Caldera Place Apartments
Concord, CA

SUMMARY: This HUD-funded apartment building for very-low-income people with physical disabilities shows that accessibility can be elegantly integrated into great design, and that affordable housing can be beautiful.

Awards
• Alan J. Rothman Award: Best Affordable
Accessible Housing in the U.S. - 2002
-HUD & the American Institute of Architects

• 2003 Merit Award -
American Institute of Architects - East Bay Chapter

• HOME Award for Innovation & Extraordinary
Community Benefit”
-Nat’l Assoc. of Local Housing Finance Agencies

Our client’s goals for this national award-winning HUD 811 project were community support and accessible design beyond all conventions. We studied Concords’ architectural history and reflected its scale and details in our design. Sawtooth picket fences, double porch columns, stone porch walls, roof brackets and broad eaves integrate the building into the neighborhood of large historic Craftsman homes.

Every detail incorporates universal design. The porch’s stone walls vary in height so that there is a seat at just the right height for everyone. The site design gracefully accommodates a full ramp to the second floor so that residents have an option to the elevator, especially in an emergency. The community room building’s double doors open flush to the patio, and the split-level trash enclosure makes dumpster use easier for everyone.

Mikiten Architecture worked closely with local disability service organizations and their clients to create units with open floor plans and flexible accessible features that adapt to different users’ abilities. Caldera Place was met with applause from HUD, the AIA, Concord’s City Council and community members. At the grand opening the Concord Mayor praised the building as the pride of Concord’s housing program.

Project Data
Building: 12 units (9,486 s.f.)
Construction Cost: $1,200,000 ($125/s.f.)
Site: 0.43 acres (23 units per acre)
Parking Spaces: 8 (0.8 per unit)
Features: Community room, courtyard, full-story ramp, generous front porch

Awards and Publications:
2002 HUD/AIA Alan J. Rothman Award2002 NALHFA HOME Award
Contra Costa Times

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

Bonifacio Street façade and porch

Entry lobby

Ramp Perspective

Stone porch Wall

Courtyard wall and trash enclosure

Front façade