Best affordable seniors housing design for Global Awards shortlisted
LOS ANGELES: The shortlist for the best affordable seniors housing design has been declared.
Over 250 designs have been considered by the awards secretariat. One of the finalists in this category is shown above.
At a time when housing supply is increasingly fraught and infill targets are falling well behind, it is refreshing to encounter a project that is both modest and efficient, delivering a high yield and increasing diversity without really imposing itself in any way. In fact, this building feels so logical and straightforward that it could have been here for decades. That this is social housing, developed on a stringent budget by Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV), shows that it is not cost that drives quality, but rather skill in decision-making and negotiating many conflicting rules and restrictions into a simple and coherent whole. With the design and decision-making processes involving meaningful First Nations collaboration and leadership, it provides an exemplar for not just the built outcome, but also the process of conception and delivery, acknowledging that the way of getting there for a project like this is as important as the destination.
It shouldn’t be remarkable that housing like this gets built; it should be normal. Medium-density, medium-rise, well-located, secure, simple and generous. A building with quality bones and no frills. Decorum (and gentle anonymity) from a red brick front to the street, practical inset terraces with a roof over. A bit of delicacy and delight in the brick, while side facades are nondescript white cement sheet. Inset, roofed balconies are practical; windows and balconies face the street. All apartments are fully accessible with a lift, but the stair is more direct and inviting. Parking is secure, naturally ventilated and at grade but does not diminish the overall landscape quality or street interface. There is a garden setback to the front and a low brick fence on the boundary. This is good urban design practice for passive surveillance but also, according to Breathe, an important component of the brief from AHV: ground-floor residents are understood as custodians of the building.
The development densifies 14-fold while still leaving more than 50 percent of the site as open space for non-human habitat.
The Global Award winner will be announced in November in London. (Globals)