Reduce Affordable Housing Costs Through Innovation

Posted by on December 03, 2012

New National Competition Launches to Reduce Affordable Housing Costs Through Innovation
Deadline: January 15, 2013

To recognize and support the creation of innovative affordable housing developments, Deutsche Bank and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. are launching the Lowering the Cost of Housing Competition, which will award up to $250,000 in program-related investments to the winning proposal. Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation also is providing an additional $50,000 in grant funds to be awarded to proposals that show innovation in practice or industry understanding of cost-lowering measures. A Center for Design, Research, and Real Estate at Syracuse University School of Architecture is coordinating the national competition.

The competition is seeking submissions from multidisciplinary teams working to create multifamily affordable housing projects that improve neighborhoods and reduce traditional developmental and building costs.

Lowering the Cost seeks to provide a new model for conceiving, siting, financing, building, and sustaining affordable housing. Selected teams will work on a specific site, proposing designs for multi-unit dwellings that present new methods for designing, building, and financing housing for individuals or families below 100 percent of area median income.

Submissions should propose new and innovative approaches to affordable housing design while addressing statutory limitations, including current zoning and building code regulations. Proposals that work with their jurisdictions to investigate methods for clearing impediments to lowering the cost of housing will be scored highly.

Applications from teams comprised of architects, developers, and policy professionals are strongly encouraged, and entrants are further encouraged to develop creative collaborations that include policy makers, planners, social service providers, academic departments, and research institutes. Submissions must be projects that can be completed on or before December 2014.

Complete competition guidelines, updates, and application materials are available at the Lowering the Cost Web site.

http://www.loweringcost.com/