The 2004 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Award program honored two projects—a mixed-use cultural community center project in San Antonio and residential housing project for families dealing with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles—as exemplary models of residential, community, and accessible housing design. The joint program, created by the AIA Center for Communities by Design and the AIA Housing Committee Knowledge Community in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reflects the ongoing collaboration between the AIA and federal government agencies to highlight the best in residential design and call attention to the importance of architecture in cities and communities nationwide.

The winners were honored at the AIA 2004 National Convention and Design Expo in Chicago June 10, where HUD Assistant Secretary Dennis Shea presented award citations on behalf of Secretary Alfonso Jackson.

The 2004 jury consisted of Jury Chair Gita Dev, FAIA, Dev Architects, San Francisco; Alberto Cardenas, AIA, Domenech Hicks & Krockmalnic Inc., Boston; Jane Kolleeny, Architectural Record, New York City; Christian J. Lessard, AIA, The Lessard Architectural Group, Vienna, Va.; Gerard F. Vasisko, AIA, Gruzen Samton Architects, Planners & Interior Designers, LLP, New York City; Michael Freedberg, senior policy analyst, HUD; and Marina Myhre, social science analyst, Program Evaluation Division, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD. The 2004 jury recognized projects in two award categories: Community by Design and Mixed-use/Mixed-income Design.

Mixed-Use/Mixed Income Design

Alegria—The Salvation Army, Los Angeles, by Birba Group for Residential Communities, Inc.
This project, conceived as an oasis for families in crisis, offers permanent affordable housing for families affected by HIV/AIDS, transitional housing in a highly secure residential-care facility for the chronically ill, and a childcare and family development center. Its highly visible 1.6-acre site, near Sunset Boulevard in central Los Angeles, had been vacant for many years. The Alegria project incorporates elements of the surrounding residential and commercial neighborhood to create a true mixed-use design surrounding a courtyard that accommodates activity and promotes community. “It’s a breath of fresh-air architecture,” the jury noted, admiring the project’s nice urban design plan and good sense of community. “The two-story walk-up and townhouse buildings create a massing that is compatible with the adjacent neighborhood.”

Community Design

The Carver Academy and Cultural Civic Center, San Antonio, by Lake|Flato Architects with associate architect Kell-Muñoz Architects, for The Carver Academy
This project combines a new academy building, newly renovated civic center, and a venerable cultural-arts center currently under renovation. This combined center serves as an inspirational focus for a multi-ethnic community. It is designed to transform an impoverished neighborhood into an academic, cultural, and artistic center of national prominence. The community’s vision to create a campus with the three institutions sharing outdoor facilities drove the project. The master plan focuses the academic buildings on the complex’s large, shared courtyard, framed by the 1910s-era civic center, 1920s cultural center, and the academy’s new library. The library serves as the focus of the complex, with a transparent façade that floods its reading area with natural light.

The jury noted that the architectural character of the new academic building pays homage to the historic buildings while remaining Modern. They particularly liked the space in the courtyard area and the interior detailing. The jury also loved that the architects accomplished this project in such a drab neighborhood with such strong community participation; they believe it will have a real long-term impact. “Of all the buildings, the library is the only one with a distinguished look,” the jury commented. “It creates an urban campus, calming and sophisticated. It creates something out of nothing.”

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