Three multifamily projects were among the 14 winners in the American Institute of Architects 2017 Housing Awards program. The jury assessed the architectural design, the integration of the buildings into their context, transportation options, and features that contribute to livable communities.
The winners:
Powerhouse carefully fits a dense cluster of 31 super-energy-efficient units into an urban block in Philadelphia. The design navigates existing fabric along a sloping site with a series of building typologies: single-family townhomes, duplexes, and two small apartment buildings. In the Philadelphia tradition of entry stoops, a sequence of entry platforms navigates grade changes, entry stairs, and basement windows. Stormwater is managed on site with green roofs and rain gardens along the curb line. All 31 units achieved LEED Platinum certification.
Hunters View Housing Blocks 5 & 6, San Francisco, designed by Paulett Taggart Architects. These two new blocks of affordable family housing are part of San Francisco’s HOPE SF program to rebuild parts of the city’s deteriorated public housing, even as the current tenants remain in the neighborhood. The design for these two city blocks organizes 53 units into two L-shaped buildings per block to form continuous street frontages and surround two secure shared courtyards. Each building contains stacked multi-level townhouses that step down with the street’s slope.
VIA 57 West, New York, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (architect) and SLCE Architects (associate architect). This pyramid-shaped, 940,012-sf residential building is 467 feet tall, with 709 apartments within 34 above-ground floors. It combines a European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise that encompasses a 2,040-sf courtyard.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Oct 22, 2020
The Weekly show: Universal design in multifamily housing, reimagining urban spaces, back to campus trends
BD+C editors speak with experts from KTGY Architecture + Planning, LS3P, and Omgivning on the October 22 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 20, 2020
New multifamily complex completes in Austin
Charlan Brock Associates and Britt Design Group designed the project.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2020
Miami’s yacht-inspired UNA Residences begins construction
AS+GG designed the tower.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2020
L.A., all the way
KFA Architecture has hitched its wagon to Los Angeles’s star for more than 40 years.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 2, 2020
Everyone's getting a fire pit!
Skeleton fire pit in Chicago, October 2020
Coronavirus | Oct 2, 2020
With revenues drying up, colleges reexamine their student housing projects
Shifts to online learning raise questions about the value of campus residence life.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 1, 2020
Glass railings installed at 300-unit rental complex in Columbus, Ohio
Vision Communities chose Viewrail railings for the main entrance of The Ave, a 300-unit rental enterprise in Columbus, Ohio.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 29, 2020
Washington, D.C.’s first modular apartment building breaks ground
Eric Colbert & Associates designed the building.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 22, 2020
AIA/HUD Secretary's Awards celebrate affordable, accessible, and well-designed housing
Each year, the AIA and HUD partner to celebrate projects that demonstrate affordable, accessible and well-designed housing, proving that good design is not exclusive.
Multifamily Housing | Sep 16, 2020
8 (more) noteworthy multifamily projects to debut in 2020
An office-to-apartment conversion in Clearwater, Fla., and a modular affordable housing community in Portland, Ore., highlight the latest multifamily developments to open this year.