Project Details
- Project Name
- Lakeside Senior Apartments
- Architect
- David Baker Architects
- Project Types
- Affordable Housing
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Shared by
- Hanley Wood
- Project Status
- Built
This article appeared in the November 2019 issue of ARCHITECT as part of our expanded coverage of the 2019 AIA COTE Top Ten Awards.
This affordable senior housing complex weaves sustainable social spaces throughout to increase the wellness of its residents and fight the sense of isolation that too often bedevils older people.
San Francisco–based David Baker Architects (DBA) doesn’t start each project with a predetermined sustainability goal. “We want to do the most sustainable, affordable housing we can possibly afford,” says principal Daniel Simons, FAIA. This ethos drove the firm’s approach to the LEED Platinum–certified Lakeside Senior Apartments, which provides 92 affordable units for low-income, special-needs, and formerly homeless senior citizens on a sloped site just a half block from Lake Merritt in Oakland, Calif.
The city’s predominant street grid is rotated about 45 degrees from north–south and Lakeside Senior Apartments’ L-shaped site encompasses the southern half of a block, with two parallel five-story apartment wings that enclose a protected courtyard. This central green space is protected by a glass fence but still engages the street, and it sets the tone for a series of daylit public spaces throughout the complex that encourage social interaction among the residents. A fifth-floor kitchen and dining and community rooms open onto a rooftop garden where residents can grow vegetables. A smaller outdoor terrace is located on the southeast corner of the fourth floor, and more intimate interior spaces punctuate each of the building’s corridors, including at the center of a bridge that connects the two apartment blocks. “We’re trying to create many opportunities for informal connections between neighbors to fight isolation, [which is a] big issue with seniors,” Simons says.
Maximizing daylight while still achieving a tight building envelope that can be heated and cooled efficiently—DBA predicts a 70.5% reduction from the average EUI for the building type—required thoughtful orientation and shading of openings. Along the southeast façade, on 2nd Avenue, apartments open onto long decks that provide ample individual outdoor space while also creating recesses that shade interiors from solar heat gain. The windows on this southeast face that are not protected by those decks feature sunshades made from perforated sheet metal. The façades facing East 15th Street along the southwestern edge of the block are primarily opaque, with narrow vertical slit windows protected by fins that prevent sunlight from heating the interiors. On the northwest side—facing Lake Merritt—shading isn’t necessary, and units get a little bit more square footage.
To supplement the shading strategies, DBA deployed heat recovery ventilators (HRVs), which have proved critical to providing balanced mechanical services while saving energy and minimizing tenants’ utility bills. “Seniors are very concerned about heating and cooling and have different personal set points,” Simons says, “so it’s important to give them good thermal control.” The systems have required a bit of a learning curve, as tenants didn’t initially understand how the HRVs’ fans work. “Tenant education is critical,” Simons observes, which is true for achieving many sustainable goals, especially on a tight budget.
DBA exploited the site’s slope to give access to underground parking from grade at the north end of the building. The garage accommodates 60 cars—a high number for the project, but it also serves another senior apartment building across the street that previously used this site for surface parking. Now, instead of blacktop, 30% of the site supports vegetation, mostly native or climate-appropriate, where the previous parking lot, with its impervious surface, supported none. Raised planters and permeable paving allow 80% of rainwater to be managed on-site.
David Baker Architects has received many awards for sustainability, especially for relatively low budget projects such as the Lakeside Senior Apartments, but the firm’s approach is incremental, and the welfare of the inhabitants is key. The benefits of their solutions grow with each iteration. “All of these little decisions add up to an overall more sustainable building,” Simons says. And good design is always a fully integrated component.
Project Attributes
Architect: David Baker Architects
Owner: Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA)
Location: Oakland, Calif.
Project Site: Previously developed land
Building Program Type(s): Residential—Multifamily, five or more units
Year of Design Completion: 2013
Year of Substantial Project Completion: 2014
Gross Conditioned Floor Area: 69,528 square feet
Gross Unconditioned Floor Area: 17,394 square feet
Number of Stories: Five
Project Climate Zone: Title 24 CA Climate Zone 03
Annual Hours of Operation: 8,760
Site Area: 28,947 square feet
Project Site Context/Setting: Urban
Cost of Construction, Excluding Furnishings: $25.3 million
Number of Residents, Occupants, and Visitors: 125
Project Credits
Project: Lakeside Senior Apartments, Oakland, Calif.
