Designing A Low-Cost House – Affordable Housing & Good Design Co-Exist

Some people believe that good design is a luxury available only to the wealthy or to members of the cultural elite. The National Building Museum’s new exhibition Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset, opening February 28, 2004, disproves this notion and shows that good design is possible even within the tight budgets associated with low-cost housing.

The exhibition also explores the far-reaching benefits of good design for residents and their broader communities. More than a dozen current projects from across the U.S. are featured in the exhibition, which places the projects within the broader historical context of affordable housing.

Today some of the country’s most gifted architects are focusing their visions and energy on designing attractive, efficient homes for low-income families in both urban and rural settings.

The selected projects in Affordable Housing showcase these visions and this energy, and demonstrate that low-cost housing does not have to mean low-quality housing. Using models, photographs, drawings, and video to illustrate the projects, this exhibition proves that affordable housing can be a true American asset.

Projects in Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset were selected on the basis of design excellence. All demonstrate an increased recognition of the needs of tenants, and a new understanding that affordable housing can be an integral and beneficial component of any community.

As a whole, they display a sensitivity to enhancing experiences in all spaces, from public and private rooms to transition spaces such as entrances, porches, lobbies, hallways, and foyers. Many provide flexibility for different family types, easy expansion, and personalization. The projects also show consideration of unit and building type positioning, ensuring that units do not have unsightly views, such as of parking lots.

As Chief Curator Howard Decker says, The projects are a true testament to the fact that housing quality doesn’t have to be sacrificed for affordability.

To be considered affordable, according to HUD, a housing project must have at least 20 percent of its units available to families making less than 50 percent of the median income for the area in which the project is located, assuming that no more than 30 percent of a family’s income is spent on housing. In light of this definition, someone earning minimum wage should spend no more than $257.50 per month in rent and utilities.

There is no county in America where a household with one wage earner at this income level can afford even a modest one-bedroom apartment. Since the American housing market by itself cannot produce enough decent housing for people of low and moderate incomes, a complex and evolving system of subsidized affordable housing has been developed.

The projects in Affordable Housing are unique in their individual qualities and, as a group, illustrate the wide variety of styles, sites, programs, demographics, and sponsorships in contemporary American affordable housing.

Among those featured in the exhibition, highlights include Colorado Court in Santa Monica, California, by Pugh Scarpa Kodama; and Dove Street Independent Housing in Albany, New York, by Dorgan Architecture and Planning.

Colorado Court features several state-of-the-art technologies that distinguish it as a model for sustainable building and affordable housing. The planning and design incorporate energy-efficient measures that exceed standard practices, optimize building performance, and reduce energy use—all allowing the building to accommodate residents at 35 percent of the regional median income.

Dove Street Independent Housing, which received unanimous support from its surrounding community, serves as a residence for people living with AIDS and their caregivers.

The architects worked closely with AIDS advocates to understand the specific housing and other needs of this particular population. The eight one-bedroom units are carefully designed: all interior and exterior spaces are wheelchair-accessible, ample storage space accommodates medical equipment, and visual alarms assist residents and visitors with auditory impairments.

Other projects in the exhibition include Westbury in Portsmouth, Virginia, by Urban Design Associates; and the Howard University/LeDroit Park Revitalization Initiative in Washington, D.C., by Sorg and Associates, PC. Developed with funds from the government’s HOPE VI program, Westbury includes 161 for-sale homes and 117 rental units, mixing owned units with public housing and subsidized units.

The renovation of 28 existing homes and the construction of 14 new homes by Sorg and Associates played a role in LeDroit Park’s revitalization as a thriving urban neighborhood. The project, sponsored by Howard University and Fannie Mae, was part of a larger master plan for this historic district.

The projects in Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset show that those who are developing low-income and affordable housing are employing design excellence as a tool to create value in economic, social, and cultural terms.

Not only are property values influenced by good design, but neighborhood revitalization can be spurred. Good design also helps build civic pride.

Low-income families benefit from income-integrated communities in many ways, particularly in terms of education, job opportunities, and quality of life.

The communities at large benefit from reduced commuter traffic, lower police and social costs, and from mingling of individuals and families from many different backgrounds, contributing to richer social experiences.

Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset is curated by Ralph Bennett, AIA, and Isabelle Gournay, Ph.D., both professors of architecture and architectural history at the University of Maryland, College Park.

At the National Building Museum, Howard Decker, chief curator, and Matt Kuhnert, curatorial associate, coordinate the exhibition. Pat Chester of Chester Design Associates is the exhibition and graphic designer.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the National Building Museum will offer a symposium titled Affordable Housing: Good Design Makes Good Living on March 30 and 31, 2004. This day-and-a-half-long symposium will focus on how affordable housing is enhanced by good design.

The keynote address, Homeownership: The American Dream, will be presented by Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, and will kick off a full day of sessions that will address a range of issues important to affordable housing today and in the future.

Topics will include grassroots design, the government as a design partner, technology as a catalyst for good design, and the social and economic benefits to be gained by a successful marriage between high-quality design and affordability.

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About The Author:

Sally Daniels is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.home-n-house-plans.com. The best place to find new home plans, home designs & houseplans is on the Internet.