Architects, designers, community leaders and affordable housing advocates take note: On Tuesday, June 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Architecture, the
Community Design Collaborative (CDC) and
Habitat for Humanity are holding a local launch for the acclaimed book
Designed for Habitat.
The book profiles 13 smartly designed Habitat housing projects.
"Taken together, the projects illustrate that high quality designs are possible with Habitat Homes," says David Hinson, author and current head of the
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at Auburn University. "Current conventional thinking in the design industry often assumes otherwise."
The 13 projects were chosen not just because they feature innovative design choices, but because of their collaborative nature. "Affordable housing in this country can always be improved upon and good design alone isn’t enough," adds Hinson. "Smart collaboration is key."
Located across the country, the homes represent a wide range of Habitat projects, from large and urban to small and rural. Two of them are local -- one in North Philadelphia, the other in West Philly. Hinson, a former Philadelphian himself, is quite familiar with both buildings.
The first,
Project 1800, delivered a new dwelling and site design prototype for a post-industrial neighborhood in North Philly. The project's 15 new homes and five rehabilitated row homes provide an effective solution in a blight-ridden urban district.
The other project, the Stiles Street Homes, brought nine new-construction Habitat units to Parkside in West Philly. According to Hinson, this project shows how advocates can navigate the waters of community resistance and
NIMBY-ism. Through a collaborative process and community outreach, they managed to deliver a context-sensitive solution.
At the event, Hinson will talk about these two projects in detail, as well as the 11 others outlined in
Designed for Habitat. CDC board member Daryn Edwards will then moderate a panel featuring Hinson, Jon Mussleman, Maarten Pesch, Megan McGinley and Sally Harrison.
Source: David Hinson, author & head of the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape Architecture at Auburn University
Writer:
Greg Meckstroth