This development is located on a High School campus for foster children nestled between the rural hills of Escondido, CA.  It provides transitional housing for graduating students.  These homes replace those lost in the devastating 2007 San Diego Witch Creek Fire.  The goal was to create a nurturing environment for this community of young adults. Supportive staff, alumnus and foster care families share these facilities.  A new administration center replacing the one lost in the fire was also constructed.  The architects designed the buildings to provide a balance of supervision, education and independence required to help youths form social connections and forge skills to succeed in their endeavors.  

Additionally, the Architects designed sustainable features leading to a LEED Platinum Certification for housing.  These include water conservation fixtures, energy efficient equipment, enhanced indoor air quality, cool roof design, added insulation, reduction of construction waste, as well as fire resistive measures.

Housing is distributed at various sites; each treated as a neighborhood with a design style indicative of the rural, agricultural character of the valley. Such character is present in the low-scaled, simple agrarian building forms and the rustic wood elements.  Pedestrian-friendly pathways link the entire campus. Gathering areas and individual front porches promote social interaction.  The project includes shade structures for gatherings, drought tolerant landscaping, designed overlooks of natural vistas, and much needed infrastructure improvements.  The units are designed to have strong connections to the outdoors with open floorplans and window placement for visual interaction.

This campus housing is an architecturally impressive project with a purpose, serving as a tool to support the lives of young adults.  This community brings them stability, knowledge and preparation for their future.