Awards Recognize Value of Well-Designed Affordable Housing
By Nathan Petrillo
7 min read
Three mixed-income housing developments that thoughtfully respond to their surroundings and residents’ needs were winners in an annual design competition organized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These recipients of the 2008 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Awards (http://www.aia.org/awp_hud) demonstrate that design excellence and affordable housing can go hand-in-hand.
K Lofts, a nine-unit apartment building in San Diego, CA, earned the Excellence in Affordable Housing Design Award.
Jonathan Segal FAIA, a San Diego-based architecture/development firm, designed and developed K Lofts, which features both affordable and market-rate units. The project didn’t use government subsidies, noted Jonathan Segal, FAIA. He said his firm received a density bonus for the project from the city allowing 50% more units than permitted by zoning, in exchange for committing to reserve 10% of the project’s units for very-low income households. In San Diego, housing developments that don’t include an affordable component must otherwise contribute to an affordable housing fund.
K Loft’s design is much different than other housing nearby, explained Segal. The project integrated “a very, very modern building with individual identity into a community that was pretty much turn-of-the-century bungalows,” he said. The awards jury compared the design to Piet Mondrian’s paintings, well-known for their squares, rectangles, and primary colors.
Segal’s firm solicited input from neighbors, local officials, and others. “It took six to eight months to bring people around” to the design, he said.
Segal said his firm understands renters’ needs, from its experience in designing apartments. In addition to outdoor space, the design incorporates cross ventilation, natural lighting, and energy efficiency. Solar panels provide 50% of the building’s electricity.
He cited the importance of outdoor space for each unit. Segal explained that the significant spaces are personal, but part of the circulation. The private patios are connected by exterior walkways, facilitating resident interaction. “It’s a very social building,” he said.
Revitalization of Community
In the Pacific Northwest, a mixed-use development earned the Community-Informed Design Award.
King County Housing Authority’s (KCHA) Greenbridge development in White Center, WA, replaced an aging, suburban-style public housing complex of 569 units with a neo-traditional development. Seattle-based GGLO served as master planner and lead architect for the project; Arellano/ Christofides Architects consulted on the housing.
Greenbridge, being built in phases, almost doubles the number of units it replaces. The new development will encompass more than just housing, being supplemented by a renovated community center, new parks, new trails, new school, and public art.
The mixed-income development is being financed through KCHA funds and other public and private programs and sources. KCHA used the federal low-income housing tax credit (LIHITC) for the rental units and the federal new markets tax credit for the community center, said Deborah Gooden, Greenbridge’s general manager.
According to KCHA, Greenbridge involved over 100 public meetings with stakeholders. “Redevelopment is always controversial,” said Gooden, but she pointed to benefits of the public participation process, such as building community support. She also noted that resident participation fostered trust. However, there is a drawback. “It’s a lot of work,” she said, adding that the final plan couldn’t give people everything they wanted.
John Eliason, Greenbridge’s development manager, explained that all residents were heard and that the eventual plan tried to incorporate their ideas. Gooden, for example, said residents wanted persons with disabilities to be able to enter a home without assistance. This drove a lot of the design, she explained, noting 68% of the units have wide, level entries.
Gooden said residents also requested diversity in housing style, size, color and type. The resulting variety in units allows residents to stay in Greenbridge as their needs change, she explained.
Green building techniques and features were also incorporated. “The concept of sustainability has been built into every part of our architecture,” said Eliason. He noted some of the project’s green and sustainable features include bioswales – to naturally filter water runoff – and solar panels on the community center.
Gooden cited the central civic center area – encompassing a public plaza, community center, and several live/work units – as one of the development’s best design features. “Now it has an intimate, urban feel on the main street,” she explained, noting its connections to the surrounding community.
Community Connection
Valencia Gardens, developed by San Francisco-based Mission Housing Development Corporation (MHDC), received the Creating Community Connection Award.
Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP, of San Francisco, and associate architect Martinez Architects, Inc., of Thousand Oaks, CA, designed the $66 million project, which used city, state, federal, and private funds and programs, including HUD HOPE VI funds through the San Francisco Housing Authority, and the LIHTC.
Valencia Gardens replaced an aging, 1940s public housing complex. “The past design had a warren of entrances” that attracted negative social behavior, explained Reuben Hechanova, MHDC’s director of new projects and an architect. Valencia Gardens is different. “All of the family units have front doors facing the street,” he said, and small backyards and/or raised rear decks. He noted that private space is separated from public access, but there are public areas. And, the design allows more “eyes on the street” so neighbor can watch out for neighbor.
Hechanova pointed to resident-friendly attributes as some of the best design features, commending the interior layouts (e.g., easily accessible washers and dryers) and common spaces for neighborly socialization.
He said Valencia Gardens also has a pre-school childcare center, large community room, and a computer learning center at which a national nonprofit technology education organization provides free instruction to residents and neighbors.
Of the 260 housing units in Valencia Gardens, 33% are either ADA-accessible or could be converted for use by persons with disabilities. Units are available for residents with visual or hearing impairments.
Hechanova said MHDC has shown Valencia Gardens “to visitors from Japan, Indonesia, Australia, France, and even Russia.” He noted that visitors ask how MHDC has created affordable housing that would be considered market-rate housing in their countries. “We showed them the process of tax credit financing, functional yet creative design, and principles of effective property management,” said Hechanova. He added there isn’t much difference between market-rate and affordable units, except in the specification of kitchen and bathroom materials and fixtures.
The jury lauded the individuality of the project’s units, inclusion of live/work spaces, connected gardens, and integration with the surrounding neighborhood.
Accessibility Award
The fourth award in this year’s competition, the Housing Accessibility – Alan J. Rothman Award – honored the design for an individual housing unit. The 2008 recipient was Patrolia Loft, an interior fit-out of an owner-occupied unit in Boston, MA, designed by Ruhl Walker Architects. Nominees for this award aren’t limited to affordable housing, and are judged on how design considers issues such as accessibility and user needs.
The first three award recipients showed that mixed-income housing can feature good design. The Affordable Housing Design Advisor (http://www.designadvisor. org) says that quality design is important for multiple reasons, such as helping build project support and contributing to longevity.
Segal noted that it isn’t more expensive to hire the best architects. When you hire the best designers, he explained, “in the long run, it always pays back.”
– Nathan Petrillo
