2013 Housing and Community Design Awards

2013 Housing and Community Design Awards

Congratulations to the awardees of the 2013 Housing and Community Design Awards program, chosen by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. These awards demonstrate that design matters by recognizing excellence in affordable housing, community-informed design, and accessibility.

Via Verde is awarded Excellence in Affordable Housing Design. The sustainable, permanently affordable development is located on a former brownfield site and includes 222 workforce and low-income units. Via Verde combines affordable living with several energy efficient features, and its design, a pilot program in the NYC Active Design Guidelines, encourages a healthy, active lifestyle for residents. Commercial development and a community health center are offered on the ground floor, while climbable roofs equipped with gardens and an outdoor amphitheater provide ample social outdoor space.

Community Learning Center of Leominster, Massachusetts receives the award in Community-Informed Design. Previously housed in a public housing apartment, the Community Learning Center is now a 2,000-square-foot facility that provides afterschool learning programs for youth in Leominster. An architecture firm worked extensively with local students, teachers, staff, and public housing residents to design the new building. The result is a multifunctional, budget-friendly space that incorporates many sustainable design elements, including large windows that allow for passive solar heating and “green” particleboard partitions that create private study areas for the students.

New Accessible Passive Solar Housing is awarded the Housing Accessibility, Alan J. Rothman Award. These units are located on the corner of an existing public housing development in Stoneham, Massachusetts. All of the units meet both Americans with Disabilities Act and state accessibility requirements. The units go beyond accessibility to provide a high quality of life and connectivity to the outside while incorporating design features for energy-efficient living. Open living areas offer functionality, while small outdoor porches and high- and low-operable windows throughout the apartments bring in natural light and offer views of the park.

To read more about the winning developments and other Secretary awards, click here.