La Casa Permanent Supportive Housing

What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?
The project was the award of an open-end contract that the joint venture of Studio Twenty Seven Architecture/Leo A Daly held with the District of Columbia Department of General Services.  The open-end contract was won through a public RFP process.

Please provide an overview of the project.
This project is a permanent supportive housing facility designed for, and operated by, the government of the District of Columbia. “La Casa” is the first permanent supportive housing project for the District’s Department of Human Services. The project consists of 40 single-occupancy units with community and support spaces covering 24,946 square feet. Currently the city operates a variety of housing types and models to accommodate the homeless, most of which focus on temporary, nightly shelter. The La Casa Permanent Supportive Housing Project is the first to develop private dwelling units, with full living spaces, kitchens and baths for the chronically homeless. 

In addition to maximizing the number of individual living units that could be accommodated on the small site, the city wanted to redefine a homeless care paradigm that typically produces antiseptic intuitional facilities. The architects were fortunate in having a municipal client that required design quality that will “meet and/or exceed” that of adjacent market-rate condominium buildings. As the first permanent supportive housing facility in DC, La Casa is an important milestone for the District in its effort to redefine the concept of housing for the homeless community.

Throughout the design and construction process, six different city agencies were involved in assuring that the project met sustainability, durability and programmatic goals. Comments and concerns from City officials were incorporated with design revisions through construction change directives, stretching a twenty four month schedule into thirty six months.  It was essential that the architects and other team members shared a stamina of creativity and attention to detail throughout the elongated duration and on-going modifications.  

What are the main ideas and inspirations influencing the design of the building?
La Casa is designed to foster individualized identity within the context of collective housing. The building mass is carved at street level to create an open and inviting entry. Layers of glazing provide visual access to the interior, reinforcing to the community the accessibility of the programs within, while also providing security. The overall building massing is informed by the urban street edge, zoning setbacks and height restrictions. The upper floors align to the zoned building plane to maintain the urban street edge; the first two levels fold away to provide a foreground to the entry and the adjacent pocket park. A small gated rear entry is provided from the south, which passes through the private refuge of an exterior terrace nestled within a courtyard. Practically, the courtyard opening reduces the building massing to achieve the requisite floor-to-area ratios, while also providing light and air to the rear facing units.

The facades reflect the vibrant activity along Irving Street. The solid-void pattern of the façade emulates the adjacent multifamily residential buildings to achieve a contextual scale, and the fenestration further refines this texture while providing equal amounts of glazing for each dwelling unit. Above the street-level datum, the façade cladding-to-window pattern was developed to allow individuals to easily identify their particular floor and unit, and resultantly their place within the city. Below this same datum, the design team wished to emphasize entry and pattern through layering, spatial density and variations of light. The primary façade faces north, so the interplay of light, shade and shadow is limited. To circumvent this inherent flatness, the design team sought to employ the contrasting light from within each unit as darkened voids in the daytime, and illuminating beacons in the evenings. Between windows, the exterior cladding comprises a syncopated rhythm of gray cement board and Trespa panels. These materials were chosen for their aesthetics, durability and resilience. They reduce the municipality’s overall maintenance expenditures and provide integral beauty that augments the lively context of Irving Street, and the vitality of city night life. 
 
Unit interiors are designed for space efficiency and durability. Inspired by more costly studio loft apartments, each dwelling unit provides floor-to-ceiling operable windows for natural daylighting and ventilation. The units offer functional simplicity, coupling a hybrid living, eating, and kitchen space with a sleeping niche. Warm and durable flooring of exposed concrete and bamboo complements crisp white walls and a refined gray kitchen. Countertops are made by Alkemi, comprising shredded, recycled aluminum cans floating in resin. The bathrooms are finished in ceramic tile, with industrial fixtures.  Each unit is fully ADA compliant. 

How does the design respond to the unique qualities of the site?
La Casa is located in Columbia Heights, a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, DC. The Metro came to the neighborhood in 1999, and in the wave of redevelopment that followed neighborhood demographics diversified. Census data reveals that the current population is almost half Hispanic, while African American and White populations are around a quarter each.  Columbia Heights was once known as a “City with a City,” but now it is probably better known as “the World within a Neighborhood.” It is arguably one of Washington, DC’s most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhoods. 

La Casa has important urban planning responsibilities. Pedestrians exiting the metro station and traveling west will be greeted by its transparent glowing lobby. Sightlines extend from La Casa to the metro station, and the vibrancy of the building and its residents is reflected in the comings and goings of metro riders.