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challenges
features
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Background

The Community Housing Network develops and manages quality, affordable housing for adults with drug & alcohol dependencies and mental illness in Central Ohio.

Their architect, Urban Order Architecture, introduced CHN to us and we continued working closely with the designers and Owners during the 17-month preconstruction phase. This helped CHN secure final funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & The Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH).

Challenges

Public Housing With High-Style Finishes

CHN needed to add value to the neighbor-hood while providing vital services. The facility had to be attractive, but durable:

• Carpet Tile for easy replacement
• High-Impact Ceramic Floors
• Removable Window Systems for ease of cleaning & maintenance
• Large-flush capacity toilets to reduce clogging
• High insulation values through-out to reduce operating costs
• Specialty HVAC systems to help keep heating bills manageable

Features

Recreating the Look & Feel of the Original Briggs Dairy Farm

• 20,500 square feet with 2 main buildings on 2 levels
• A 1,000 square foot Common Area & Kitchen bridges the 2 main buildings
• Exterior sheltered Patio
• Stock metal sidings and trim were combined to give the look of board & batten vertical wood siding and barn doors
• Limestone on exterior walls of ground level spaces
• Separate Laundry & Kitchenette in each apartment
• Fully ADA-compliant development

Foresight & Cooperation Pay Off

Using Value Engineering—and in close collaboration with the Owners, the architect and the funding sources, we were able to create a truly aesthetic solution to a community problem.

The finished facility adds value to the neighborhood, recreates a lost landmark, provides affordable housing for the people most in need, connecting them with a wider network of support services.

This facility was a rewarding, successful project for all the parties involved.