourage all of you to consider these technologies and innovations on their own merits and keep the conversation around design going. Let’s keep it trending, #design.
Regards,
Jessica Hoefer
Editor-in-Chief
