3318 Beall St Design/Build Complete

Construction is complete at 3318 Beall Street in the Dolphin Heights neighborhood of Dallas! Designed to accommodate a mixture of owner and renter occupied space to house people at different income levels and stages of life, we were fortunate to work with a client that values the interconnectedness of home as financial refuge, financial generator, and architectural expression of a commitment to place.

This project was a partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington Design/Build Studio. To read more about the home’s innovative design and how a house can support life cycle changes, click here.

Photos by Chad Davis

Exploring Affordable Housing Options in Dallas

We’re excited to announce that we have a new project starting up in Dallas! 

With funding from the Truist Foundation and the MUFG Union Bank Foundation, we have begun a partnership with East Dallas Christian Church (EDCC) in their effort to repurpose existing assets in the Peak's Addition neighborhood of Dallas and explore the reprogramming of existing facilities as well as affordable housing options for their vacant property. Church Cartographers, a mission-based consulting firm specializing in reimagining underutilized church assets, and East Dallas Development Organization (EDCO) are also key project partners joining in this effort.

When the project is complete, EDCC will have a vision for community programming of an unused building as well as a report on their vacant land detailing: 

  • Number of units that could be built

  • What percentage of AMI could be served at each price point

  • Preliminary development proforma

  • Potential cash flow resulting from project, should EDCC wish to pursue it

The research produced through this project will add to [bc]’s ongoing efforts to push innovative solutions for affordable housing in Dallas. Like so many other cities, Dallas faces major housing affordability issues,with low-income communities of color being most at-risk of displacement and losing the rich historic character of their neighborhoods. The aim is to approach the concept of the Missing Middle - an industry term for the lack of quality low rise medium density housing options) to meet the demands of affordable housing, equitable opportunities for home ownership, and healthy neighborhoods. See image below, courtesy of missingmiddlehousing.com.

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We have been engaged in research and mapping to understand existing neighborhood assets and opportunities and will begin the community engaged design process in the weeks to come. Stay tuned for more from this exciting project!

Celebrating at 3318 Beall Street

Over the past two months, [bc] has been honored to partner with UTA Design/Build Professor Julia Lindgren and her fantastic students in the construction over at 3318 Beall Street, our latest design/build project in Dallas.

Since mid-March, this class made amazing progress on the house. Now that their semester has wrapped up, we all gathered onsite for a celebration of their work yesterday. It was a great time to check out all the work the students have done and to celebrate their contribution! We look forward to keeping in touch with the students and know amazing things are in store for them as they continue their education.

Check out the photos from the celebration!

Fair Park Community Park Project Underway

In December 2020, [bc] was selected as part of a team led by Studio-MLA along with AGWms_studio and local landscape architecture firm studioOutside to design a new community park at Fair Park, the 277-acre National Historic Landmark in Dallas that's home to the State Fair of Texas.

Replacing over one thousand parking spaces, the project will feature an 11-acre park with free programming for children, adults, and seniors. The planned Community Park design will be co-created with residents and could include features like a large lawn, a children's play area, naturalized plantings, remembrance gardens, a pavilion for gatherings, movable tables and chairs, and more. 

As part of the core design team, [bc] will rely on an interdisciplinary process of co-creation to provide architectural services related to the overall park vision, pavilion, and supporting facilities of the new Community Park. We are excited to help envision a transformative and just public space for Dallas. 

Design meetings are beginning now with residents of the Fair Park area. Sign up to receive updates on the project here! 

Program ideas generated through the Fair Park Master Plan engagement process. Image courtesy fairparkfirst.org

Program ideas generated through the Fair Park Master Plan engagement process. Image courtesy fairparkfirst.org

Design engagement for the Fair Park Master Plan. Images courtesy fairparkfirst.org

Design engagement for the Fair Park Master Plan. Images courtesy fairparkfirst.org

Design/Build: Innovation in Dolphin Heights

[bc] has been working on a design/build project in the Dolphin Heights neighborhood of Dallas. We have worked with a client to design a 1500 square foot affordable house. We are acting as the designer and builder, focusing on sustainability by maximizing the use of pre- and post-consumer recyclable materials in construction and pursuing a LEED certifiable design. When complete, this project will be an example for a new way forward in affordable home delivery and ownership for the city of Dallas. 

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We are currently wrapping up with the permitting process, after which construction will begin. We’re looking to have it finished by May/June. We have already identified a buyer, and she and her family can’t wait to move into their new home!   

WHY WE’RE DOING IT

Housing costs are skyrocketing in cities across the country, including Dallas. The median rent in Dallas is $1,250, a rate which is out of reach for Dallas’s homeless and low income residents earning less than 0-31% of the Dallas AMI, which equals an income of $1617.8 per month. Unfortunately, recent housing production in Dallas has not met the need for low-income families. The majority of new housing in the City of Dallas has been concentrated in just a few of its wealthier neighborhoods, despite widespread growth across the city’s nearly 400 neighborhoods. Approaching this problem requires innovative solutions in design and construction. Focusing on the design-build approach, which reduces costs and expedites the construction process while allowing for maximum input from the homebuyer, results in both time and dollars saved -- money that can then be put toward developing more affordable housing or directly into the client’s pocket. 

This project was funded in part by a generous contribution from the Truist Foundation. 




Celebrating Local Heroes

Learn more about our MLK Day of Service projects here.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged us to build a more perfect union and taught us that everyone has a role to play in that effort. For our 2015 service project in his honor, [bc] set out to recognize some of those who serve their communities by releasing the Second Edition of buildingcommunityHEROES trading cards.  By creating a fun, tactile, and pocketable way to learn about those working to improve our communities, we hope to encourage those of all ages to honor their heroes and engage in the causes that speak to them.

We put out the call for local hero nominations at the beginning of January and received just over 100 nominations for those working tirelessly in Dallas, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley.  Nominations included selfless family members, state senators, founders of schools, advocacy group members and fearless neighborhood leaders.  It was not easy, but from here we researched and curated the nominations to get a final group of heroes with a diverse range of causes, ages, backgrounds and levels of impact.  After the final selections were made, the cards were printed, sorted, packaged and ready for a January 19 distribution.

We distributed the cards on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and throughout the week in Dallas, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley.  We hope that the stories of these 24 heroes will inspire people to be more active in their communities.  We also hope that the cards will encourage people to think about and honor their local heroes.  If you were not able to pick up a pack, check out all 24 heroes plus 2014's at www.buildingcommunityheroes.org.

 

Who is your hero?  Share them on social media at #bcHEROES2015 and nominate them for the third edition of trading cards!