peh architect, LLC - painted ladies

p a i n t e d l a d i e s

The Painted Ladies serve as infill project off the edge of the University of Arkansas campus. Public art and open common areas were juxtaposed with three prefabricated structures to create a small community.

2016 AIA Arkansas design award unbuilt projects entry

2016 WAN Awards long list finalist

www.peharchitect.com

The Painted Ladies strive to not only provide shelter, but to integrate a visual composition for inhabitants and passers-by alike to appreciate and with which to connect. Public spaces, and exposed circulation are designed for human interaction, for all to see and appreciate the movement of life around them as they coexist. The design is driven by a desire to create a central communal court, as well as to save established trees on the reclaimed wooded site. The minimal forms are arranged to limit their footprint on the land. They are offset by the gentle slope of the site and an organic shifting of the bases which do not directly align with the simple volumes above. Living areas are lifted to establish a horizontal datum across the gently sloping site, and provide a level of privacy once inside. Street parking, as well as spaces tucked beneath the structure on the low end of the slope, make way for additional green area in the park-like community backyard which the rear of all the units face. The structure is permeable at the base to allow for filtered movement from the street to the green space within. The scale and forms directly reflect the surrounding context of multi-family apartments, houses, and a retail strip center. The murals are integrated to provide public art to the community. They provide an additional visual engagement for the occupants, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. The art provides a civic gesture establishing signage and an identity for the complex. The works are recreated from original paintings by local artists. Construction time and efficiency were also a consideration. The structure is composed of site-built and prefab modular components. The heated living spaces are built off-site in a controlled environment as the site work and building bases are constructed. The construction time is cut by a third, and the resulting structure is more sturdy than being framed in place.

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