Client/Owner: Satellite Affordable Housing Associates
Architect: David Baker Architects, San Francisco . David Baker, FAIA, Daniel Simons, FAIA, Billy Forrest, AIA, Mark Hogan, AIA, Virginia Alexander, AIA
Interior Architect: David Baker Architects
Structural Engineer: Murphy Burr Curry
Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer: Emerald City Engineers
Electrical Engineer: F.W. Associates
Civil Engineer: Sandis
Soils/Geotechnical: Rockridge Geotechnical
Construction Manager: Gilbert Chan
General Contractor: James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corp.
Landscape Architect: PGA Design
Lighting Designer: Horton Lees Brogden
Development Partner: Oakland Housing Authority
Art Program: DBA_Inside with Creativity Explored and Sterling Graphics
Size: 28,947 square feet (site); 107,892 square feet (building)
Cost: $33.5 million
Materials and Sources
Metal Panels/Railing Systems/Sunshades: BOK Modern
Acoustical System: Tectum
Precast Planters: Universal precast concrete
Anti-Graffiti Coating: GSS Coatings
Adhesives/Coatings/Sealants: Hilti; Dow
Appliances: GE
Carpet: Forbo (Flotex carpet); Shaw carpet (Tufttex carpet)
Ceilings: Tectum
Concrete: CEMEX
Doors: Pacassa Studios (custom building entry doors); Activar Access doors (access doors)
Elevator: Otis
Furniture: DBA_Workshop (custom benches and tables); Westminster Teak; Landscapeforms
Glass: Vitro (Solarban)
HVAC: Carrier Corporation (HRV); Carrier Corp. (HVAC); Cadet Electric (wall heater); Luminance Co., Concord fan (ceiling fan)
Insulation: Owens Corning
Lighting: Bruck Titan; Energi-Lite; Daybrite; H.E. Williams; Linear Lighting; AFX Lighting; Borden Lighting; Incon Lighting; Zumtobel; Tivoli
Stone: Belstone (eco quartz)
Metal: BOK Modern
Millwork: Lanz
Flooring: Burke (rubber base); Mannington Commercial (resilient flooring); Armstrong (Rejuvenations); Forbo (Flotex carpet); Shaw Carpet (Tufttex carpet)
Paints/Finishes: Sherwin-Williams
Photovoltaics/Other Renewables: Sun Light and Power
Plumbing/Water System: ELKAY (kitchen sinks)
Roofing: Johns Manville
Drainage Mat: VersiCell (drainage mat)
Structural System: Mike Walker Lumber (roof trusses)
Walls: BMI/Sika (cement plaster)
Fiber Cement Siding: James Hardie
Wayfinding: Ellis and Ellis
Windows/Curtainwalls/Doors: Peerless (windows); Kawneer
Project Description
This project is a winner in the 2019 AIA COTE Top 10 Awards:
FROM AIA:
Located in a prime neighborhood on Lake Merritt, Lakeside Senior Apartments is home to 91 very-low-income and special-needs homeless seniors, many of whom have been displaced by the Bay Area’s rapidly rising costs. The service-rich building is designed to support their ability to live independently as long as is comfortable. The high-density housing brings affordable homes and comprehensive services to an area with a senior community, good transit, and scattered but vital resources. It provides generous indoor and outdoor community spaces, activates sidewalks to increase safety and enjoyment, and creates a sense of place on a previously disconnected, blighted block.
General Contractor: James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation
Development Partner: Oakland Housing Authority
Landscape Architect: PGAdesign
Civil Engineer: Sandis
Structural Engineer: Murphy Burr Curry
Mechanical Engineer: Robison Engineering
Electrical Engineer: F.W. Associates
Lighting Design: Horton Lees Brogden
Art Program: Creativity Explored
Signage: Sterling Graphics
Photography: Bruce Damonte, Mariko Reed, Treve Johnson, Brian Haux/Skyhawk Photography
Metrics Snapshot
Community engagement: A partnership was formed with stakeholders to share in the decision-making process including development of alternatives and identification of the preferred solution.
