Project Description
2003 RADA
Affordable / Grand
Koning Eizenberg Architects faced the usual affordable-housing challenges: making the design look customized when it had to be generic to meet budget; standing up to building officials and contractors who ask why details must be done well; and overcoming the resistance of neighbors. Added to those issues was the need to create a support system for the special-needs tenants, which include the disabled, those living with HIV, seniors, and veterans, many of them in bad shape.
In response, the architects created calm, gentle buildings of stucco and wood that fall in with the rhythm of Spanish-courtyard and Craftsman-style homes in the neighborhood. Carefully placed windows provide cross-ventilation. Wood boards break up the monotony of institutional metal railings. And trellises welcome climbing vines.
A landscaped courtyard and low walls adjacent to the laundry room encourage “accidental sociability.” Says Julie Eizenberg, “Old California buildings had great social spaces between buildings. You never felt like you had to go out and mingle, but felt you were welcome. We tried to make sure we had that sort of space.” The judges admired the project’s detail and dignity. “The inherent forms are integrated into the community,” they said. “This project will age gracefully.”