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The Arroyo

Last certified on:
Certification level: Platinum

Project info

Size83,768 sq ft

We began the project with a series of questions centered around the theme of fusing ecological and social benefit. Could we create an urban housing typology that does as much for its neighborhood as it does for its residents? Can we make a building that builds a sense of community around a shared notion of environmental connectivity?

The project is a 100% affordable housing project for families which has 64 dwelling units, 2 community rooms, on-site laundry, an outdoor homework patio, and an elongated central open courtyard with a half-court basketball area. The building is located within a 5 minute walk to a train station and bus lines, 10 minutes to the beach, and is within an active urban center. The building is five stories tall and its massing is made by two parallel bar structures, one single loaded and the other double loaded, that run alongside the open-ended courtyard.

The open-ended courtyard strategy creates a social hub for residents, captures prevailing ocean breezes, provides daylight to all apartments, and makes the street more pedestrian friendly. We leveraged the real earth below the courtyard to plant large shade trees creating a calm, serene, and shaded community space for residents while also bringing a moment of native California landscape to the street.

Architecturally, we use building elements that have social, environmental, and economic impact to create the visual identity of the building. Brightly colored undersides of sunshades and bridges visually enliven the experience of the building for residents and pedestrians alike. The sunshades also reduce solar gain and thereby reduce energy demands on cooling systems and provide for daylighting without glare while reducing interior lighting demands. The bridges serve to make the life of the building visually accessible to the neighborhood and create moments of encounter between residents and the neighborhood.

The construction of the project was financed with Affordable Housing Tax Credits that require use of healthy materials and finishes and were chosen with greatly reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to help keep the air within the dwelling units healthier to breathe as well as a MERV 8 filtered mechanical system.

As stated previously, the open air corridors, bridges, and stairs create a visually dynamic circulation system to create a fun and walkable experience for residents to make the elevator a less attractive option and encourage an active lifestyle. The bridges flank the east and west of the courtyard and look upon the basketball half-court and courtyard where children ride bikes, and residents stroll through the garden. Also supporting a healthy lifestyle are the previously mentioned 142 bicycle parking spaces provided on-site for both resident families and visitors to the community rooms which host numerous neighborhood events.

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