For Immediate Release
Design Challenge: Affordable Infill Housing
Philadelphia, PA - September 13, 2005 - Design matters in every community. The Community Design Collaborative of AIA Philadelphia (the Collaborative) and the Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative (PNDC) are partnering with three community development corporations (CDCs) to undertake an Affordable Infill Housing Design Challenge to further the development of innovative approaches to community development that support neighborhood sustainability.
The Design Challenge supports the creative process in which design professionals may create architecturally interesting and enduring designs for affordable housing in low-wealth neighborhoods where small-scale homes and blocks have limited market potential and contribute to high levels of vacancy. The preliminary design solutions from the challenge will help community development corporations advance concepts that developers, both nonprofit and for-profit, may use as a presentation tool when applying for financing for community development. By expanding the menu of design alternatives, PNDC and the Collaborative hope to offer more housing choices that meet the needs of future and existing residents and support their ability to build wealth through homeownership.
Three area design firms - Francis Cauffman Foley Hoffmann, Architects; Becker Winston Architects and Interface Studio - have volunteered to work on site specific issues identified by three CDCs -- New Kensington CDC, Project HOME, and Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha (APM) -- to create preliminary designs for innovative housing typologies that meet, or create, market demand for amenities, aesthetic appeal and production costs.
A jury of design professionals and housing officials reviewed the team's concepts in Late October and will provide commentary following the team's final presentations during a two hour symposium held December 14, 4-6pm at the PNC Hall, 1600 Market Street, 3rd Floor. The event will be followed by a reception, 6-8 pm.
Philadelphia Neighborhood Development Collaborative (PNDC) is a joint effort by foundations, corporations and government. PNDC hs been a catalyst for community development corporations that operate in neighborhoods with high levels of unemployment and critical shortages of affordable housing.
The Community Design collaborative of AIA Philadelphia is a volunteer-based community design center that provides pro bono preliminary design services to nonprofit organizations; promotes best practices in community design and development; and offers design professionals a unique way to volunteer their skills in service of neighborhoods.
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