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Contributing editor Lisa Findley lives in Oakland, Calif., and teaches at the California College of Arts and Crafts.
Project: Pensione Esperanza, San Jose, Calif.
Architect: David Baker Associates--David Baker, FAIA, principal; Kevin Wilcock, AIA, project architect; Ted Yoon, Lark Pien, Erica Zitzke (project team)
Engineers: Tipping & Mar Associates (structural); Sandis Humber Jones (civil); David Penney Co. (mechanical); HCP Electrical; James Morel (plumbing)
Consultants: Cottong & Taniguchi (landscape); Victor Associates (energy)
Contractor: Barry Swenson Builders
Size: 110 rooms, 43,000 square feet
Cost: $4.2 million (construction)
Sources
Curtain wall, entrances: Vistawall
Cladding: Cement plaster stucco, Hardiplank lap siding
Metal roofing: BHP
Windows: Milgard
Cabinets and custom woodwork: Fabricated by architect
Lighting: Evergreen Columbia, Lithonia, Halo, DMR, Lightway, Stonco, Hubbell
Program
``There are two basic schools of thought when it comes to affordable housing,'' says David Baker, FAIA. ``There is the `blend-in' school and the `stick-out' school.'' Baker, who has completed 24 affordable housing projects, does not adhere to one school or the other. His firm chooses a strategy based on the particular context and goals of each project. The recently completed Pensione Esperanza, for Catholic Charities of San Jose, unquestionably adheres to the ``stick-out'' school.
A 10-minute walk west of the dot-com prosperity of downtown San Jose, near the intersection of two freeways, the Pensione Esperanza optimistically holds the street edge on a strip of gas stations, convenience stores, and car washes. The 110-unit single-room occupancy hotel lives up to its idealistic name, Lodging of...