Background
Housing is one of the most basic human needs, necessary for ensuring the physical and mental wellbeing of people, their security, and safety. Having a residency is crucial to having the ability to develop as an individual, form families, and lead a happy life. Some people are able to secure a home for themselves, while others are deprived of such an ability by their life circumstances. In some cases, people can lose their home and face the danger of having to find it again. Certain groups have a higher chance of facing homelessness or find themselves in residencies unable to fully support their contemporary needs. One of such groups is the elderly, who are faced with certain complications pertaining to their monetary income, physical and mental health. Ensuring that senior citizens of all walks of life and income statuses are able to lead rich, fulfilling and happy lives is important on both the individual and the societal level. This review will focus on reviewing the apartment complexes existing for this explicit purpose. Housing that is constructed to meet the needs of the low-income senior citizenry and provide support to the communities in its cities. The review will focus on evaluating the general area of the complex, the type of businesses found nearby, the general population, as well as the design principles employed during the construction. The evaluation will attempt to compare and contrast two apartment complexes, Sherwood Village Senior Apartments vs. Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments.
Site Location
The area where the building is located
The Sherwood Village Senior Apartments is a housing complex situated in Salinas, California. The surrounding area has been developed and chosen specifically to construct a housing complex that will meet the needs of the senior population. A number of motel buildings were renovated and repurposed to create affordable housing (Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER). The surrounding area is well equipped with various places of interest and necessity, including the church, a convenience store, a tennis court, and an aquatic center. The area also has a significant amount of greenery, due to the proximity of Sherwood Park. The location is also specifically chosen because of its proximity to a public transit route, and the houses are equipped with solar panels, promoting environmentally-friendly living. Overall, the location is well-versed and able to meet the needs of the senior population.
Monteverde Senior Apartments were built to meet the rising demand for affordable housing in the city of Orinda, California. With the city’s relatively small size, finding and constructing an affordable housing complex has presented difficulty, but the use of intelligent design has allowed the construction company to swiftly overcome that challenge. In terms of location, the site was also chosen correctly. With the close proximity to the Orinda Community park, a pharmacy, a church, a high school, a bank, and a postal office. Overall, the location can be described as advantageous to the community development and prosperity of senior citizens.
The type of businesses and/or people who live in this area
The city of Salinas, CA is one of the major industrial and cultural centers of the area, serving as an important part of Monterey County. The population of the City is highly diverse, sporting a majority Hispanic population, comprising 79.3% percent of the population, with whites being the second at 12.6% (Is Salinas the best California city for your business?). Big businesses include hospitals, farming, and food corporations that operate in the city. The City’s crime statistics can be a major source of concern, as they are significantly higher than other areas of California, affecting the pricing in the area and the safety of the citizenry. The problem stems from a number of active street gangs and the close proximity to the Salinas Valley State Prison.
Orinda, on the other hand, is a rather small city in the San Francisco area. The population is close to 18 thousand people, and the ethnic population is made up primarily of white people. Whites comprise 82.4% of the population, with African American and Native American populations being far less prevalent. Because of the city’s relatively small size, the number of famous businesses in the area is fewer, and most companies are connected with recreational facilities of different kinds, including a theater, and a hospitality company (4 Best Companies To Work For In Orinda, CA).
The median income, profession
The median income in the Salinas area was recorded as $54,864 as of 2017, making it $6,700 less than in the county as a whole (Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER). Overall, the income of the people in the area is lower than average, making the need for affordable housing even more apparent. Many of the seniors earn even less money, making the area in dire need of accommodations to support the aging population.
In the Orinda area, however, the individual income of people is quite a bit higher, amounting to around 90 thousand USD according to statistics from 2019. Despite the higher income, housing still remains an issue for the senior population, as the elderly are often unable to earn a living and have to rely on outside financial support to support themselves. This factor makes the need for elderly housing more apparent, as providing older people with affordable living conditions becomes a priority task.
