HomeSafe
San Jose, Calif.
Studio E Architects

HomeSafe spans the continuum from public to private space

© Jeff Peters

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Seven nonprofit social service and domestic violence agencies in San Jose, Calif., collaborated to develop transitional housing for women and their children fleeing abuse. Called HomeSafe, this housing is an important stepping stone between shelters and permanent residences. In designing the project, Studio E Architects created a cohousing model in which four families share a single townhouse. The entire complex contains six townhouses—providing residences for 24 families in total—a manager’s apartment, and a daycare and community center, which anchors the property’s front entrance.

The cohousing model provides the critical combination of private and shared space that victims of domestic violence need to regain control of their lives. The architect organized the site and interiors around a continuum that runs from public and shared spaces, to private and protected ones. Each townhouse features a porch and faces a common courtyard. Inside the homes, residents progress through a kitchen and lounge, then to bathrooms, bedroom suites, and sleeping alcoves. The alcoves function as swing or “flex” space that residents can program according to their own needs.

High sloping ceilings lend an unexpected expansiveness to the communal areas of the homes. The architect chose a light, neutral-colored plaster for the sides of buildings that face the property lines; bright, warmer hues enliven the courtyard facades. Saw-toothed metal roofs and deep awnings recall the vernacular architecture of Santa Clara Valley’s agricultural past.

Formal name of Project:
HomeSafe

Location:
San Jose, Calif.

Gross square footage:
13,488 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$3.8 Million

Owner:
Charities Housing
465 South First Street
San Jose CA 95113
t: 408.282.1138
f: 408.271.9806
www.charitieshousing.org

Architect:
Studio E Architects
2411 Second Avenue
San Diego,CA 92101
t: 619.235.9262
f: 619.235.0522
www.studioearchitects.com