PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Village: Design Narrative
The Village is located on 4 acres + 1.75 dedicated conservation easement within the Tierra Contenta master planned community on Paseo del Sol across from Capitol High School. The proposed site is surrounded by views of the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez, and Sandia Mountains. The project is a 60-unit multifamily rental project comprised of 6 one-bedrooms 34 two-bedrooms, 20 three-bedrooms that total 60 units. The Village is committed to providing affordable housing and stabilization services for individuals and families with special needs while protecting and enhancing the natural open areas that define our landscape.
The overall site concept draws its influence from traditional village communities where homes were situated together for sociability and defense, and land surrounding the living quarters was farmed. There were also woods and meadows used for which were often held in common. The Village, a modern interpretation of an established housing type, uses a dense, efficient development footprint while maintaining adequate open space for nature trails, ponding, gardening and recreational activities. The style of the architecture combines both traditional and contemporary forms and colors.
The site is structured around a hierarchy of outdoor spaces that increase the possibilities for varying degrees of social contact: private back yards and balconies, semi-private patios, shared courtyards that provide secured recreation spaces for small children, a community picnic area with BBQ pits, outdoor seating and a shade structure, as well as the 1.75 acres of conservation easement or dedicated open space comprised of community gardens and walking trails that offers recreation for all age groups. A holistic storm water drainage system integrates the conservation easement with the developed portion of the site through the use of distributed rain gardens that maintain storm water on the site and allow for recharge of the aquifer. This idea that water and land are precious commodities further reinforces the social fabric of the village.
Pedestrian circulation is one of the main organizing elements that determine the building layout at The Village. Circulation is structured along a central spine to ensure that the main path will receive substantial use to encourage chance meetings. In addition, the paths and sidewalks will connect to the Tierra Contenta Trail system, public transportation, and the main commercial development on Paseo del Sol. A tightly knit placement of buildings offers a sense of integrated community and allows naturally formed security to entries formed by the buildings, rather than by fencing alone.
The community building is at the heart of the development and is bordered by two-story multifamily units (15 du/acre), clustered in groups to create shared courtyards. The community building has office for management and maintenance, as well as, an office for a program director for residents in transition from being homeless. An exercise room, laundry, kitchen, computer learning area and fireplace are other amenities included in the community building. The community building also acts as a gateway to conservation easement that accommodates community garden space, a dog park, play areas, native constructed wetlands, and demonstration gardens for various types of public gatherings.
The residential buildings are two stories in height to maintain a human scale and the dwelling units are single loaded to allow each unit the benefit of natural lighting and ventilation from two sides. All exterior entries and stairways are covered for safety during inclimate weather. The dwelling units are designed to have an open kitchen, dining and living room space that easily accommodate various furniture arrangements and individual lifestyles. The main living room space has a large front-to-back dimension allowing ventilation, sunlight, and views through a patio door to a sheltered private patio or balcony beyond. The residential units have hard surface tiled flooring throughout to help reduce allergens associated with carpet. All units have pantries, linen closets and large outdoor storage closets. Washers and dryer hook-ups are provided in all the 2 and 3 bedroom units, while the community building will service 4 washers and dryers for use within the community. Master bedrooms are separated from the remaining bedrooms for privacy in the three bedrooms units.
