AHEPA - HUD

This is a 48-unit apartment complex for the elderly on Albuquerque’s West Side. Our previous title, Garret Smith Ltd. was asked to design and assess potential locations for a 48-unit apartment complex for the elderly for the nonprofit service organization AHEPA 501, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Intended to relate more closely to Albuquerque and traditional neighborhoods, the design was a departure from HUD's standard 3-story block apartment housing. Most of the elderly would be arriving from small single-family residences in older, established neighborhoods.

Four homes are grouped around a courtyard providing each apartment with private garden space and a covered front porch from which neighbors can visit. A centrally located commons area provides services and security for the entire complex. Located just one block from a City of Albuquerque Senior and Community Center this complex is designed to promote a sense of community, safety and freedom not typically associated with government housing.