Sierra Alternative Housing / Kadre Architects

Text description provided by architects. In the high desert of Antelope Valley, CA (LA County), The Sierra is developing 38 new shelters for families experiencing homelessness. Designed by award-winning emergency housing specialists Kadre Architects, and built by Ford EC, for their long-time partner Hope the Mission (the country’s largest conservation organization), the campus is spacious, colorful, 4 acre leasehold modern farm house. paint tones and a clear way to create a modern, inspiring community for future residents. As a new housing model, Sierra explores the rapid conversion of existing hotel stock into temporary housing in rural areas. The entire Sierra campus has 38 self-contained units, a commercial kitchen (residents receive 3 hot meals a day), a children’s play area, a stage, a chicken coop, a basketball court and a gym. and several locations throughout the property. designed for small and large gatherings to help foster a sense of belonging and community. On-site case management offices serve as a shipping center and the upcoming elementary school building will continue to provide residents with the support needed to rehabilitate workers and exit the situation. homeless.

Located in Lancaster City, with views of the Sierra Pelona Mountains and an imagined desert landscape, Kadre’s design alchemy and vision for The Sierra project transformed the motel from a crime-ridden neighborhood into a campus. like a park. Located along the highway that once housed the old Sands and Tropic motels, this 4-acre desert parcel is a place of safety, dignity and refinement. By eliminating all vestiges of the 2-star property, which was once plagued by crime, the campus also brings a visual upgrade to the neighborhood. Four new projects are planned that will enhance this thoroughfare in the City of Lancaster.

From the first urban and suburban areas that the firm has designed, the landscape and desert have presented many challenges and opportunities to explore residential expansion, sustainability and resilience. In the first phase of planning, discovery revealed that the area has no sewage system. Important and costly reforms have changed the distribution of projects significantly. The strategic use of low-cost, high-impact design techniques, including colors and patterns, has produced sustainable and attractive solutions for reducing heat, interior and demand creating a green space. These strategies were also effective in combining, on one campus, two architecturally different buildings, an old building with a clay tile roof and a collection of nondescript roadside buildings. In order to eliminate the claustrophobic influence of the existing rooms, the architects doubled the living space by adding new sun terraces in each unit, creating facades of the existing buildings. . The sun porch provides light and shade that plays against the brightly colored walls throughout the day. The terrace also presents a new face to the campus and surrounds the buildings in a wider area.

In collaboration with landscape architecture firm TerreMoto, the former parking lot was transformed into a park; A beautiful, green outdoor space and a vegetable garden have replaced the asphalt. Shade trees throughout the area will combat the desert heat, providing much-needed respite. Much of this area remains prone to flooding during infrequent rains. This includes a parking area which was previously made of tarmac, which has now been moved to the rear of the site and made accessible. The necessary asphalt fire road is covered with colorful, high albedo paint. The new grounds feature colorful walkways inspired by Brice Marden’s Propitious Garden and visually connect previously separate areas into one cohesive space. This style of painting extends to the ground plane, and color is used in a way to bring society together.

“The spirit of the place is very important in our minds; we took it as our mission to not only provide shelter but to add dignity with bright colors, playful structures, meditation areas and wandering paths throughout this area. We hope that the concept of recovery will serve future residents well in their journey out of homelessness. ” The Sierra is Project Homekey’s third renovation to date, joining The Alvarado in Los Angeles and The Woodlands in Woodland Hills. It opened to the public on March 1, 2024 and is located at 43145 Sierra Hwy, Lancaster, California and is operated by Hope the Mission.