In Arizona, Habitat houses often feature desert landscaping to conserve water and architectural styles that reflect the culture of the Southwest.

Drawn by Opportunity

Colorado architect finds a plan for success in low-income housing and Habitat.

by Rebekah Daniel

	Many people think of a one-story, vinyl-clad single family house as the "typical" Habitat house, but there is room for creativity within this type as well. Window styles, roof lines, porch details, landscaping--all add individuality to a family's home.

Dean Brookie wanted to be an architect since the first grade. After he completed his education at the University of Colorado, he was hired by a reputable architecture firm and hungry for a chance to prove himself.

That didn't take long. Soon after he was hired, a federal affordable housing assignment came up for grabs. The firm did a little of everything-from tech center parks to luxury housing--but the HUD opportunity was not what one would consider a plum assignment.

"Being the new kid in the firm, I was assigned the project," Brookie says. "I was known as a pretty talented young designer and had lots of energy. At that time, I was excited I had my own project. I lived and breathed that project for a number of months."

What began as a young architect's first break became a profitable--and satisfying--niche that would help set the course of Brookie's career. He set up shop on his own, thanks to support from the developers he worked with on that first HUD project, and cultivated a specialty in low-income housing. And he found that though there are some quirks to low-income housing development--strict timetables to qualify for grants, criteria to satisfy to receive low-income housing tax credits, for example--good design is good design.

"Architectural composition of simple, functional designs is one of the key things, and another is how the composition of the units creates a sense of community," he says. "The livability is in how you relate to your neighbors and what you drive home to--curb appeal. Do you see your neighbors? Are there places for interaction? That has nothing to do with cost of construction, and everything to do with placement and orientation and how the interior space relates to the outside and to your neighbors."

In urban areas, where land is at a premium, it is common to build up instead of out. Also, renovation of existing structures can help conserve materials and the character of established neighborhoods, such as this one in Baltimore.

For the past 25 years, Brookie has had ample opportunity to learn the peculiar ins and outs of his niche as he has put his hand to nearly 4,000 affordable-housing units. And what has he learned along the way? Building in Colorado, with its snow load and frost depth considerations, is expensive. But it's not as bad as California, which has seismic considerations added in. And then there's that Habitat thing....

Like so many others, Brookie didn't go looking for Habitat--it found him. A friend he had met through the Rotary Club in Durango was on the steering committee for a Habitat for Humanity of LaPlata County project. The friend was going to be in Germany for a while and asked Brookie if he could finish some property plans and schematics.

Of course, the job has turned out to be a little more than that. The seven-unit venture is a partnership between Habitat and Colorado Housing, with three of the two- and three-bedroom units to be owned by Habitat homeowners, and the others rented and managed by Colorado Housing. Architecturally, the units will be similar, taking advantage of as many recycled materials as possible to keep costs down. For several months, Brookie has drawn on relationships with city officials to help usher the plans through the permitting process.

From a style standpoint, these units will reflect one of Brookie's closely-held convictions about affordable housing: It doesn't have to be ugly.

"Even something as simple as giving a kid a great view outside the bedroom window makes a difference," he says. "If you can make that kid's day more enjoyable as he wakes up, he's going to go to school and learn more and just be a happier person.

"It's still the same number of studs, same amount of roofing, same number of windows. It's a matter of encouraging your architects to spend a little more time orchestrating the environment. It makes a big difference to the person who will end up living in the space."

	Architect Dean Brookie became involved in designing low-income housing soon after finishing his education. Working with Habitat, he says, is different from working with other housing providers because "Habitat is very much a committee-oriented group. That's interesting as far as getting good ideas and significant input."

The units also reflect the changing market in which they are located. While more three-bedrooms would have been preferred, the site wasn't large enough to accommodate the extra parking that housing codes require for three-bedroom units. And if Habitat hadn't acquired the land for the units a few years ago, the project probably wouldn't be happening at all. Durango, gateway to the San Juan mountain range and its sports opportunities, is becoming more and more expensive. Currently, construction costs hover around $200 per square foot; affordability dictates spending less than half that. As Brookie says, "It's going to take a lot of volunteers to achieve that goal."

As with the for-profit housing plans Brookie has worked on, the Habitat project has found a way to his heart through those for whom affordable housing holds the most promise: the youths who will grow up inside its walls.

"The current project is about creating a Habitat community. If they don't have a sense of pride about what they drive home to, it's not worth doing. It's all about creating a sense of pride."