In Santa Monica, Calif., Brunson Terrace is an all-electric, 100% affordable housing project that’s over eight times more energy efficient than similar buildings, according to architect Brooks + Scarpa. Located across the street from Santa Monica College, the net zero building has been certified LEED Platinum.
The $21.8 million, 52,200-sf building offers 48 apartments as well as a community garden, community room, gym, wellness studio, outdoor picnic space, and on-site laundry. Brunson Terrace also has 6,700 sf of ground-level retail.
Brooks + Scarpa’s design builds on the long history of Southern California’s courtyard apartments, where the courtyard functions as a quasi-public space between the home and street and provides a sense of safety and privacy.
Brunson Terrace eschews the aesthetic of typical neighborhood buildings with solid walls and fences, Brooks + Scarpa notes. Instead, the carved-out-cube look of the building de-emphasizes private space while celebrating social space. The building’s exterior circulation, units wrapping the outermost edges and strategically placed windows all orient the apartments toward social spaces that are both separate from and visually connected to each other and the street below.
The apartments cater to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income, with monthly rents ranging from $522 to $2,028. Owned by Community Corporation of Santa Monica, a nonprofit that builds and manages affordable housing for people of modest means, Brunson Terrace is Community Corp.’s third new affordable housing development in the city’s Pico neighborhood.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Community Corporation of Santa Monica
Design architect and architect of record: Brooks + Scarpa
Structural and civil engineers: Labib Funk + Associates
MEP engineer: IDiaz Design/AMA Group
General contractor: United Building Company
Construction manager: AMJ Construction Management
Related Stories
MFPRO+ New Projects | Apr 16, 2024
Marvel-designed Gowanus Green will offer 955 affordable rental units in Brooklyn
The community consists of approximately 955 units of 100% affordable housing, 28,000 sf of neighborhood service retail and community space, a site for a new public school, and a new 1.5-acre public park.
MFPRO+ News | Apr 10, 2024
5 key design trends shaping tomorrow’s rental apartments
The multifamily landscape is ever-evolving as changing demographics, health concerns, and work patterns shape what tenants are looking for in their next home.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 9, 2024
March reports record gains in multifamily rent growth in 20 months
Asking rents for multifamily units increased $8 during the month to $1,721; year-over-year growth grew 30 basis points to 0.9 percent—a normal seasonal growth pattern according to Yardi Matrix.
Sustainability | Apr 8, 2024
3 sustainable design decisions to make early
In her experience as an architect, Megan Valentine AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, WELL AP, Fitwel, Director of Sustainability, KTGY has found three impactful sustainable design decisions: site selection, massing and orientation, and proper window-to-wall ratios.
Affordable Housing | Apr 1, 2024
Biden Administration considers ways to influence local housing regulations
The Biden Administration is considering how to spur more affordable housing construction with strategies to influence reform of local housing regulations.
Affordable Housing | Apr 1, 2024
Chicago voters nix ‘mansion tax’ to fund efforts to reduce homelessness
Chicago voters in March rejected a proposed “mansion tax” that would have funded efforts to reduce homelessness in the city.
Standards | Apr 1, 2024
New technical bulletin covers window opening control devices
A new technical bulletin clarifies the definition of a window opening control device (WOCD) to promote greater understanding of the role of WOCDs and provide an understanding of a WOCD’s function.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 30, 2024
Hotel vs. office: Different challenges in commercial to residential conversions
In the midst of a national housing shortage, developers are examining the viability of commercial to residential conversions as a solution to both problems.
Green | Mar 25, 2024
Zero-carbon multifamily development designed for transactive energy
Living EmPower House, which is set to be the first zero-carbon, replicable, and equitable multifamily development designed for transactive energy, recently was awarded a $9 million Next EPIC Grant Construction Loan from the State of California.
