Safe Harbor & New Dimensions
The 5,800 square foot Safe Harbor Crisis House offers voluntary, temporary care for chronically mentally ill individuals who are experiencing an acute episode or inability to cope.
The new building was designed with a clear arrangement of functions to increase the comfort level of its special clients: seven bedrooms surround a tranquil courtyard and centralized staff offices, and the social spaces face south to a quiet patio and garden beyond. An entry canopy clearly marks the entrance.
The twelve studios and three one-bedroom New Dimensions Apartments provide permanent housing for persons with disabilities under the HUD 811 program. Cloistered behind their protective sound wall, the 2-story apartments open to an interior grassy court. Each unit has a small patio facing the south, or balcony for private enjoyment of the outdoors.
All spaces within the buildings have southern exposure for solar light and winter heat, creating the signature roof forms visible from Kentucky Avenue. The passive solar strategy will enhance the resident's comfort while reducing lighting and heating loads and operating expenses for the owner.
The buildings are plastered in soft green, evoking peacefulness, with off-white window trim and accents. Plaster panels on the exterior provide decorative artwork for delight and reflection. Viewed in the dappled sunlight of the many deciduous trees that surround the buildings, Safe Harbor House and New Dimensions Apartments express an inviting sense of serenity.
Project Details:
Owner/Developer: Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC)
Architect: Mogavero Notestine Associates
Consultants: Landscape: Strayer Associates / Civil: Cunningham Engineering / Structural: Buehler & Buehler / Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing: Sacramento Engineering
General Contractor: Walsh & Forster
Total Site Area: .66 Acres / 28, 750 Square Feet
Previous Use of Site: Single Family Home on a Large Lot;
Resident Profile: Special Needs Individuals
# Of Units / Density: Group Home with 14 beds; / 15 Apartment Units / 23 Units/Acre
Apartment Unit Size: Studio: 480 Square Feet / 1 BD: 570 Square Feet
Community Center: 913 Square Feet
Construction Details: New Construction / Wood frame and stucco
Project Budget: $1.6 Million
Date of Completion: New Dimensions: October 2004 / Safe Harbor: August 2006
Specialized Approaches
Ecologically sensitive techniques were combined with products that also kept green principles in mind.
- Energy efficient design - exceeded California's Title 24 requirements;
- Infill site location;
- Natural daylighting features;
- Natural ventilation features such as high and low operable windows in sleeping quarters that provide chimney effects and night powered vents throughout;
- Operable windows and shades;
- Window shading;
- Low-e dual pane glazed windows;
- Insulation consisted of recycled content and was formaldehyde free;
- Paint was low- to no-V.O.C.; and
- Construction/demolition waste programs were in force throughout the project.