Architectural design work by San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects, in conjunction with Dallas-based CamargoCopeland Architects, recognized with prestigious AIA National Housing Award and AIA/HUD Secretary Award 
DALLAS, June 23, 2009 – The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center, located in downtown Dallas, has received two prestigious national awards for its design: the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2009 AIA National Housing Award and the AIA/Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Award. San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects, in conjunction with Dallas-based CamargoCopeland Architects, provided architectural services for the center.
Given to only 17 projects nationwide in 2009, the AIA’s Housing Awards Program recognizes the nation’s best in housing design and promotes the importance of good housing as a necessity of life, a sanctuary for the human spirit and a valuable national resource.
The AIA/HUD Secretary Award recognizes only a select few projects from across the country each year in three categories: community-informed design, creating community connection and excellence in affordable housing design. This year, The Bridge was the only project honored in the community-informed design category, which is given to projects in which community members, public officials, residents and architects collaborate. Overall, only four projects were honored in all categories.
Completed in May 2008 and commonly known as “The Bridge,” the multi-purpose facility is dedicated to providing safe haven and social services for more than 6,000 homeless people in Dallas, empowering both the chronic and newly homeless to come off the streets and sustain permanent housing in order to live productively.
Unlike traditional homeless assistance facilities that resemble dark warehouses and gymnasiums, The Bridge features translucent walls that allow natural light to flood into residential areas, glass art panels inscribed with poetry written by the homeless and classrooms and job training areas that are visible from the street.
“With our design, we aimed to not only create a facility that provides the most basic human need, shelter, but to also create a space that encourages and welcomes outside organizations, volunteers and donors to provide the helping hands that our homeless population needs,” said Rick Archer, FAIA, LEED-AP, founding principal of Overland Partners. “Since the doors to The Bridge opened, the center has been more successful than anyone anticipated. It has been widely accepted by homeless people, and the facility, which was designed for 400, now handles up to 1,000 people a day.”
As described by the jury for the AIA 2009 Housing Awards, “a publicly-selected artist worked with homeless, superimposing their writings over brightly colored glass – a metaphor for the spectrum of humanity. Facing downtown, The Bridge is a gift to the community, a magnet for the homeless, and a source of inspiration. It proves that shelters should not be isolated, but an integrated part of our community; they are valuable civic buildings representing the compassion of our society.”
The success of The Bridge is tangible as well. The surrounding neighborhood is revitalizing, downtown crime has dropped since it opened, and complaints about homeless people from business owners in the central business district have decreased. Center operators also say they have reduced the need for hospitalizations, jail bookings and arrests.
In addition to The Bridge, Overland Partners is leading the design of Haven For Hope, a 37-acre one-stop homeless assistance campus located just west of downtown San Antonio. When completed in Fall 2009, the $90-million project will include approximately 440,000 square feet of space and 998 beds under roof, as well as a courtyard area with the capacity to sleep more than 500 additional individuals.
Haven for Hope will also include housing for homeless families, job training, dog kennels, medical care, detoxification and other medical and social services provided by dozens of agencies and organizations housed within the center. Haven for Hope is expected to be one of the most comprehensive homeless facilities in the country and a standard bearer for homeless assistance centers. It has already been visited by representatives from more than three dozen cities.
ABOUT THE BRIDGE HOMELESS ASSISTANCE SHELTER
“The Bridge,” meets the growing concerns of homelessness in Dallas, Texas. A safe haven and focus for services for more than 6,000 needy, it empowers chronic and newly homeless to come off the streets and sustain permanent housing in order to live productively. The Center supports guests, provides a safe and attractive work environment, and improves the surrounding community. As a beacon of hope it provides a strong visual presence within the city and elevates the quality of public spaces. It engages the community in transforming the lives of its most disenfranchised members, proving that shelters should not be isolated, but an integrated part of our community; they are valuable civic buildings representing the compassion of our society. To learn more about The Bridge and The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance please visit http://www.mdhadallas.org/
ABOUT OVERLAND PARTNERS
Overland Partners Architects, founded in 1985 in San Antonio, Texas, is a realization of a vision to bring together a wide range of talents in architecture and planning, in order to provide comprehensive and multi-disciplinary design service. Sensitive to the environmental and aesthetic context in which we are asked to design, the firm strives for a thoughtful integration of technology, art, and craft through highly sustainable solutions. Overland Partners Architects offers its clients the ultimate goal of creating a beautiful, functional and enduring design through a process that inspires long-term relationships and is rewarding to the entire project team. For more information, visit http://www.overlandpartners.com.
ABOUT CAMARGOCOPELAND
Founded in 1985, CamargoCopeland Architects, LLP offers architectural, interior architecture/design, and planning services. The company’s principals, Myriam E. Camargo, AIA and E.J. Copeland, AIA and its staff form an accomplished and highly skilled team with experience in corporate development, educational/public institutions, hospitality/club developments, and retail facilities. CamargoCopeland Architects is registered with the State of Texas as an Historically Underutilized Business and operates as a Minority/Woman Owned Business Enterprise. In 1999, the Dallas Business Journal recognized CamargoCopeland Architects in its annual Book of Lists as the “Largest Woman-Owned Full Service Architecture Firm in the Dallas Metroplex.” For more information, visit http://www.camargocopeland.com.
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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
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