Modular Buildings as a Solution to the Housing Crisis in San Francisco

David Baker Architects (DBA) designed a solution to the housing crisis in San Francisco with Supportive Prisoners Housing. Prisoner offers 145 studios for affected homeless individuals, built with modular construction five levels above the concrete ground floor. Built, completed, and equipped off-site, each module includes two complete studio units plus one section of connecting corridor, developed in conjunction with local company BOK Modern. The building claims to be 30% faster than similar projects in San Francisco.

View Tahanan Supportive Housing from the street, Photo by Bruce Damonte

In designing this building, DBA took a contextual concept as a tribute to the site's location within the SOMA Pilipinas Cultural District. The name Prisoner comes from the Tagalog word, which can be interpreted as "home", "home", "return home", according to the function of this building, which is a place for people and families to return or rest. In addition to the building's name, DBA designed the building to use traditional 'banig' hand-woven grass mats as patterns on cast concrete, graphic representations of rice terraces in perforated metal from the striking, and a color palette taken from Filipino imagery.

Front view Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

Main entrance Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

In addition to being contextual, DBA designed this building by maximizing space by maximizing the site that functions as a compact community-focused home. The ground floor contains communal spaces for Housing residents to interact and carry out activities, including Community rooms, Courtyards, Lounges, Support Services, Retail, and other public spaces. At the same time, the second to sixth floors are typical floors with studio-type apartments.

Courtyard Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

Support Services Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

Corridor Apartment Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

This apartment room is designed with high ceilings and spacious glass. The light-filled space balances privacy and transparency. They also give the impression of a spacious room with views of the city center and a beautiful Hall of Justice for apartment residents. The openings in the rooms are made slightly oblique, not facing the direct road to avoid excessive light on the space, and also making the facade of this building like a saw-teeth.

Lounge Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

The impression of this saw-teeth is even stronger with the addition of a facade combining weatherproof steel and perforated natural aluminum, the use of steel and aluminum with holes with the play of fine curves; this is one of the contextual concepts that depict the visuals of rice terraces in the Philippines.

Façade details Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by Bruce Damonte

The building has managed to be one of the solutions to the housing crisis in San Francisco by offering extensive social support resources, flexible community spaces, and efficient modular development. Prisoner Supportive Housing, designed by David Baker Architects, also received awards from Winner Special Needs, Affordable Housing Finance Magazine, and Finalist, Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing 2022.

Construction Tahanan Supportive Housing, Photo by David Baker Architects