Our design approach prioritizes the responsive site planning of a three-story multi-family project within a primarily single-family residential area of Las Vegas. The project site, located in the Historic Westside neighborhood of Las Vegas, will combine five T3-N zoned parcels into one 2.21 acre T5-N zoned parcel. In conversation with the context, the design incorporates modern and vernacular materials, colors and textures, plant specifications, and architectural details. The use of the courtyard as the centerpiece of the site’s organization, as well as generous adjacent shade, generates ample open space and encourages recreation and social opportunities for the inhabitants and their guests. The site planning – 65 parking spaces and a layered landscape design – further merges the project with the context.

The 71-unit active senior affordable housing complex incorporates three (3) connected 70,529 sf buildings surrounding a 6,050 sf outdoor centralized communal space. Building 01, an L-shaped one-story structure, steps back from both M street and Madison Avenue to contextually respond to the surrounding 1-story residences. Building 01 includes 7,930 square feet of lobby, office, computer room, fitness center, community center, and restroom space.

Following the precedent of similar multi-story structures in the neighborhood, Building 02 and 03 are located in the middle and rear of the property. Building 02 includes ten (10) 1-Bedroom 600 sf units and one (1) 2-Bedroom 1200 sf manager unit in 2-stories, anchoring the east side of the courtyard. The 3-story Building 03, located to the north of the courtyard, houses sixty (60) 1-Bedroom 600 sf units, 1200 sf of laundry space, and mechanical/electrical/storage/and trash space. The overall project height tops out at 37 feet.

Building 01 incorporates deep overhangs to create shade for the amenity spaces and parts of the exterior courtyard. Buildings 02 and 03 are designed with enclosed covered balconies, creating a “second skin” to buffer the dwelling units from direct sun exposure. Both deep overhangs and enclosed balconies will reduce energy use and improve the residents’ health and well being. High efficiency equipment and water conserving fixtures will be utilized throughout. All buildings will incorporate a smooth stucco finish compatible with the surrounding landscape palette. Native plants, trees, and landscape elements will foreground the site’s minimal water usage strategies.

Project Team: Aaron Neubert (Principal), Jeremy Limsenben (Project Architect) / Code Consultant: Churchill Engineering