Putting Down Roots
Housing First Project, Eugene, OR
Design Studio, University of Oregon, 2015
Housing First is more than long term housing for the chronically unhoused. It is an opportunity for growth; a stable home where people can put down roots. This design’s intent was to create a building that expresses warmth and humanity in a way fitting to the site, to create a bridge between communities, and to provide opportunity for health, home, and stability.
To achieve this I wanted to support the tenants by providing a space in which they feel as though they belong, engage and interact with the neighborhood to create a sense of community, and give the staff opportunity to interact with and serve as a bridge between both groups.
Engage Neighborhood.
The arrangement of the program begins with the community space; it includes a community room, donation center, and community garden available to both residents and members of the surrounding neighborhood. These spaces serve as an outstretched hand to the neighborhood, inviting all to take part. It resides at the heart of the site, almost as if it grew out of the hill the building resides on.
Community Room, Open To All
Staff Provide the Bridge.
Wrapped around the community space are the resident resources and support staff offices. These include a free library, exercise room, computer lab, mailboxes, case management offices, support staff offices, and an on-site nurse. The staff’s mission is to serve the needs of the tenants, while engaging in neighborhood outreach efforts to bridge the gap between these communities.
Support Staff Offices
Support Residents.
Branching out from the core of the building are the resident’s private living spaces. On each floor, there are two separate wings, or “neighborhoods”, connected by a common lounge, balcony, and garden. All residents have access to this shared community space as well their own private dwelling. Each dwelling provides ample light, views to nature, and a space for tenants to call their own.
Tenant’s Dwelling
At the beginning of the design process, I was asked to consider what “home” means. My careful considerations led me to the idea of the garden and the rich soil needed for it’s flourishing. Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, and countless organisms that together provide nourishment, support, water, air, temperature moderation, and even protection from toxins in the environment. In short, rich soil offers restoration and opportunity.
What soil is to a garden, a home is to a person. People need supportive environments that provide healthy relationships, accessibility, comfort, communication, visibility, and choice. Together, these create safe spaces that produce an opportunity for growth.
My chosen site for this project was one with abundant greenery, trees, and an existing network of walking paths nearby. I chose to nestle the building into the hill and incorporate the surrounding natural environment into it’s stepping form. The building has a vegetated roof, meant to signal that the building itself is growing out of the ground. Each time the building grows up and branches out, it leaves a small piece of the footprint behind. These pieces become green balconies for the residents to enjoy.
Through attention to the stability of the tenants, engagement of the neighborhood, and staff interaction with both of these groups, this building is designed to provide an environment that serves all and provides an opportunity for growth for everyone involved.
