Juneau VOA Housing

Location: Juneau, Alaska
Year: 2015
Client: Volunteers of America
Team: Ron Bateman, Petra Sattler-Smith

This project successfully places a 75 units of affordable housing on a challenging site on Douglas Island.

The apartment buildings are clad in metal siding, a material chosen for its durability in response to the rough winds and wet weather of Southeast Alaska. Cedar-lined exterior stairs pierce the dark facades to warmly welcome residents inside. Each entry stair services a maximum of six front doors, avoiding long, unfriendly hallways and creating a neighborhood feel. Residents enter on the uphill side, walking no more than one flight up to their front doors before experiencing sweeping views from their living spaces, visible through ample windows facing downhill across the Gastineau Channel to Juneau. The terraced nature of the site design allows stunning views from nearly every apartment. A community center and playground connect Phase1 and Phase 2 of the project.