LPA Receives Special Mention From Architizer

The industry-leading publication recognizes LPA for its visionary El Cerrito Permanent Supportive Housing development.

In early June, LPA Design Studios received a Special Mention in the Affordable Housing category of this year’s Architizer A+ Awards for a project that not only spotlights the power of integrated design but also addresses housing and healthcare inequities in San Diego. El Cerrito Permanent Supportive Housing, an eight-story, 172-unit mixed-use development, provides affordable residences for healthcare workers and low-income individuals, and permanent supportive units for San Diegans transitioning out of homelessness.

Developed in partnership with Family Health Centers of San Diego, an organization delivering high-quality care to underserved communities, the project incorporates a comprehensive health clinic and on-site behavioral health and social work services. Multiple levels of parking, ground-floor retail, landscaped courtyards and gardens further strengthen its connection to the surrounding neighborhood and elevate occupant well-being.

In addition to meeting housing needs, the project demonstrates a unique building methodology, reinterpreting single-use steel shipping containers as a bold and sustainable architectural gesture. Because they were fabricated off-site and arrived fully insulated with drywalled interiors and floor-to-ceiling windows, they required significantly less on-site trade coordination.

To date, the development is the largest steel modular housing project on the West Coast. For Design Director Matthew Porreca, it also offered an opportunity to push the envelope from both a design and environmental perspective.

“Affordable housing is an essential typology in San Diego, and this project cuts carbon emissions while directly filling a community demand,” he said. “By using prefabricated shipping containers, we were able to streamline on-site construction, reduce waste and accelerate delivery.”

The all-electric development also employs photovoltaic and solar thermal arrays for renewable energy and hot water and exceeds performance benchmarks with an 86.6% pEUI reduction.

Furthermore, El Cerrito’s design embraces its diverse urban setting, set amid a mix of older apartment complexes, retail, clinics and single-family homes. Along the north side of the site, the massing is broken down to match adjacent structures, while rhythmic texture and vibrant yellow sunshades define the facade.

“The design is really about housing as healthcare,” said Porreca. “In addition to all of its practical programming, the building cocoons residents in an atmosphere of health and community.”