Affirming Housing for LGBTQIA+ Seniors
PRIDE PLACE, Seattle
COMMUNITY DESIGN | SENIOR HOUSING | HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The new development on Broadway in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood welcomes much-needed affordable housing for seniors, and builds on the existing culture of both the Capitol Hill and the LGTBQIA+ communities. GenPride, a nonprofit “focused on empowering older LGBTQ+ adults to live with pride and dignity,” offers programs and services on the ground floor of Pride Place.
Our landscape architects and designers worked with the client to imagine and realize enlivening outdoor spaces with generous landscaping, all within tight design parameters on a busy urban parcel. A welcoming courtyard with a bioretention planter guides residents and community visitors into the building at the ground floor, while also drawing attention to the colorful façade and the second-floor patio above.
Custom tilework at the entry reflects historic tiling along the street and celebrates LGBTQ+ residents and community members. The upper patio is surrounded by lush plantings and provides essential outdoor space for both small gatherings and larger community events.
Green roof trays on the upper levels include both sun- and shade-tolerant plantings, helping to cool the building in summer and manage stormwater before it enters the urban sewer system. Along the sidewalk, new street trees are paired with flexible, walkable porous rubber surfacing that protects root health while supporting the heavy pedestrian use of this active stretch of Broadway.
CLIENT: Community Roots Housing
SCOPE: Full architectural and Landscape Design services
SIZE: 118 Units | 78,000 SF
CERTIFICATION: ESDS (Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard)
CONTRACTOR: Walsh Construction
COMPLETION: 2023
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
A series of early visioning meetings allowed members of Seattle’s LGTBQ+ Senior Communities to contribute design ideas for this new senior housing project located in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NARRATIVE
(Different title - Something about By and For the LGBTQ Community)
More thoughts about community engagement design process- what sort of design ideas and considerations were voiced and followed through to the final design?. Thoughts and quotes from the grand opening.