Latent

Austin United | Affordable Housing

Project Description

Austin United was the first INVEST South/West site to be awarded and reviewed by the new Committee on Design of the Department of Planning and Development, and is currently under construction.

The goal of this project was to create a place that is not only in Austin but and for Austin. A localized design that celebrates Austin through art, architecture, and a compelling narrative. A CDC model that owns, operates, and profits from the commercial/retail spaces. The landscaped courtyard creates new public green space and hub for Chicago Avenue in Austin.

Latent Co-Designed the project led by Valerio Dewalt Train with an emphasis on Public Interiors & Community Engagement.

Project Details

Date
2021
Location
Chicago, IL
Area
103,000 sf
Typology
Affordable Housing
Client
United Alliance
Budget
$40 million

Partners

Architect Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Chicago Department of Planning + Development, Structural Engineer Rubinos & Mesia, Contractor BOWA Construction, Civil Engineer Engage Civil, Landscape Architecture site Design Group, MEPFP Primera Engineers, Threshold Accoustics
The residential lobby opens up to a community room and courtyard

Project Gallery

  1. 1 Design Team

    The design team shared a vision for a transformative design for Austin

  2. 2 South Elevation facing Chicago Avenue

    The new massing reinterprets the Historic Laramie State Bank to anchor a new community courtyard.

  3. 3 Neighborhood Context

    Access to public green space in Austin was a fundamental goal for this project

  4. 4 Landscaped Courtyard by site Design Group

    The park features rotating perforated walls to secure for the residents at night

  5. 5 Massing Studies

    Treating the Bank part of the composition

  6. 6 Plan Studies

    This scheme imagined a thru lobby with retail facing Chicago Avenue

  7. 7 Unit Studies

    The building offers a mix of 1,2,+3 bedroom apartments

Chicago Avenue gets activated by a public plaza anchored by the Residential entry and Historic Laramie State Bank
A Community Room for neighborhood meetings opens up to a landscaped semi-public courtyard
A private Community Room opens to a landscaped rooftop terrace
Laundry Rooms face the Courtyard
Amenities like the fitness center are distributed throughout the residential floors
The Courtyard features the Historic Preservation of Laramie State Bank as a backdrop
“We want to create a safe, comfortable, accessible, vibrant, + attractive pedestrian environment, a worthy Gateway to the Soul City Corridor”

Ernie Wongsite Design Group

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