ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers - (Page 48) Units at Wentworth Commons range from studio to four-bedroom units, to accommodate formerly homeless families and individuals, or those who are at risk for homelessness. “Somehow the unit configurations are just different enough that it justifies complete removal of all interior walls and usually the building systems in terms of mechanical, electrical and plumbing which are so antiquated that they require entire replacement,” explains King. “The challenges of working with what is there, in terms of planning, construction, demolition and unforeseen circumstances, all bring the cost up.” And, she adds, “Really tight budgets are always an issue with this type of housing.” Designers counting dollars can first look for hidden cost savings in many standard features. Wentworth’s windows, for example, are a standard size. To offset the more utilitarian style, King used placement and pro- portion to create a design aesthetic and avoid monotonous elevation. The Wentworth design team also used daylighting throughout the building to maximize light and aesthetics, while minimizing cost. Specifying six small skylights on the building’s roof and in four accent areas designed along the corridors cost around $5,000. “That ends up being something like .0004 % of the construction hard costs,” King says. “Some look at it and say ‘wow, how did you afford those?’ I say that was a small amount of money very well spent. Daylighting is an amazingly powerful design tool.” By “jogging” different-sized units, from 320-square-foot studios to 1,400-square-foot four-bedroom apartments, along the double loaded corridors, designers created even more daylighting and cross breezes in both the halls and apartments. And, open-plan dining/kitchen areas in the larger family apartments created “virtual sunrooms” that convey the look of more space. Both durability and maintenance concerns were a top priority for the project. Wheat board, a rapidly renewable material, was used as wainscoting on the bottom four feet of corridor walls to protect them from InformeDesign® Research on Urban Living Summaries of these, and other studies related to this article can be accessed from the InformeDesign® Web site at www.informedesign.umn.edu. Evaluating Sustainable Neighborhood Design, Journal of Architectural and Planning Research New Models for High Density Living, Design Issues Sense of Community Created by Design, Environment and Behavior Sustainable Urban Development Framework, Building Research & Information The Rise of Downtown Living in the US, Journal of the American Planning Association Urban Activities Affect Neighborhood Satisfaction, Environment and Behavior Urban Design for Cultural Identity, Journal of Urban Design Urban, Industrial Building Renovation and Reuse, Building Research and Information scuff marks from Wentworth’s 71 children. To foster a sense of community among residents, common spaces were designed throughout the building. “Shared living rooms” that combine space with the laundry facilities were incorporated on each floor, strategically placed by the vertical circulation core to maximize air flow—and provide parents with a place to keep an eye on their children while doing the wash. At Sankofa House, HED’s other affordable multiunit housing project, in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood 15 minutes from downtown, the design challenge was to create apartments for three distinct, previously unrecognized groups of urban dwellers. They are “grand families” of grandparents raising children; kinship families of relatives raising children; and young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. The building’s 58 apartments on five floors are comprised of one-bedroom to four-bedroom units accommodating both young adults starting out and large families with increased (and diverse) space needs. All its apartments will be subsidized and the living spaces vary to reflect the difference in intended residents. To promote independence for the young adults, their units are in a separate wing from the family group units on each floor. Side-by-side with that new independence, shared living rooms on each floor, as in Wentworth, foster building community. Like any other project—luxury or subsidized, urban or suburban—the goal for the building is to “create light-filled living spaces with high indoor quality.”] Pam Janis is a Washington, D.C.-based writer. See the Resource Guide on page 78 for additional resources and information about “Urban Living.” PHOTO: ANTHONY MAY PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN: HARLEY ELLIS DEVEREAUX 48 ASID ICON | THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS http://www.informedesign.umn.edu
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