by ArchitectureWeek

The ideals are familiar to any architect working in a big city: a project should be well designed, well built, and well integrated into its urban environment. And yet we have too few U.S. examples to follow when it comes to applying these principles to housing for the poor.

The new I. Donald Terner Prize was established to acknowledge exemplary models of affordable urban housing. It was named for a housing activist who lost his life ten years ago during a humanitarian mission to Bosnia. The prize commemorates his death and rewards projects that fulfill his ideals.

In the first round of the Terner Prize, top honors have gone to "8NW8," a 12-story building located in the historic Pearl District of Portland, designed by SERA Architects, Inc. It provides 180 units of affordable, drug- and alcohol-free housing.

Nearly 700 formerly homeless residents have lived in the building since it opened in 2004, relying on the inspirational environment, on-site addiction services, and supportive community of peers to positively transform their lives.   >>>

Discuss this article in the Architecture Forum...

The 2007 Terner Prize for affordable housing went to 8NW8, in Portland, Oregon, by SERA Architects, Inc. Photo: Michael Mathers Entry to 8NW8. Photo: Michael Mathers   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.