The LEED Silver certified project is also the winner of three national design awards from the AIA, HUD and Environmental Design + Construction magazine
DALLAS, January 13, 2010 – The Bridge Homeless Assistance Center, located in downtown Dallas, has received a 2009 American Architecture Award, presented annually by The Chicago Athenaeum’s Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. The American Architecture Awards are the highest and most prestigious distinguished building awards in the United States honoring new and cutting edge-design.
Completed in May 2008 and commonly known as “The Bridge,” the multi-purpose facility provides a broad spectrum of care including housing, emergency and transitional care for more than 6,000 people in Dallas experiencing long-term homelessness.
In recent months, The Bridge has been honored with a number of prestigious national awards for its architectural design, which was designed by San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects and Dallas-based CamargoCopeland Architects. These include the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2009 AIA National Housing Award, the AIA/Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Award, and a 2009 National Excellence in Design Award from Environmental Design + Construction magazine. In addition, in December 2009, The Bridge officially received LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is only the second homeless shelter in the U.S. to be certified LEED Silver and is one of only four homeless shelters in the nation considered “green.”
This year, nearly 1,000 new construction, landscape architecture and urban planning projects from firms across the U.S. were submitted for the American Architecture Awards. A total of 64 projects were awarded by the 2009 Jury, a distinguished group of international architects, educators and designers. In February 2010, The Chicago Athenaeum, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies, will present a special exhibition of all awarded buildings at Contemporary Space Athens in Athens, Greece. In later 2010, a second exhibition will be held in the United States.
This is the fourth time Overland Partners Architects has won the Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, also winning for its design of the Lakeside Residence in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, in 2001, the Re/Max Museum of Wildlife Art in Denver, Colorado, in 2004, and the Penn State School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in State College, Pennsylvania, in 2007.
“This prestigious award, as well as the other national honors The Bridge has received, demonstrates what we’ve said all along – homeless shelters and good design don’t have to be mutually exclusive. With good design, homeless shelters can more effectively serve the needs of the less fortunate, while improving their communities,” said James Andrews, AIA, principal at Overland Partners Architects, a firm increasingly being sought out for its expertise in homeless shelter design. In March 2010, Overland Partners’ latest project — Haven for Hope in San Antonio — will officially open as the largest and most comprehensive homeless assistance center in the nation.
“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,” said Andrews. “The Bridge has not only made a positive impact for Dallas’ homeless population, but also on its surrounding environment due to its numerous green design features.”
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. Since the opening of The Bridge, there have been more than 37,000 stays, 1,007 job placements and 514 individuals placed in permanent housing.
Sustainable amenities at The Bridge include its green-roofed dining room, its temporary shelter/pavilion which is housed in a reclaimed warehouse equipped with massive veiling fans and radiant heaters to moderate temperatures, and its greywater recycling system which saves more than 1.5 million gallons per year. Its exterior also respects the area’s environmental surroundings with the use of recycled and/or local materials and drought-tolerant landscaping. In addition, all structures maximize daylight, reducing energy consumption and providing connections to the outside world. Situated on a previously developed 3.41-acre site in Dallas’ central business district, the campus setting provides a continuum of care for the city’s homeless population, inclusive of medical, mental, job training, and personal care services. Consisting of five buildings to create a boundary at the edge of the property, the center has a three-story ‘Services’ building, a one-story ‘Welcome’ building, a storage building, an open air pavilion and a dining facility which serves as a focal point to the internal landscaped courtyard of the campus and also as a magnet providing social workers with an opportunity to connect with the homeless.
In addition to The Bridge, Overland Partners Architects is leading the design of Haven for Hope, a 37-acre, one-stop homeless assistance campus located just west of downtown San Antonio. 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. Already visited by delegations from more than three dozen cities, it has quickly become the standard bearer and national model for homeless assistance centers.
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 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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