1. Affordable Single Family Housing: A Houston Case Study
Mark D. Smith, AIA, LEED AP

2. AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

3. Houston’s Affordable Housing Challenge

4. Houston’s Affordable Housing Challenge Housing Authority
Roughly 43,000 families on waiting list for subsidized housing
Of the 2,000 affordable homes built in the past decade, fewer than a quarter remain affordable for low-income families.
US News and World Report, May 15, 2007
Private Developers, Owners
36% apartment rent increases since 2011
Over 25% of renters spend more than 50% of their income on housing
Affordable new construction is many miles from employment centers and transit
New Hope Housing, June 2017

5. Case Study Project Location: Fifth Ward- 3105 Lelia St
Case Study Site

6. Typical Major Entry Point in Fifth Ward

7. Median Fifth Ward House

8. Vacant Lot Trash

9. Median Food Store

10. City Park Nearby Case Study Site

11. Renovated De Luxe Theater

12. The case study, a 765 SF home in Houston’s Fifth Ward, is used as a basis for discussion of health, safety, and welfare issues.
Some HSW issues for discussion today include:
Siting / Transportation
Security
Flooding
Rent & utility costs
Resiliency
Indoor air quality
Walkability & Interaction

13. Stand and Stretch

14. a. Siting / Public Transportation
AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

15. a. Siting

16. a. Public Transportation

17. b. Security, Flooding AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

18. b. Security

19. b & c. Security and Flooding

20. b & c. Security and Flooding

21. c. Flooding

22. Stand and Stretch

23. d. Rent/Mortgage and Utility Costs AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

24. d. Rent/Mortgage- driven by construction cost

25. Typical neighborhood rents are xx Utilities can be very high
d. Utility Costs
Typical neighborhood rents are xx
Utilities can be very high

26. e. Resiliency AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

27. e. Resiliency

28. e. Resiliency

29. e. Resiliency

30. Stand and Stretch

31. f. Indoor air quality AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

32. f. Indoor air quality

33. f. Indoor air quality
Energy Recovery Ventilator

34. f. Indoor air quality

35. g. Walkability & Interaction AIA Learning Objectives
Articulate the health, safety, and welfare challenges in affordable housing neighborhoods
Describe how architects can apply their expertise in solving these challenges
Explain how contextual design can improve the health, safety, and welfare of individuals
List ways that hands-on construction experience improves HSW and architectural design skills

36. g. Walkability & Interaction

37. g. Walkability & Interaction

38. Q&A, Feedback
Gingerbread House Event