Day 3: Austin, San Marcos, Wimberley

Austin Community Design and Development Center:  ACDDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to help bring sustainable and affordable housing to low and moderate income families.  Design Associate, Sam Gelfand shared with us some of the projects undertaken by the organization, most specifically The Alley Flat Initiative.  The goal of the initiative is to leverage the land to help provide additional income to families.  They also see this project as a way of increasing neighborhood diversity.  Some of the challenges they have encountered include tree ordinances that prevent placement of the flat and the parking requirements.  Pricing has also been a challenge as construction costs determine the required rental rate.  The goal is to be able to build the flats for $60-70,000, but current cost is approximately $100,000. 

Texas Downtown Association & Preservation Texas: Catherine Sak, Executive Director of Texas Downtown Association and Krista Gebbia, Executive Director of Preservation Texas visited with us about their organizations and the impact their work has on small town Texas and the restoration and repurposing of historic buildings around the state.  The Texas Downtown Association works primarily with small and medium sized cities as a resource and clearing house of ideas.  Their focus is on helping revitalize downtown areas into sustainable centers with a sense of community and history.  Catherine spoke about the challenges of small towns in the area of financing, resources, and expertise and how their organization is trying to find ways to help the local leadership problem solve.  Their website shares local events and they encourage their members to support neighboring towns with the hope of building momentum and recognition.  The Texas Historical Commission has added the Main Street Program as a means to encourage towns to focus energy and resources on preserving local history. Preservation Texas works to preserve the structural history of communities by encouraging renovation and repurposing of historical buildings.  It was fascinating to hear them talk about the challenges of education and understanding when it came to saving old buildings and was an important reminder for "city folk" to seek out ways to encourage and support the Texas history found only in small to medium sized towns around the state.

Perdenales Lofts: Located in southeast Austin, Perdenales Lofts is a live-work space with the first floor set up for office/residential use.  It is located on the light rail system and offers a place to "hang your shingle" on the street entry side on select units.  The developers discovered that many residents chose the first floor "back" units while it was only the units that fronted the main street that were used for commercial use.  The lofts were sold as condominiums and several have entered the lease by owner market.

Sanctuary Lofts, San Marcos:  Repurposing an old church into student housing is not a typical project, but Sanctuary Lofts has proven it a successful one.  Based on the individual/shared apartment model, Sanctuary Lofts renovated an old church and build additional housing space for students attending Texas State University in San Marcos.  Located blocks from campus, the Lofts offer private bedroom/bath configuration with shared living space.  The developers kept the character of the building such as stained glass and wooden railing on the stairs while incorporating modern amenities such as fitness centers, media rooms, and computer centers.  The developers also focused on security using fob technology to limit access to community areas and hallways.  The monthly rates range from $549 for a 4 bedroom to $1,029 for a 1/1 super loft.  The management offers roommate matching and online application, all designed to make leasing simple and straightforward.  They also include utilities, Internet, and basic cable - a heavenly combination for students and their parents looking for off-campus housing.

Office of Architecture, Neel Morton, Wimberly: Set back from the road just outside of Wimberly is Neel Morton's architecture office.  Housed in an old Quonset hut, it is immediately evident that this is not your ordinary architectural firm.  Neel, a former Austin architect, has created a niche for himself designing and building sustainable buildings and helping design intentional communities.  Neel referenced Milagro, Spanish for "miracle" in Tuscon, AZ - a project he worked on comprised of 23 energy-efficient homes.  Neel is also someone who practices what he preaches.  He took us to his home site further outside of town where he is completing construction of his personal residence using a number of construction practices so he can "know " how they work.  From a rammed earth building to insulated concrete walls, Mr. Morton is making his home a study in sustainable living.  One primary building material was FAS walls, made of shredded pallets that are treated to remove the sugars from the wood (to discourage termites) and then made into construction blocks. Incorporating a thermal chimney and flexible stucco (mixed with acrylic to give it bend) are all examples of green building practices and material.  Mr. Morton's commitment to honesty and integrity when it comes to recommending products to his clients is commendable and it will be exciting to see what he discovers. 

TAKE AWAY OF THE DAY: The integrity of a project may be in the design, the vision, or the materials, but it all stems from a clarity that creates a plan and encourages the execution of that plan.  Maximizing resources is one example of integrity that may show itself in the use of land, renovating or preserving existing structures or building a new structure responsibly.