WINSLOW ARCHITECTS INC. (WAI) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Acton Housing Authority (AHA) as Architect for a 40 unit senior housing development on Main Street in Acton.
Since that selection in August, the AHA and WAI have been meeting weekly along as well as meeting with Town Department heads and the community at large to make this a truly community-based project and design. Winslow Architects reviewed the many site conditions and surrounding area for its design cues, resulting in two alternative approaches – one with a single larger building and the other with a collection of smaller buildings in a “village like” setting. The unanimous choice was for the smaller scale buildings and plans have been proceeding on this basis.
The AHA also requested that this project be built using modular construction and that it be designed to a very high energy sustainability standard. As we have noted elsewhere, Winslow Architects has partnered with Greenstaxx Inc. to design buildings based upon a strict dimensioning system – allowing it to be constructed offsite in modules and transported to the site to be assembled as a multifamily apartment building. Greenstaxx has created a “library” of modules for this purpose and WAI has adapted this “modular library” to fit the particular needs of this project.
Winslow Architects is designing the Acton project to combine the efficiencies of with the uniqueness of this particular project and this particular site – paying particular attention to New England residential detailing – colors, siding materials, use of gables, etc – and to façade design created by the staggering of the modules.