South elevation
ARCH - Austin Resource Center for the Homeless
Designed to be open and accessible, ARCH combines a range of services for the homeless in one facility. The program consists of an entry lobby/day room, shower and locker rooms, laundry, computer area, advocacy group offices, commercial kitchen, dining facilities, clinic and art room. The 100-bed shelter is located on the roof top. Composed of interpenetrating interior and exterior volumes, the building spaces allow light into the interior and create visual connections between floors and uses. A LEED silver-rated building, ARCH implements many innovative building techniques and components. The exposed concrete structural frame was built using stack-cast tilt-frame construction. Frame elements were cast on-site horizontally, one on top of the other, allowing for less formwork and greater finish control. Except for the entry lobby/day room, program spaces are oriented in the north-south direction of the frames.
A 13,000-gallon rainwater collection system consists of column-like collection tanks visible in the building’s elevation.
Owner: The City of Austin
Size: 28,000 sf
Cost: $5,000,000.00
Design Team
Murray Legge, Herman Thun, Val Fuger, Alex Martinez, Dongxio Lui, Luciana Misi
Consultants
PE Structural Consultants, Encotech Engineering (MEP), Urban Design Group (civil), Winterowd Associates (landscape), CMPBS (sustainability), ACR Engineering (commissioning), JEAcoustics (acoustics) Bethany Ramey Architect (interiors), Thomas McConnell (photography)
AWARDS
LEED Silver Rated
Austin Energy Green Building Program 5 star rating
2006 Texas Society of Architects, Design Awards, Honorable Mention
2005 AIA National COTE award – Top ten green buildings
2004 AIA Austin Merit Award - In recognition of excellence in design
2004 ABC - Associated General Contractors - Construction and Design excellence award
2004 Texas Construction Magazine Best of 2004 - Design Excellence Award
2004 Downtown Austin Alliance - Public Project Impact Award
Learn more
Download:
ARCH book.pdf
Links
The Shape of Texas radio segment:
http://texasarchitect.org/shapeoftexas.php?id=396
The Clinton School Lecture:
http://www.clintonschoolresearch.com/lecture/view/home-homeless