Walk score: 90
Estimated occupants who commute via alternative transportation (biking, walking, mass transit): 50 percent
Percentage of the site area designed to support vegetation: 30 percent
Percentage of site area supporting vegetation before project began: 15 percent
Percentage of landscaped areas covered by native or climate appropriate plants supporting native or migratory animals: 75 percent
Predicted annual consumption of potable water for all uses, excluding process water:14,235 gals/resident, including 1.85 gallons a day for irrigation. Residential estimate represents 25 percent savings from LEED baseline fixtures. Hand-dishwashing was not included.
Is potable water used for irrigation? Yes
Predicted peak month consumption of potable water for outdoor (irrigation) purposes:1.52 gallons/sf (9,334 sf of irrigated landscape, and estimated peak month water use is 14,203 gallons)
Is rainwater captured for use by the project? no
Is greywater or blackwater captured for re-use? no
Percent of rainwater that can be managed on site: 80 percent
Water quality for any stormwater leaving the site: We are treating 80 percent of the average annual rainfall and the treatment removal rate is approximately 85 percent through a combination of raised planters and permeable paving. This is based on adherence to Alameda County C.3 Technical Design Guidance Manual standards for Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Cost per square foot: $235
Comparable cost per square foot for other, similar buildings in the region: $260 (weighted average of 7 other mid-rise residential projects we completed around the Bay Area between 2011-2016)
Predicted consumed energy use intensity (EUI): 23.2 kBtu/sq ft/yr
Predicted Net EUI: 21 kBtu/sq ft/yr
Predicted Net carbon emissions: 3.47 lb/sq ft/yr
Net carbon emissions refers to net purchased energy use (total energy use, less any energy generated on-site from renewable resources).
Predicted reduction from national average EUI for building type: 70.5 percent
Predicted lighting power density: 0.5 W/sq ft
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations with direct views of the outdoors: 100 percent
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations within 30 feet of operable windows: 0 percent
Percentage of floor area or percentage of occupant work stations achieving adequate light levels without the use of artificial lighting: 24 percent >300 lux at 3pm March 21
Is this project a workplace? no
CO₂ intensity: 2908 lbs/sf
Estimated carbon emissions associated with building construction: 89 lbs/sf
LCA: Were other life-cycle assessments (LCAs) conducted? no
EPD: Were environmental product declarations (EPDs) collected? no
Did you calculate the percentage of materials reused from existing buildings or other local sources by weight? no
Did you calculate the percentage of materials reused from existing buildings or other local sources by volume? no
Percentage of materials reused from existing buildings by cost: 10 percent
Percentage (by cost) of materials with comprehensive third party certifications (Declare, Cradle-to-Cradle, etc.): 0 percent
Percentage of project floor area, if any, that represents adapting existing buildings: 0 percent
Anticipated number of days the project can maintain function without utility power: 0 days
Percentage of power needs supportable by onsite power generation: 13 percent
Post-occupancy evaluation summary: A walk-through with staff underscored challenges related to providing open circulation and amenity spaces designed to promote community while maintaining oversight/security. The courtyard and rooftop garden are among the most enjoyed spaces in the project, and we inferred that future senior housing should allocate more space to garden plots. However, stoops—designed to promote connection—worked too well, becoming a back door to admit guests to enter for shelter unobserved. In February 2017, we administered a resident comfort survey in English and Cantonese (completed by 21 residents). Residents were positive about the bright, spacious quality of the building. 72 percent reported their homes were usually comfortable, and 58 percent agreed it was easy to control the temperature. But residents prefer a high degree of control over air flow and thermal conditions, and about half used supplemental fans/heaters (especially in the bathroom while bathing), even those who reported being satisfied. Not many residents were aware that a continuous mechanical ventilation system served fresh air to apartments. Mechanical systems generally were a source of skepticism or confusion, and wanting more control over window operation was a common theme. Responses were less favorable about acoustics (60 percent favorable); 6 of 21 residents indicated specific noise-related complaints.
