Charleston SC | Completed
DBA collaborated with a local firm to create this gracious building intended to help seniors keep living independently in the heart of the city. The design team worked closely with the Housing Authority to devise a dynamic building that meets the challenges of the site—located in a high-velocity flood zone—and respects the built fabric of the historic city.
The building draws on Charleston’s Single House, a local typology characterized by what is regionally known as a “piazza”—a sheltered outdoor porch centered between the garden and the home that functions as an entryway and private living and gathering space. Inspired by the local single-house typology, the building features external circulation that doubles as egress and social spaces.
At the heart of Williams Terrace, a stack of mega-porches do triple duty as circulation, social space, and an extension of each compact home. These porches were made possible by an innovative floor plan that arrays a series of unusually long, narrow apartments with a strong north-south orientation. The result is livable, dense urban housing that is social, climate-responsive, comfortable, and personal.
The shotgun-style homes feature through-ventilation and daylight at either end. Living rooms opening directly onto the broad, sheltered porches. Taking a cue from the historic louvered shutters found on Charleston’s piazzas, sliding screens allow residents to adjust the amount of shade desired, moving the dynamic louvers to make for an ever-changing façade. The lime-washed brick exterior offers another connection with Charleston’s historic past.
A rooftop community room and terrace offer views across the neighboring Gadsdenboro Park out toward the harbor.
Williams Terrace won the 2019 AIA/HUD Secretary’s Housing and Community Design Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing Design, a singular nationwide award recognizing architecture that demonstrates overall excellence in terms of design in response to both the needs and constraints of affordable housing.
Project Details
22 Laurens Street
Charleston, SC
United States
Total 41