Building Type
Sherwood Village Senior Apartments
The apartment buildings used for the project were renovated motel buildings, making them commercial in their previous use. The site was considered attractive for renovation and investment due to the relative cost-effectiveness of using existing buildings. By rehabilitating old motels, the construction company has saved approximately 25% percent of the projected cost (Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER). Furthermore, using existing property has allowed CHISPA to leave the farmland in the nearby valley unharmed, supporting both the agricultural development of the region and conserving natural resources. Half the one-bedroom apartments were made using the old motel buildings as the base, with the rest being constructed to support the existence of both one and two-bedroom apartments (Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER). In the end, a five-story apartment plan was followed, allowing architects to prepare the space necessary for a large number of people to live in.
Monteverde Senior Apartments
The apartment complex was made from scratch to accommodate the needs and desires of the aging population, as well as to create a building on an uneven surface of a slope(Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments’ Design Accommodates a Steeply Sloped Site: HUD USER). The complex consists of 66 one-bedroom apartments, and the buildings are 4 stories tall. The location of the apartment has been a major challenge in construction, as many of the people the complex was designed for, i.e. elders, have impaired mobility and might face difficulties going up the slope (Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments’ Design Accommodates a Steeply Sloped Site: HUD USER). Curved walkways and specific accommodations to address that problem were made, making the whole site comfortable even for populations with special needs.
Design Process
Sherwood Village Senior Apartments
The construction began using the existing motel buildings as the basis, with the architects gradually expanding on them to accommodate the needs of the elderly and the goals of the project as a whole. Multiple motel rooms were combined, destroying the internal walls to combine them into a single space (Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER). One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments of varying sizes were made using this method. Motel walkways were further partitioned with storage spaces made from removed walls. Rooflines also got altered in a way that created assessable spaces for rest and comfort. The community center, as the only building made from scratch, was made in collaboration with other organizations and positioned in a way to direct attention and traffic in a necessary way. The building has become the focal point of the complex and given the residents or the apartment buildings more privacy. By carefully choosing the placement of the community center, the company has also successfully managed to direct traffic.
Monteverde Senior Apartments
The 1.4-acre building was made on a steep hillside, which became both a feature and a major challenge for the development of the building. The architects concerned themselves with creating a space that facilitated independent living and aging before all else, providing the elderly with necessary accommodations. Five percent of the apartments were designed in accordance with the US Disability Act, making them suitable for people with additional needs. The rest of the construction is notable for following nature-preserving and ecologically-savvy practices, including the installation of solar panels and the use of recycling content during construction.
Design Challenges
Sherwood Village Senior Apartments
The major challenge of this construction was with properly adapting the motel spaces to accommodate an increased number of people and repurposing them in a meaningful way. Creating more space while conserving resources to minimize spending was one of the major considerations and the reason why the motel walls were later reused in creating storage space. The limitations that came with using existing spaces for construction were also apparent, as the number of available design choices was limited with having to adapt to the landscape at hand.
Monteverde Senior Apartments
As discussed at length in all the material concerning the construction of the site, the location of the project presented the most difficulty. The 17-degree downward slope that the apartments had to be constructed on presented a challenge for universal accessibility and availability of housing among the aging population (Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments’ Design Accommodates a Steeply Sloped Site: HUD USER). Older people often have problems with mobility and movement in general, meaning that they have to be presented with special accommodations for reaching their living space. To promote comfortability and independent living, the construction company has created curved paths that make reaching the homes easier and help the elderly. Furthermore, the main building was constructed lower than the rest of the complex, making reaching easy.
References
4 Best Companies To Work For In Orinda, CA. Zippia.
Is Salinas the best California city for your business?California Outline.
Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments’ Design Accommodates a Steeply Sloped Site: HUD USER. Orinda, California: Monteverde Senior Apartments’ Design Accommodates a Steeply Sloped Site | HUD USER.
Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments: HUD USER. Salinas, California: Sherwood Village Senior Apartments | HUD USER.