Project Description
As the sloping metal roofs of this bungalow and its detached garage meet
over an intimate enclosed courtyard, its half-scissor trusses and
tri-tone cement board exterior clearly state: “Architects were here.”
Yet as one considers the rough surrounding neighborhood, where most of
the houses have either fallen on hard times or been demolished entirely,
that statement turns into a question: “But how did they get here?”
The 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house is a Habitat for
Humanity prototype designed by principal Josh Shelton, AIA, and project
architects Brandon Froelich and Steve Salzer, AIA, of the Kansas City,
Mo.–based firm El Dorado, and built by Kansas City, Kan.–based Heartland Habitat for Humanity on the Kansas side of the border.
Public Architecture and
Habitat for Humanity International.
The initiative paired seven of the affordable housing group’s most
successful chapters with local architects whose design expertise and
commitment to pro bono work were well established. Their mission was to
improve the quality of homes built by Habitat chapters.
The partnership between the Kansas Citians wasn’t without a learning
curve. “We are all about simple and affordable,” says Heartland
Habitat’s president and chief executive officer Tom Lally. “El Dorado
learned our process, needs, and desired outcomes, and we learned a
tremendous amount from them.”
What Shelton observed of Heartland Habitat’s standard attached-garage
plan was how the layout of the houses could influence family dynamics.
“It has two basement bedrooms and one on the main level,” he says. “It
makes sense from a cost standpoint but it’s difficult, especially for a
single mom.”
“We put everything on one level, moved out the garage, and added an
outdoor room between them,” Shelton says, “so you transition from one
aspect of the house to another, extending the front porch, and providing
space for a garden.” It is a Joseph Eichler house, Kansas City–style.
“This was a major experiment, and it was a real risk for Heartland,”
Shelton says. “We’ve worked with severe budgets before, but designing
with volunteer labor in mind was something new for us.”
heads. “The measure of success of this project isn’t necessarily that
they build 50 more of our houses,” says Shelton. “The important thing is
that the conversation left an impact on Habitat, and the way they do
things left an impact on us.”—Katie Gerfen