|
 Back
 |
Members
of the first-place Claremont-McCarthy Project team at
the awards ceremony. Pictured, from the left, are Leslie
Mullins, Ray Hodges, Sarah Nurmela, Diana Bernal, and
Jesse Givens. At the far right is John Eller, senior vice
president at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.
|
A proposal to develop single-room-occupancy units and transitional
apartments in Quincy, Massachusetts, received the first-place
award in the 2004 Affordable Housing Development Competition.
Sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, the Boston
Foundation, and Citizens' Housing and Planning Association,
the annual competition brings together teams of graduate students
from local universities to create proposals for the development
of affordable housing in Greater Boston. The competition offers
students real-life experience developing housing in collaboration
with local community-development organizations.
The winner of the first-place award in this year's competition
was the Claremont-McCarthy Project in Quincy; the winner of
the second-place award was the Cranberry Heights proposal
in Carver, Massachusetts.
The winners were announced at an awards ceremony on April
30 at the Boston Foundation, where students heard presentations
on the competing proposals and an address by keynote speaker
Rebecca G. Barnes, chief planner at the Boston Redevelopment
Authority.
Ms. Barnes is currently working on plans for the Rose Kennedy
Greenway, a swath of green space that will run through the
center of the city once the elevated Central Artery is dismantled.
Ms. Barnes said the planned park space offers the city a chance
to "connect neighborhood to neighborhood in a whole new
way" and contribute to "a common culture that all
cultures can share."
In her remarks, Ms. Barnes emphasized the importance of affordable
housing in attracting a talented workforce to the city and
urged students to view design as a tool to foster connections
rather than divisions among the city's diverse communities.
"Design isn't only the purview of architects," she
said. "Design is something we engage in together."
John Eller, the Bank's senior vice president / housing and
community investment, said he was impressed by the students'
outreach to local communities and welcomed them to the affordable-housing-development
community. "I hope that this competition has brought
you into this community and that you will stay," he said.
The Competition
Key to the success of the competition is the pairing of students
with local community-development organizations. While students
are eager to obtain first-hand development experience, the
sponsoring nonprofits take advantage of the diverse skills
of the students to get much-needed community-development projects
off the ground.
To develop their proposals, students meet with sponsors and
neighborhood residents, calculate the costs and funding sources
for their proposals, and draw up design plans for the site.
 |
Architectural
rendering of transitional housing proposed by the first-place
Claremont-McCarthy Project team.
|
Each team is made up of students from different local universities
and with diverse development skills. Participants in this
year's competition attend Harvard University, MIT, Wentworth
Institute of Technology, Babson College, and Tufts University.
The teams include students studying architecture, public policy,
city planning, and real estate development.
An important addition to this year's competition was the
participation of nine member bankers as financial mentors.
Bankers who took part in the competition were: Patricia Capalbo
of Wainwright Bank and Trust Company, Chris Dunn of South
Shore Savings Bank, Chris Lippert of Banknorth, N.A., Richard
Muraida of Eastern Bank, William C. Nolan, Jr. of Central
Bank, John Migliozzi of East Boston Savings Bank, Wesley Blair
of Brookline Bank, and Clair DiRosario and John Malvey of
Boston Federal Savings Bank.
Another addition to this year's competition was the participation
of local architects as design mentors for the student teams.
Serving as this year's mentors were Neal Mongold of The Narrow
Gate, Nancy Ludwig of Icon Architecture, Rob Chandler of Goody
Clancy Architects, Michael R. Davis of Bergmeyer Associates,
Inc., Alberto Cardenas of Domenech Hicks and Krockmalnic,
and Chia-Ming Tze of Chia-Ming Tze Architect, Inc.
A first-place prize of $10,000 will be divided between the
developer and the winning team, with $5,000 to the developer
and $5,000 to the students. The second-place proposal will
receive $6,000 to be divided between the developer and the
students.
The Winning Proposals
Receiving the first-place prize was the Claremont-McCarthy
Project in Quincy, Massachusetts, which proposes the renovation
of two existing boarding houses to create 29 single-room-occupancy
units, and new construction to create eight affordable transitional
apartments for the homeless in the Quincy Point section of
the city. The proposal would be developed and managed in collaboration
with Father Bill's Place, which provides shelter and services
for the homeless in Quincy.
