FOUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS EARN HUD SECRETARY'S HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DESIGN AWARD
King County's Greenbridge Public Housing Transformation Project at White Center Wins Community Informed Design Award

WASHINGTON - Four affordable housing developments are the recipient of the HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award (www.huduser.org/research/secaward.html#des) for excellence in residential housing
design. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Institute of Architects selected Greenbridge of White Center, Washington; K Lofts of San Diego, California; Valencia Gardens, of San Francisco, California; and Patrolia Loft of Boston, Massachusetts for redefining affordable housing and its place within the community.

The awards were presented during the 2008 AIA National Convention and Design Exposition in Boston.

"Each of these innovative designs produced homes that are breaking the affordable housing mold," said HUD Deputy Secretary Roy A. Bernardi. "Affordable housing gets a bum rap. In many people's minds, it conjures up images of
ugly, barracks-style housing that places function over form. These housing developments prove that today's affordable housing can be attractive, accessible and fit within the context of their surrounding neighborhoods."

This year's HUD Secretary's Housing and Community Design Award recipients are:

Community-Informed Design

Greenbridge (www.kcha.org/greenbridge/greenbridge.aspx) is a 95-acre, mixed-income, "green community" being developed by the King County Housing Authority in White Center, Washington. The project - funded in part by
HUD's HOPE VI public housing revitalization program - replaces a 568-unit public housing complex built during World War II with new rental and homeownership units. When completed in 2012, it is expected to consist of 1,000 homes for some 5,300 people. Some 185 households have already taken up occupancy. (EDITORS NOTE - For more information about Greenbridge, please contact Rhonda Rosenberg at the King County Housing Authority,
(206) 574-1185)

Excellence in Affordable Housing Design Award

K Lofts of San Diego (www.jonathansegalarchitect.com/segalfiles/klofts_fin.html) is a development that was
created through a design process that included residents, community stakeholders, local government, and civic groups. The product of this inclusive process was a building that integrates public and private spaces in ways that enhance human scale and promote social interaction.

Creating Community Connections Award

Valencia Gardens of San Francisco, California (www.sfha.org/hope/valen.htm) is a HUD-funded HOPE SIX
development produced a mixed-use, affordable, public housing community located on a five-acre site in San Francisco's Mission District. From the beginning, the goal of Valencia Gardens was to connect the project with the surrounding urban fabric, to re-establish a strong sense of place of the community, and to provide a safe place for parents to raise their children.

The Alan Rothman Award for Housing Accessibility

Patrolia Loft of Boston, Massachusetts (www.ruhlwalker.com/slides-patrolia/patrolia composite.html) is an interior
fit-out of an existing concrete-shell apartment for a resident who requires a wheelchair. The project started with
the proposition that accessible design should first and foremost be a good design. Patrolia Loft has specific accommodations for tenants with mobility limitations and, where appropriate, is tailored to the specific needs of
the occupant. The result is a well-designed, open, and dramatic home that has quickly become the focus of the owner's busy life.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities;
creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the
Internet and espanol.hud.gov.