The Adeline Street Apartments
Berkeley, CA

Rental Housing for Low-Income People with Disabilities

SUMMARY: This tax-credit-financed apartment building for very-low-income people with physical disabilities squeezes 19 apartments onto a tight L-shaped lot. It references the historical neighborhood context and creates a new modern aesthetic at the same time.

Awards
Winner: 2003 Citation Award
American Institute of Architects - East Bay Chapter

The Adeline Apartments are 19 units of affordable housing designed to fit into the south Adeline Street neighborhood by presenting an updated Craftsman aesthetic with neighborly massing and materials. Occupying an L-shaped lot, the building fronts the commercial corridor on Adeline Street and a medium-density residential neighborhood on Fairview Street.

Adeline Street is characterized by one-, two- and three-story buildings, with commercial ground floors and residential or office uses above. The Adeline Apartments’ facade is three stories high with ground-floor commercial space. The facade combines elements of historical Berkeley architecture, such as transom glazing above the storefronts and bay windows which overhang the sidewalk. The materials are harmonious with prominent buildings in the Adeline Street neighborhood. Horizontal cement board siding over brick and tile present durable surfaces to the street. The gold bricks echo the high-fire bricks historically used in Berkeley commercial buildings. Deep overhangs and wood brackets at the eaves express a substantial building of quality and craftsmanship.

In order to strike a balance between achieving the target number of units to make the project viable and reducing the massing in order to make it a good neighbor, the building has exterior walkways in lieu of enclosed hallways. These breezeways allow more natural light to reach each side of the new apartments and prevent a solid wall from fronting the two-story multifamily neighbor to the north on Fairview. Finally, the breezeways allow opportunities for planters and flower pots where there would otherwise have been long hallways.

The building provides a street wall on the Adeline side, in keeping with the pedestrian-friendly commercial corridor. The Fairview facade is set back from the adjacent neighbor and is highly articulated to provide visual relief, appropriate residential scale, and interest. The southwest corner of the lot faces the most open portion of the neighboring properties, and is therefore open on the ground and second floors. A second-floor terrace here provides sunny outdoor space for the residents, and minimizes shadows cast on the neighbors’ yards.

Project Data:
Building: 19 units (17,707 s.f.)
Construction Cost: $3,465,000
Site: 0.3 acres (63 units per acre)
Parking Spaces: 13 (0.7 per unit)
Features: Community room, 2nd floor terrace with community garden planters, exterior walkways

Awards and Publications:
• East Bay AIA Chapter Award - 2003
• Residential Architect - March 2002
• Berkeley Daily Planet - July 2003

Project Team
Client: Resources for Community Development, Berkeley, CA
Contractor: Brown Construction, Inc., West Sacramento, CA
Principal Designer: Erick Mikiten, AIA
Project Manager: Radziah M. Loh, AIA

Adeline Street façade (main entry)

Streetscape on Adeline Street

Adeline Street Bay

Studio unit interior - view of the Berkeley Hills

Fairview Street façade