Uphill Housing
_The first straw-insulated multifamily housing project in Maine
Uphill Housing is an exercise in navigating constraints. While all projects are beholden to code, zoning, and their context, this project is also subject to Historic Review and stringent dimensional standards related to affordable subsidies.
Located in the Munjoy Hill Historic District, the building will replace a former VFW hall with 30 units of affordable housing. Borrowing from its surroundings, the building incorporates many of the features common to the neighborhood.
Moving inside, the bulk of the units are 2 & 3 bedroom family-sized units, and 11 of the units meet stringent accessibility standards. Residents have access to a large community room, shared laundry, dedicated storage, a bike maintenance and long-term storage room, and a secure bike storage room accessed from Gilbert Lane.
Located in the Munjoy Hill Historic District, the building will replace a former VFW hall with 30 units of affordable housing. Borrowing from its surroundings, the building incorporates many of the features common to the neighborhood.
- A front-facing stoop & a seating area welcome residents and create an interface with the community.
- Rectangularly-shaped windows stack vertically.
- Vertical bands of wood clapboard alternate in tone, drawing inspiration from surrounding homes.
Moving inside, the bulk of the units are 2 & 3 bedroom family-sized units, and 11 of the units meet stringent accessibility standards. Residents have access to a large community room, shared laundry, dedicated storage, a bike maintenance and long-term storage room, and a secure bike storage room accessed from Gilbert Lane.
Ground Floor Plan. The ground floor has 2 studios, 2 two-beds, 2 three-beds, and a bike storage room
Typical Upper Floor Plan. Floors 2 through 4 each have 4 studios, 2 two-beds, and 2 three-beds
Basement Plan. The basement has shared laundry, a community room, bike storage, and dedicated unit storage
Alternating bands of pine clapboard break down the building’s scale. The lighter tone at the corners helps dematerialize the volume
Sustainability Features
From a sustainability perspective, the building is pursuing the following:- Compressed straw insulation: providing serious insulation while sequesting a significant amount of CO2
- All-electric building systems: providing energy through a renewable source
- On-site stormwater retention: preventing runoff from overcharging the sewer infrastructure
Rental Equity?
While working on this project, we learned about Renting Partnerships. They’re an organization from Cincinnati who’ve developed a model in which long-term renters build wealth by participating in the upkeep of their community. The client is developing a related model with the hope that renters will be able to build equity (while complying with all state & federal affordable housing guidelines).The windows stack vertically, and the majority are rectangular, in reference to the neighboring buildings ︎︎︎
Client
LB Atlantic, LLCLocation
Portland, MaineTimeline
2024-Status
- Granted a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board
-
Granted Planning Board Approval
Services
- Architectural Design
- Interior Design
- Feasibility Study
Stats
- 4-stories with a basement
-
30 units:
14 studios
8 two-beds
8 three-beds - Lot Size: 10,073 sf (0.231 acres)
- Amenities: Community Room, Laundry Room, Bike Storage Room, Bike Repair Room, Resident Storage
Credits
- Acorn Engineering, Inc
Civil Engineering -
Base Design Group, Inc
Structural Engineering -
BLW Engineers, Inc
MEP-FP Engineering -
Croft,
Collaborator & Straw Panel Provider -
Pieszak Lighting Design,
Lighting Design