Author Archives: Leah Cassetty

2020 People’s Choice Award (Multi-family Residential)

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1st place, Multifamily Residential Category
Colleague’s Choice Award

Featuring: Sponsors Tiny Home Village

This annual competition is organized by the American Insitute of Architects Eugene Chapter during the month of September, where local architects and landscape architects present their featured projects in various categories, and the citizens of Eugene cast their vote for the best project in each category. This project was also chosen as a winner in the colleague’s choice category in which AIA members in the community vote for their favorites of the entire project selection.

Project

Sponsor’s Tiny Home Village

Eugene, Oregon

Architect

Nir Pearlson Architect

Structural Engineer

Pioneer Engineering

General Contactor

Essex General Construction

Photos

Steve Smith Photography

CONCEPTS

Jeffrey Commons is a village of 10 mini-homes for incarcerated individuals returning to our local community; thus the main goal of this project is integration – on multiple levels and across a range of scales. The mini-homes are organized into five duplexes facing an internal courtyard, knitted together with walkways and open green spaces. Decorative arbors form gateways facing the streets, welcoming users and visitors and linking the community to the surrounding urban fabric.

  • AFFORDABILITY

The building’s design is based on material and construction efficiency, incorporating simple forms, modular dimensions, standard detailing, off-the-shelf components, and durable finishes. The roofs are constructed of pre-fabricated Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), and their rapid installation help reduces labor, time, and cost.

  • SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable strategies include highly insulated envelopes utilizing SIPS roof panels, and multiple windows providing ample daylight – both approaches resulting in reduced energy usage. Landscaped swales allow rainwater to percolate into the ground. The Common Building’s roof is designed to accommodate a solar PV array, and collect rainwater for irrigation. The most sustainable feature about the project is the homes’ size, which is “among the most important determinants of environmental impact” (Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2010). The small footprints and compact design will save resources during construction, and throughout the building’s lifecycle.

 

AIA CRITERIA

Equitable Communities

Community spaces include a lawn, ornamental landscaped areas including fruit trees, and vegetable garden beds. The Common Building includes a generous meeting room with a kitchen, a shared laundry room, and a secure bike storage room. Two sheltered gazebos and multiple benches throughout the community offer ample places to interact, and to relax year-round.

Well-Being

While the mini-homes are designed to be compact, simple, and minimal, each home contains all the spaces and amenities to support a healthy, independent, and dignified lifestyle. This includes a private entry porch, a living area, a sleeping area, a kitchen, built-in casework, and a bathroom with a shower. Multiple windows provide ample daylight and views while maintaining privacy.

Discovery

The project team applied experiences gained during the design and construction of Emerald Village Eugene, a community of 22 mini-homes for previously homeless persons. The designers maintain contact with the Owner group, are continue to learn lessons through operation and use, and carry these into future projects. A similar project is currently being designed in Woodland, CA, where 12 mini-homes will house previously homeless veterans.

 

2022 People’s Choice Award (Single-family Residential)

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1st place, Single-Family Residential Category

Featuring: Westview residence

This annual competition is organized by the American Institute of Architects Eugene Chapter during the month of September, where local architects and landscape architects present their featured projects in various categories, and the citizens of Eugene cast their vote for the best project in each category.

Project

Westview Residence

Eugene, Oregon

Architect

Roger Ota

Structural Engineer

Pioneer Engineering

General Contactor

Allen Co. Design it! Build it!

Photos

Steve Smith Photography

CONCEPTS

This thoughtfully planned project was a complete reconstruction of a deteriorated 1949 home.  To conserve resources the existing basement walls and footings  remained, allowing lighter site impact, cost savings, and turning a potential constraint  into an advantage. The design priorities  included light, warmth, Pacific Northwest sensibility and integration with the outdoors.

AIA CRITERIA

  • Design for Integration

This efficient family home was designed to accommodate a working professional with young children,  as well as a multi-generational family living arrangement, with guests staying for extended periods. The compact building footprint (living areas stacked on three floors) preserved open space on the lot.  A planted terrace, rainwater  garden, and an orchard promote natural habitat  for both flora and fauna.

  • Design for Discovery

The client wanted a design that would integrate the house with the landscape and make it as easy to enjoy the outside of the home as it did the inside. That meant an abundance of windows and natural light, common spaces that are inviting and outdoor spaces that  expand the  home’s interior spaces.

There is a simultaneous clarity and playfulness to the configuration of living, storage, and utility spaces over the three floor levels,  supporting a variety of views and uses. Every cubic foot of space was carefully considered and utilized. A small wine cellar was built within the existing basement walls, and storage areas were fitted beneath the stairs and within the thick walls.

  • Design for Water

The project incorporates water conservation and a responsible storm water management strategy.  The long, sloped city lot offered the opportunity to create an on-site rainwater treatment and destination facility, reducing the load on the city storm water system.   In collaboration with a landscape architect, the site is designed to prioritize low-maintenance landscape and water efficiency. Several native and drought-tolerant plant species cover the site. Impermeable surfaces were limited to the driveway and the entry path, leaving the majority of the site to absorb and recharge rainwater into the soil.  Inside,  an on-demand water heating system  eliminates wasted water while waiting for hot water.