A 92-unit development that’s home to some of the neediest seniors in Oakland, Calif., has earned the Excellence in Affordable Housing Design Award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the American Institute of Architects.
Developed by Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, Lakeside Senior Apartments is designed by David Baker Architects.
The high-density housing—138 units per acre—provides indoor and outdoor community spaces at both the ground floor and upper levels. Certified LEED Platinum, the five-story project features solar hot water panels and photovoltaic electric panels to reduce the use of energy in the common areas.
A ground-floor community room includes a kitchen and TV lounge as well as space for activities—from art programs to monthly resident town hall meetings. This community space opens wide to the courtyard, creating a flexible indoor-outdoor plaza. The private space offers views to the neighborhood and is visible to passersby, balancing security and transparency and connecting the building to the life of the larger neighborhood.
Lakeside Senior also features a fifth-floor suite of community spaces that include rooftop garden plots for residents, a community room and kitchen, outdoor decks, and a wellness studio—used for stretching and tai chi sessions. This suite overlooks Lake Merritt, maximizing views for the greatest number of users.
2016 HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Awards were also presented to developments in Illinois, Texas, and Washington.
“Each of these developments are innovative housing opportunities offering seniors and families alike a place to thrive,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro in a statement. “These winners prove that affordable and accessible housing can become part of the fabric of any neighborhood and reinforce the principles of inclusiveness and opportunity.”
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative in Chicago received the Creating Community Connection Award.
Brinshore Development and Rebuild Foundation, a nonprofit founded by artist and planner Theaster Gates, transformed an abandoned, 36-unit public housing development into 32 mixed-income rental units and a new arts center.
“The project embodies a successful collaboration between private, public, and nonprofit sectors committed to transforming the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood through the reactivation of abandoned buildings and cultural foundations,” said HUD officials.
The Arts Center and adjacent landscaped courtyard function as a community hub and support a variety of programs, including a life-planning class, a neighborhood ensemble band, and a weekly gathering of residents to brainstorm strategies for improving the area. The DA+HC supports programs from outside organizations and institutions, such as the South Shore Fine Arts Academy and the Joffrey Ballet. In addition, the DA+HC is within close proximity to other cultural sites, such as Black Cinema House and Stony Island Arts Bank.
Disaster Recover Round 2 (DR2) received the Community-Informed Design Award, which recognizes design that supports physical communities as they rebuild inner city social structures and relationships that may have been weakened by outmigration, disinvestment, and the isolation of inner-city areas.
DR2 in Houston was launched five years after Hurricane Ike devastated the Texas Gulf Coast to fill the gap in home repair and replacement and offer homeowners choice in their disaster recovery experience. It brought together design expertise of local design architects and insight from residents directly affected by the storm to build single-family high quality cost-effective sustainable houses that respect community interests and character.
The Port Townsend Residence in Port Townsend, Wash., earned the Alan J. Rothman Award for housing accessibility.
The house is a modest home on a small-level lot in a small community arranged around a common garden space which was built to accommodate a couple, one of whom uses a power wheelchair. The house offers an accessible route from the street through the house to the terrace and on to the common garden space, thus expanding the effective living space and to facilitating daily strolls in the neighborhood.
Inside, an open plan facilitates circulation of a wheelchair. Design touches include telescoping doors to the bedrooms that allow the owners’ choice in how to use the rooms and how connected they are to the living spaces.
