Project profile: Merritt Crossing Senior Apartments

Located at the edge of Oakland’s Chinatown, this affordable senior housing transforms an abandoned site near a busy freeway into a community asset for disadvantaged or formerly homeless seniors while setting a high standard for sustainable and universal design.

The high-density, transit-oriented project is one of the first new developments planned near the Lake Merritt BART regional transit station. The upper floor apartments respond to the character of the eclectic Pan-Asian neighborhood with colorful and varied porous facades that reflect their orientation. The south façade features an independent screen that provides shading, privacy and acoustical modulation while enlivening the view of passing freeway drivers.

On the ground floor, the footprint for the required parking has been minimized in order to concentrate the communal uses and support services and link them to a sunny garden courtyard. A high level of transparency at the ground floor enhances security, mitigates senior isolation and strengthens a connection to the community.
(2013 AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects recipient)