Freeman & Major Complete Homes of Hope Project, Develop Prototype, Low-Income, LEED-Certified Housing

GREENVILLE, SC – May 2, 2012 – Freeman & Major Architects has completed a project for Greenville-based non-profit organization Homes of Hope, developing prototype low-income housing for the Homes of Hope LoCAL Program. The LoCAL program’s goal is to produce housing that is long-term, compact, affordable, and LEED™ Certified.

Homes of Hope seeks to offer three solutions through its LoCal program. It offers affordable housing for poverty-level families that is energy efficient; affordable housing for poverty level families that builds assets through appreciation; and better jobs through job training and the opportunity to become a LEED™ Green Associate through a training provided by the United States Green Building Council South Carolina Chapter for the men participating in Homes of Hope’s discipleship and recovery program.

The prototype house design is a compact 864 square feet that includes a great room, kitchen, two bedrooms, one bath, a laundry area and a study nook. Each home features a generous front porch to extend living space to the outdoors. Freeman & Major also produced several customization features for the prototype, including: two expansion options, which either adds an additional bedroom and bath, or a room that can be used as a dining or sunroom; and six exterior designs that allow for flexibility in a planned neighborhood.

It’s a real privilege to work on a project that embodies so much hope and expectation, says Joel Van Dyke, AIA, managing partner at Freeman & Major. The design for these houses fulfills a number of complex, inter-connected goals that also allows people to live, work, and play better. Particularly satisfying was in being able to apply green design principles to low-income housing, demonstrating its applicability to everyday life where there are limited financial resources.

Freeman & Major has won various AIA and other awards for a variety of architectural designs, including for Zen Greenville, the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and the John E. John’s Hall at Furman University, along with a SC Historic Preservation Award for the WestEnd Market.

About Freeman & Major
For more than 70 years, Freeman & Major has offered full-service architectural design services along with the personal attentiveness of an experienced firm partner for significant projects throughout South Carolina. Focusing on design for public and private K-12, charter, and higher education, along with medical practices and other healthcare venues, Freeman & Major also offers LEED certification services. To view their work for Furman University, Lander University, Greenville Technical College, Christ Church Episcopal School, the Governor’s School for the Arts, and many other projects, surf to their online portfolio at http://www.fmarch.com/portfolio.html or contact them at 864.672.0202.