University of Arkansas Architecture Students Bring Model for Sustainable Urban Living to Downtown Little Rock's Historic Pettaway Neighborhood
On February 10, 2010, Mayor Mark Stodola and Downtown Little Rock Community Development Corporation (DLRCDC) broke ground on the foundation for the first in a series of modular homes designed for affordability and sustainability in the historic Pettaway neighborhood.
The homes have been designed and are being constructed by 4th and 5th year students of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture through the school’s Design/Build Program. The project is an collaboration among the University of Arkansas, the Downtown Little Rock CDC, and mentors from the design and construction professions, with support from a number of neighborhood and community partners, including Village Commons. “The partnership between the University and the CDC represents progressive and innovative techniques to achieving community revitalization, mixing both contemporary architecture with traditional housing stock of the neighborhood. The result will be a vibrant and unique juxtaposition of the built environment and the personalities of the people who live there,” said Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola.
This first downtown home, to be located at 1519 S. Commerce Street in Little Rock, is being constructed in modules at a warehouse in Fayetteville, as seen on the project's official website at www.arkdb.blogspot.com. Upon completion of the construction in mid-April, the units will be shipped to the site and assembled, with anticipated completion in May of this year. The 1,200 square foot design will feature two bedrooms, one bathroom, and an open living, kitchen, and dining area. Sustainability is built into every facet of the design, from energy-efficient, state-of-the-art insulation and appliances to the use of native plants in its landscape.
DLRCDC President Stacy Williams added, ”We believe that the School of Architecture is setting a viable, civic-minded precedent by focusing on the design of urban, sustainable housing as a teaching mechanism for their students.”
Once completed, the home could, according to project officials, “offer new insights and alternatives to conventional affordable construction with an impact not only in the neighborhood, but throughout Little Rock and across Arkansas.”
According to Scott Grummer, Executive Director for the Downtown Little Rock CDC, those connected with the project have also expressed hopes that it will help to spur economic development in the area. “Some of the organizations I have spoken with have already voiced an interest in seeing the creation of a facility to produce quality, affordable, and desirable housing in the Central Arkansas area. It is possible to imagine a new modular housing partnership that provides job training in construction skills as a path to employment for disadvantaged youth in the inner city, as well as housing alternatives for rural areas of the state.”