The next urban housing frontier – parking garages?

I have never once thought when pulling into a parking garage, “This space could be the perfect structure for housing.” But how could I not have? It’s so simple yet also genius and a team of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) professors and students had the imagination to develop this brilliant idea called […]

I have never once thought when pulling into a parking garage, “This space could be the perfect structure for housing.” But how could I not have? It’s so simple yet also genius and a team of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) professors and students had the imagination to develop this brilliant idea called SCADpad.

As Christian Sottile, dean of the SCAD School of Building Arts, probes us to question, “We are returning to cities, building new cities and parking structures are not a building that we’ve turned our attention to as a preservation concern. But as these buildings reach the end of their lifecycle are there adaptive reuse strategies that we haven’t considered yet.”

I love that a group of students and professors looked at this structure with a different perspective and saw possibility – not to tear it down and create more waste in our landfills but to address a growing need for urban housing in an environmentally friendly manner.

SCADpad makes me hopeful that architects, historic preservationists and designers will take this micro housing concept back to every major city in the world and implement it in some form. I wish a SCADpad style structure would have been an available housing option in the early stages of my career in New York City; it would have given me an affordable opportunity to live and work in the same community instead of a two-hour commute on three different types of public transportation.

A SCAD source tells me to stay tuned for all the various components of this project, from furniture design to sustainability features, as it kicks off this spring.

Senior Manager, Public Relations & Giving for Coldwell Banker. Grew up in Sarasota and attended college at Western Carolina University. Athena wanted to wake up in that city that doesn’t sleep so headed to Madison Avenue to start her marketing career. She has been with this awesome brand for more than 15 years and can be found generating buzz about CB in every way possible. Athena helps to grow the brand’s position as the most storied real estate company within the industry and has led many high-profile endeavors; she was at the forefront of the brand’s pioneering smart home campaign, raised $6 million in two years to build 130 Habitat for Humanity homes, and led the Homes for Dogs program in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com that resulted in tens-of-thousands of dogs finding their furever home. She currently leads the CB Supports St. Jude program, which encourages the Coldwell Banker network’s 96,000+ real estate agents to make donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for every real estate transaction they represent. In her spare time, you can find her either digging up a new area in her yard for another flower bed or planning her next travel adventure. She's the proud mom of three cats Jolene, Ziggy and Lucy.

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4 Comments

  1. The next urban housing frontier – parking garages? | My Real Estate Buddy
    February 14, 2014

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    February 14, 2014

    […] post The next urban housing frontier – parking garages? appeared first on Coldwell Banker Blue […]

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    February 14, 2014

    […] post The next urban housing frontier – parking garages? appeared first on Coldwell Banker Blue […]

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    February 14, 2014

    […] post The next urban housing frontier – parking garages? appeared first on Coldwell Banker Blue […]

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