Poet’s Place – A new housing type

Poet’s Place was designed as the prototype for a new housing type in the City of Berkeley and as a model for the greater Bay Area in addressing the housing crisis.

The design takes what has traditionally been the cheapest housing available – the SRO / Residential Hotel model and brings it into the 21^st Century by marrying it to a modern, socially-based Co-Living model. The result is a new housing type that both promotes community and is financially accessible to more people.

Here we upgraded the SRO bedroom with private bathrooms and kitchenettes. Following the Co-Living model, each floor has a generous common room with lounge areas, communal dining space, and two full kitchens. Tenants may live independently in their self-contained studio or “opt in” to the shared community just outside their door. Management by Common will be used to match people with similar lifestyles on each floor.

This project will produce apartments that are affordable to middle income earners, as the rent includes furnishings, utilities, and shared amenities including the Bay-view roof deck and lounges. We believe this model is scalable and transferrable to other areas with similar economic profiles. The project is currently in construction.

Project Details