AWARD YEAR
2017
CATEGORY
Home
GOALS
Sustainable Cities & Communities
KEYWORDS
homelessness, housing, improving life
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
Michael Maltzan - Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc.
WEBSITE
http://www.mmaltzan.com/projects/star-apartments/
Star Apartments
Affordable housing units with common spaces and an on-site medical center for homeless people
The challenge for solving homelessness doesn't just lie in providing housing; the equation requires medical and social services, too. Located in Los Angeles's Skid Row—one of the most impoverished areas in the country—the Star Apartments harness modular design to offer affordable housing units with common spaces and an on-site medical center for homeless people. The six-story, 95,000-square-foot building facilitates a recovery process for its residents based on positive re-socialization, healthy interpersonal relations, and wellness. In sum, it improves the quality of life and inspires a sense of pride, independence, and dignity for its inhabitants.