PARRAMORE
OAKS
PHASE II
Forum’s Jeffrey Chue designs an multi-award-winning affordable housing infill project in downtown Orlando. What was once a blighted, empty corner lot is now a bustling community. Learn more about his thought process, challenges, and how he and his team made the project work.
Text/Layout BECKY TRYBUS CHID, EDAC, RID, IIDA
Congratulations on winning another award for this project, Jeffrey! What inspired the exterior finishes you selected to create cohesion with the adjacent surrounding community? The brick was used to relate to Orlando’s historic district and the neighborhood’s brick roads.
Because affordable housing takes its cues from market-rate multifamily, how did you balance giving it a market-rate look while maintaining the affordable housing price point? Forum only designs projects to be a place to call home. All projects should start with good design features. A simple building does not have to be a bad design - great windows, details, and door entrances can elevate the project.
Jeffrey Chue Studio Director
Above: Main entry to Phase I
Below: West facing view of Phase II nestled under the Downtown Orlando skyline
“The community room store front facade has a great modern feel to the street.” says Jeffrey Chue
What creative ways did you design the community while maintaining the budget? The community room’s open floor plan allowed for the best use of the space allowed on site. Using floor to ceiling store front glass allowed the room to feel larger and open to the community.
What challenges are you seeing in Affordable Housing? The cost of land can prevent a project from meeting the budget of affordable housing. Higher land cost requires more units. Parking can limit the number of units on a site. Also, places that do not allow for affordable housing as it lowers property values.
What are your favorite architectural details? The community room store front facade has a great modern feel to the street.
Were there any planning challenges, and how did you address them? The site for phase II was limited to the public street that runs between buildings. This limited our porch designs on the two story.
What trends are clients asking for in Affordable Housing that you were able to incorporate into Parramore II? Islands in kitchens are popular and many of the units allowed for this. Split two bedroom unit designs which allow for a double primary bedroom feel. Lastly, balconies. While not new, balconies are not counted when it comes to calculating rent so many are value engineered which reduces the design and quality of the unit.
Please send questions, comments, or inquiries to bizdev@forumarchitecture.com
Above: Phase II community room
Left: Entrance to the community room and porches to the direct entry units