NEWS AND AWARDS







Competition Champions
Affordable Infill Housing
 During the summer of 1992,
the City of Delray Beach and its
Community Redevelopment
Agency held a design competi-
tion, the focus of which was the
provision of well-designed, easi-
.ly maintained, affordable infill
housing for the less affluent I
neighborhoods in that city. It
was, and is, the hope of the com-
petition sponsors that the con-
struction of good buildings to fill
"missing teeth" in the existing
city fabric wold shore up
neighborhoods in danger of dis-
integration while maintaining
the historic character of 1920's
Delray Beach.
 The First Place submittal did
just that. Designed by architect T -3
Marilys R. Nepomechie, it pro- _E
vided, at $32 per sf, a 1250 sf
three bedroom, two bath house
that would fit comfortably on a
narrow suburban site either in a
mid-block or corner condition. [I I
A typological hybrid of tradition-
al Florida shotgun and sideyard -
houses, the design submittal " u "
sought to present the quintes-
sential tropical house a struc-
ture only one room in depth, al-
lowing for cross-ventilation
throughout, as well as maxi-
mum privacy and considerable
protection from sun and heat.
 Since the competition was
held, the landscape of South
Florida has changed consider-
ably. Hurricane Andrew has re-
configured the needs of South
Dade in such a way that the City
of Delray Beach and CRA offi-
cials have suggested that the af-
fordable housing proposed for
their context might also find
fruitful application in devastated
areas of South Dade County. At
only 14 feet in overall width, the
proposed house might prove to
be a viable alternative to the mo-
bile homes that were so com-
pletely destroyed in the hurri-
cane. At present, architect
Nepomechie is exploring ways
to fulfill that potential.


FLORIDA ARCHITECT February 1993