by Brianna Crandall — July 20, 2016 — The American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Housing Knowledge Community, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), recently recognized four recipients of the 2016 AIA/HUD Secretary Awards. AIA says the awards demonstrate that design matters, and the recipient projects offer examples of important developments in the housing industry.
HUD Secretary Julián Castro commented:
Each of these developments are innovative housing opportunities offering seniors and families alike a place to thrive. 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.
The winning projects and architects of the 2016 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Awards are listed below.
CATEGORY ONE: Excellence in Affordable Housing — Recognizing architecture that demonstrates overall excellence in terms of design in response to both the needs and constraints of affordable housing
Lakeside Senior Apartments, Oakland, CA; David Baker Architects
The project is home to 91 very-low-income and special-needs homeless seniors, many of whom have been displaced with the Bay Area’s rapidly rising housing costs. The building has extensive on-site services and is designed to support independent living, with strong transit connections to downtown Oakland and San Francisco and access to crucial retail offerings, including a pharmacy and grocery. The high-density housing — 138 units per acre — provides indoor and outdoor community spaces at both the ground floor and upper levels. The central west-facing main courtyard opens visually toward the street and is warmed by afternoon sun. A rooftop suite of community spaces overlooks the lake, maximizing views for the most users. Designed with a complementary series of sustainable strategies, the building is pending LEED for Homes Mid-Rise Platinum Certification.
CATEGORY TWO: Creating Community Connection Award — Recognizing projects that incorporate housing within other community amenities for the purpose of either revitalization or planned growth
Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative (DA+HC), Chicago, IL; Landon Bone Baker Architects
As a former Chicago Housing Authority project sitting vacant since 2007, the Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative (DA+HC) stands as the cornerstone of the recently revitalized Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. The project embodies a successful collaboration between private, public, and nonprofit sectors committed to transforming the neighborhood into a cultural incubator through the reactivation of abandoned buildings and cultural foundations in the under-invested neighborhood. The DA+HC features a rehabilitated block of 32 of the original 36 two- and three-bedroom townhouse units that now provide mixed-income housing. Four of the center units were removed to create the focus of the development — a 2200-square-foot Arts Center complete with a dance studio, work and tech shops, and public meeting space, offering arts creation, education, performance, and display space for people of all ages.
CATEGORY THREE: Community-Informed Design Award — Recognizing design that supports physical communities as they rebuild social structures and relationships that may have been weakened by outmigration, disinvestment, and the isolation of inner-city areas
Disaster Recovery Round 2 (DR2), Houston, TX; buildingcommunityWORKSHOP
Disaster Recovery Round 2 (DR2) launched five years after Hurricane Ike devastated the Texas Gulf Coast. The collaborative, research-based DR2 program sought to fill the remaining gap in home repair and replacement while offering homeowners choice in their disaster recovery experience.
CATEGORY FOUR: Housing Accessibility | Alan J. Rothman Award — Recognizing exemplary projects that demonstrate excellence in improving housing accessibility for people with disabilities
Port Townsend Residence, Port Townsend, WA; FabCab
This house was designed to meet the homeowners’ goal of creating a home accommodating to them both — he uses a power wheelchair whereas she does not. The project features careful site planning to create a continuous accessible route, an attached carport, an open plan for easy circulation, and telescoping pocket doors to the bedrooms. The kitchen and bathrooms are designed to facilitate use from both standing and seated positions. This project demonstrates that universal design and accessibility features are compatible with a warm and modern aesthetic, says AIA.
Photos and more details for each of the winning projects are available on the 2016 AIA / HUD Secretary’s Awards Web page.
