Eight projects will receive 2005 AIA Housing Awards, established by the AIA Housing Committee knowledge community to emphasize the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit, and a valuable national resource. Jurors Edward M. Hord, FAIA (chair); Donna Kacmar, AIA; Jane Kolleeny; Jonathan S. Segal, FAIA; and Gina Van Tine, AIA, selected the recipients from 106 submissions. The recipients will be recognized May 20 at the AIA 2005 National Convention and Design Expo in Las Vegas.

Single-Family Market

Greenwood Avenue Cottages, Shoreline, Wash., by Ross Chapin Architects
Developed as a for-profit venture by an architect/developer team, this community demonstrates the market for small-household detached housing and offers a compelling example of infill residential development in a first-ring suburb. The team worked closely with the city to create a unique single-family development code that limits house size to 1,000 square feet, orients homes around a common landscaped space, and clusters parking away from the street. The resulting cottages exude warmth and comfort with high ceilings, generous porches, pitched roofs with dormers, alcoves, and built-ins. “We like the site plan and how the small space was maximized by the use of porches and the connection to the well-cared-for garden,” the jury said.
Photo © Ross Chapin Architects.

Urban Infill 01, Milwaukee, by Johnsen Schmaling Architects
“The eyes on the street are a great presence,” the jury said of this project. “It creates and encompasses space and can be adapted for one or two families.” A local developer approached the architect to design an affordable prototype for blighted urban infill sites in Milwaukee’s central city. The program called for an adaptable layout that could be used for a single-family residence or a two-family duplex. Working on a tight budget of $65/sf, the architect designed this duplex prototype as a simple bar building made up of three interlocking components: a cedar-clad box for the entry and vertical circulation; a stucco box for up to 1,900 square feet of living space; and a concrete veneer wall that peels away from the house and transforms into a free-standing perforated garden.
Photo © Johnsen Schmaling Architects.

Single-Family Custom

Lake Austin Residence, Austin, Tex., by Lake/Flato Architects Inc.
The architect used a 30-foot-wide canal that runs along one side of this narrow lakefront property as the organizing element for the design of this “fishing camp.” Its main entrance is a long boardwalk that runs alongside the canal to a large screened boathouse, the property’s central gathering space. The main house contains three bedrooms and communal space, while separate office and guest buildings line the canal. The architect created water courts along the canal with excavated fill, creating a peninsula from the dining room. Stone garden walls face the street and adjacent property, forming courts at the master suite and along the pool. The jury termed the project a “very nice composition of simple forms and nice use of materials. It has the feel of a fishing village with lovely wood outbuildings that make it almost a compound. The front walls set up a sense of mystery.”
Photo © Hester + Hardaway.

The Canyon House, Julietta, Idaho, by Paul Hirzel: Architect
The owners wanted a year-round, economical retreat for their family, as well as a place imbued with wilderness for their grandchildren to explore. Two buildings define the site: a bunkhouse nestled into a ravine and a studio house 300 yards away. The glazed south wall of the bunkhouse opens to a walled terrace built into the hillside. The east and west façades have small windows that frame views of microenvironments. The studio house, a derivative of the canyon’s mining structures, is a simple rectangular box inserted into a moment-resisting wooden frame. The lines of the studio house reference the 30 percent slope of the site, the verticality of the trees, and the horizontality of the floor plates. “We like the simple forms carved out for different uses,” the jury said. “It has a real presence that is integrated, but not overpowering.”
Photo © Art Grice.

Multifamily Housing

Soma Studios and 8th + Howard Apartments, San Francisco, by David Baker + Partners, Architects, with associate architect I. A. Gonzales Architects
This five-story building offers San Francisco’s “South of Market” community 74 one-, two-, and three-bedroom family apartments; 88 studio apartments; and 6 community rooms. Bold colors of a geometric mural along one side of the building add visual interest on the street, while semi-public courtyards provide outdoor areas for residents and break the hard urban edge. This 100-percent affordable property houses an eclectic mix of residents. Bus lines, rapid transit, and bike lanes border the property, and a car-share pod located in the garage offers another convenient alternative to owning a car. The reduced parking allotment permitted space for a child-care center, grocery store, and retail shops. “We liked seeing a lot of design attention to various spaces within a large project,” enthused the jury. “There was close attention paid to basic elements to make it happen and make it 100 percent affordable.”
Photo courtesy of the architect.

Community Design

LeMoyne Revitalization, Memphis, by Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
The jury called this mixed-income residential community that sits on the former site of barracks-style public housing “an ambitious plan that, if fully realized, will result in the successful integration of college, community center, seniors, single-family, and retail.” Conveniently situated near public transportation and a college, the new neighborhood nestles among established single-family homes adjacent to a Civil War cemetery. Community residents provided input on housing types and styles and on the design of the senior and community buildings. Built at a cost of $55 a square foot, the innovative housing accommodates individuals, couples, families, and seniors with a range of affordable and accessible options. “It’s hard to distinguish the new from the old. We like that it reconnected the area to its neighbors through the street grid and architecture,” the jury concluded.
Photo © Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing.

The Garlands of Barrington, Barrington, Ill., by Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
Instead of the all-too-common gated senior housing, this 31.5-acre site north of Chicago serves as a campus open to the surrounding community. Landscaped public spaces, traditional architecture forms, and a variety of housing types add to the character of the community. The mixed-use community brings neighbors in to eat, exercise, shop, meet, and casually interact with the senior residents. The concept, developed during a 10-day on-site charrette, also resulted in a variety of housing choices that allows residents to “age in place.” The 310 units include duplex “villas,” independent-living apartments, assisted-living units, skilled-nursing units, and units for residents with dementia. A successful bed & breakfast also operates on site. “It has an academic feel—we would love to retire there,” said the jury. “This is a place where people are inspired to live.”
Photo © Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing.

Innovation in Housing Design

F10 House, Chicago, by EHDD Architecture
This house is one of five selected for construction from an international competition focused on identifying affordable homes that incorporate innovative sustainable building practices. Using the strategies of size reduction, improved efficiency, extended lifespan, and impact reduction, this house strives to reduce life-cycle environmental impacts by a factor of 10 compared to today’s average U.S. home. The open plan maximizes natural light and ventilation. A central solar chimney ventilates warm air out during the summer months and radiates heat down during the winter. A wall of water bottles in the chimney forms a heat sink to minimize winter energy consumption. The design demonstrates that sustainability can reduce living expenses as well as environmental impact. “We like the use of a green roof on a home and the modular building system,” the jury said. “The house is contextual without being literal and it’s a comfortable fit with the neighbors.”
Photo © Doug Snower.

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