Compton, California
Schematic Design Development | 2005
The Alondra development was a schematic design for an affordable senior residence based on the idea of using architecture to create communities and positive social relationships between residents. We understand that many seniors prefer to remain in their own homes as they age—despite the many challenges and risks—and sought to explore an attractive, affordable alternative.
Working on feasibility studies with the developer of the site in Compton, California, we explored solutions to turn a leftover cloverleaf site (at the intersection of an 8-lane highway and a major boulevard) into an affordable senior housing community. Part of the challenge was trying to create a safe, attractive “oasis” from an undesirable and oddly-shaped site in a not-so-safe neighborhood.
For increased safety—and to allow the families of the elderly residents to live nearby if necessary—we added single family homes on part of the site, which blended nicely with the neighborhood and adjacent houses.
Though the most economical building type for the seniors’ housing would have been a single monolithic building, we decided on three separate courtyard buildings. Each courtyard building housed 30 to 40 residents, and while they were large enough to be cost efficient and to block noise from the highway, they were intimate enough to feel like home. This design also provided interior courtyards in which the residents could gather, and upon which all the windows/private balconies focused so even those in their room could participate in the daily goings on, and keep an eye out for security’s sake.
All parking and access drives were located around the perimeter of the site, so that the center could be a village green, free of autos, where residents could stroll while children played. This layout also provided a square footage bonus in that the roads were located in municipal easements, which otherwise could not be built upon.
The individual unit plans were designed in pairs to make the buildings appear smaller and less repetitive from the exterior, and to encourage friendly relationships between neighbors. Each pair shared an entry porch and an extra bedroom which could be used by either resident for maximum flexibility.
All in all, our hope was that the design would encourage a sense of community between neighbors (small groups of 2 to 4), between courtyard clusters (medium-size groups of 30 to 40), and between the families and other residents on the site by virtue of the centralized design and village green/central communal space.