In their commentary on the winning entry, the judges noted
the Claremont-McCarthy team's clear presentation of goals
and plans; informative interviews with homeless residents,
who felt empowered by their participation in the process;
and well-thought-out design, which included many green-design
features.
The Claremont-McCarthy proposal was developed by Sarah Nurmela
and Jesse Givens of Harvard University, and Diana Bernal,
Whitney Foutz, Ray Hodges, and Leslie Mullins of MIT. The
team's faculty advisor was Langley Keyes, associate department
head at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Regional Planning.
The team's community partners were Neighborhood Housing Services
of the South Shore and Father Bill's Place. The team's design
mentor was Neal Mongold of The Narrow Gate, and its financial
mentors were Patricia Capalbo of Wainwright Bank and Trust
Company and Chris Dunn of South Shore Savings Bank.
 |
Members
of the second-place Cranberry Heights team at the awards
ceremony. Pictured, from the left, are Masato Kametani,
Thomas S. Lee, Helen Donaldson, Mary Elizabeth May, William
J. Carry, Diana Sherman, and Nicolas Rioux.
|
Winning the second-place award was Cranberry Heights, a proposal
to create 40 rental units for low-income elderly, and 40 mixed-income
ownership units on a 260-acre property in rural Carver, Massachusetts.
The site consists largely of undeveloped forest, wetland,
and cranberry bog, which would be jointly purchased by the
town and the nonprofit developer. Over 90 percent of the site
would be preserved in its natural state by concentrating development
on less than 25 acres. Town officials expressed support for
the plan because it would preserve open space and ensure protection
of the town's aquifer.
In their commentary on the Cranberry Heights proposal, the
judges noted the attractive design of the plan's elderly apartments,
the balanced program and use of the site, the team's sensitivity
to environmental issues such as water use, and the team's
successful outreach to town interest groups, including the
board of selectmen.
Members of the Cranberry Heights team were William J. Carry,
Helen Donaldson, and Diana Sherman of MIT; Masato Kametani,
Thomas S. Lee, and Mary Elizabeth May of Harvard University;
and Nicolas Rioux of Wentworth Institute of Technology.
 |
Architectural
rendering of duplex units proposed by the second-place
Cranberry Heights team.
|
The team's faculty advisor was Leland Cott of the Harvard
Graduate School of Design, and its nonprofit partners were
Gerri Bain and John Hixson of South Shore Housing Development
Corporation. The team's design mentor was Nancy Ludwig of
Icon Architecture, and its financial mentor was Chris Lippert
of Banknorth, N.A.
Other Proposals
In addition to the two winning entries, four other student
teams submitted proposals in this year's competition.
The Fernald Center proposal calls for the conversion of the
Fernald State School for the mentally handicapped in Waltham
into housing. The four-phase plan includes the renovation
of two existing buildings to create 38 ownership and rental
units, reintegration of the site into the surrounding neighborhood,
and development of a greenway around the site. Members of
the student team attend Harvard University and MIT; the community
partner is the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing.
The Bakery Hill proposal creates commercial space, rental
apartments, community space, ownership units, and open space
on the former site of a bakery in the Roxbury section of Boston.
The plan calls for construction of a large apartment and commercial
complex, four duplexes, and a triple-decker on Blue Hill Avenue.
Members of the student team attend MIT and Babson College;
the community partner is Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation.
The Madison Park Gateway proposal calls for the creation
of affordable and market-rate rental and ownership units,
a child-care center, and commercial space in four new buildings
in the Madison Park section of Roxbury. Members of the student
team attend MIT and Harvard University; the community partner
is the Madison Park Development Corporation.
The Washington Allston Artspace proposal calls for the transformation
of a vacant industrial building in the Allston-Brighton section
of Boston into living and work space for 20 artists and work-only
space for three light-industrial businesses. Members of the
student team attend Tufts University, Wentworth Institute
of Technology, and Harvard University; the community partner
is the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation.
See more
photos and a complete list of the students, teachers, mentors,
and judges who participated in this year's competition.
|
