Abacus Architects + Planners is proud to announce their recognition by the Boston Society of Architects/AIA for the 2019 Small Firms Design Awards for their work on the Jefferson Park Apartments project!!

CHALLENGE: Replace cramped, worn out public housing from 1951 maintaining the same number of apartments for the same demographic. Integrate it into the neighborhood, provide a sense of ownership, and create an affirmational environment.

PROGRAM: Create a neighborhood of 104 family apartments meeting contemporary standards, 8,000 square feet of community services spaces, private outdoor spaces for every apartment and neighborhood greens.

SITE: Clifton Street extends into the development knitting it into the neighborhood street grid; parallel parking provides a non-institutional environment. Four landscaped courtyards line this central spine with walkways, terraces, yards and housing creating a carefully articulated gradation of space from public to private.

BUILDINGS: The primary residential block is two story townhouses over one story flats. Each flat has a terrace and garden. Stairs lead up to private terraces and townhouse entries. Every apartment its own front and back door and identity.
To maintain a high density and range of housing alternatives, two elevator buildings anchor opposite corners of the site. First floor apartments have screened terraces; upper level apartments have balconies.

The massing, articulated with stairs, pergolas and screen walls, uses a cross-cultural architectural language of solids and voids, horizontals and verticals, natural materials and bright colors. South facing pitched roofs, prepped for photovoltaic panels, reach up to the sun. The use of oxidized steel, concrete, and wood tie site and buildings together.

TAKEAWAY: Jefferson Park is a model for affordable housing – with a timeless neighborhood structure and inventive building articulation that supports resident success.