Awards American Institute of Architects - Housing and Community Design

Anchor Place: Long Beach, CA

The Anchor Place project added a new residential building with 120 affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, renovated the existing social hall, implemented a site-wide landscaping plan, and made improvements to River Avenue at the Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC). CVC is a former 27-acre U.S. Naval housing site located in Long Beach, CA, now functioning as a residential community with supportive housing and services intended to break the cycle of homelessness.

Previously, the CVC campus was characterized by a granular quality and lack of hierarchy, and services were embedded into residential buildings throughout the campus, making them difficult to find. Anchor Place reinforced a hierarchy of building and circulation, thereby increasing the legibility and interior connectivity of the campus. The bus stop was relocated from outside the campus to the interior, to connect residents to the city and the world beyond. The landscape design, including circulation and courtyards, reinforces the strategy of prominently locating support services and amenities by leading residents directly to them. The new residential building design provides a prominent edge to the southern boundary of the campus, extends the east-west pedestrian axis, and steps down in scale toward the existing village. The residential building design includes four wings, which create three courtyard gathering spaces. Each of three courtyards is programmed differently, accommodating children’s play, social activities, or tranquil contemplation.

8869 Avis: Detroit, MI

8869 Avis is the first year-round home to Inside Southwest Detroit, a collection of initiatives that promote youth and community development in Detroit, Michigan. Inside Southwest Detroit collaborated with a diverse stakeholder group and team of architects to transform a 2,400 square-foot building into a community center and a leasable tenant area. 8869 Avis provides an anchor to The Alley Project, one of the flagship initiatives of Inside Southwest Detroit, which has transformed a neighborhood alley and surrounding vacant lots into an inspirational graffiti art gallery, connecting neighbors and youth to each other as well as to community assets.

The project began with a participatory process that engaged representative stakeholders in project planning and design decision making, resulting in a community space that responds to local culture, needs, and opportunities. This collaborative design process resulted in spaces and design elements that reflect the neighborhood’s identity and vibrancy. The north facade of the existing building was removed to create a larger community room, which opens onto a “front porch” area. The porch is enclosed by geometric-patterned ornamental ironwork screens, fabricated by local metalworkers, which reference fences and screens prevalent in the neighborhood. These screens contribute to both security and transparency, needs identified by the community. The mural that wraps throughout the building was designed by a late street artist and completed in tribute by an Inside Southwest Detroit program alumnus. Large windows pop from the west facade for a visual connection to the street and future adjacent park. On the interior, wood-finish panels in bold colors and subtle patterns reference the mural and metalwork, and large moveable doors allow flexibility of spaces as well as provide functional writeable surfaces for meeting notes and impromptu artwork.

IFF Access Housing: Chicago, IL

IFF Access Housing provides much needed community-based affordable rental housing for people with disabilities. Located on 25 scattered sites across a 2.5-mile footprint, the project helps stabilize Chicago’s Humboldt Park and Logan Square communities through the use and improvement of foreclosed and vacant properties. The project includes rehabilitation of twelve foreclosed buildings and new construction of thirteen two- and three-flat buildings on city-owned infill lots.

In Illinois, a disproportionate number of low-income disabled persons live in institutions because they lack community-based accessible housing alternatives. IFF Access Housing provides housing alternatives for individuals with disabilities to live independently. Recognizing that disabilities take many forms, each apartment features both universal and accessible design features. Ground-floor units are all fully accessible with zero-step thresholds and low peepholes; wheelchair-friendly kitchens with roll-under sinks and pull-downs in upper cabinets; front-loading washers and dryers in the units; and thoughtfully designed bathrooms with roll-in showers. Every unit in the project features design elements that serve all, including attractive contrast flooring borders for people with low vision; visual doorbells and strobe alarms for the deaf, and soothing color palettes for those with sensory issues. The team’s decision to rehabilitate existing buildings was driven by both zoning restrictions and a desire to preserve the existing urban neighborhood fabric. For the newly constructed homes, Access Housing capitalized on the existing neighborhood context, which contains a variety of shapes and sizes, roof forms, and materials. The window types, material choices, and rooflines directly relate to the surrounding buildings.