Charrette for Affordable Housing
January 19, 2011
CHARLESTON, SC – Local residential architects of the AIA/CustomResidential Architects Network (CRAN) will participate in a designcharrette to create several affordable housing designs on Friday,January 21, 2011 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Civic Design Center (85 Calhoun Street). The goal of the charrette is to produce architecturaldrawings for infill affordable housing for vacant lots/spaces on thepeninsula, raise awareness of affordable housing in downtown Charlestonand provide local architects the opportunity to apply good designprinciples to affordable housing projects.
Teams of architects will create designs for three affordable housingsites on the peninsula. The designs will display appropriateproportions, massing and scale, and incorporate the individual contextof each site. Additionally, the designs will be simple to build,economical, and sustainable. The designs will potentially be adaptedfor construction on comparable sites.
Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. said, “Affordably priced housing is anecessity for individuals and families seeking to live on the Peninsula. We have worked hard for many years to ensure that downtown living beaffordable and to maintain the important cultural diversity ofCharleston’s neighborhoods. It is ideal when the housing is placedalongside and among existing individual neighborhoods. The talent andwork of these architectural teams will provide innovative designs andsave considerable funds as we build these houses. ”
The architectural construction drawings will be used by the City ofCharleston or its housing development partners to build on each of thespecified lots. Additional work such as structural, surveying, civil,City approvals or other consultant work may be added on an as-neededbasis per project.
