501 South Almaden
Located at the edge of the downtown commercial district and historic residential district, 501 South Almaden is an affordable family housing project that bridges scales and neighborhoods, reflecting the colorful context of the SoFA (South First Area) arts and cultural district.
The project proposes a 9-story building, accommodating 53 affordable rental units consisting of studios, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. The number of affordable family apartments is maximized through the application of affordable housing density bonuses and incentives.
501 South Almaden’s adjacency to the Arya affordable housing project provides the opportunity to dialogue with another LMSA-designed project owned by the same client. The two projects will read as a collective block with similar key characteristics but with their own identifying features. The north facade on Balbach Street reflects the proportions on Arya, while the east facade on Almaden Avenue breaks the massing into finer scale with projected bays to reflect features of the single family houses across the street.
We are currently exploring a light steel frame, mass timber hybrid structural system which would reduce embodied carbon by about 50% over a traditional concrete mid-rise building. 501 South Almaden is scheduled to start construction early in 2027.
