A Designer's Paradise?

Learn more about La Hacienda and our work in the RGV.

By Emily Axtman

So what is bcWORKSHOP working on in the Valley besides La Hacienda Casitas?

The short answer: a lot.

To give some perspective about architecture practices in the Valley:

The city of Dallas, at a population of about 1.2 million, has 301 professional architecture practices according to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) 2011 data. The city of Brownsville, at a population of 178,500, has 5 professional architecture practices.

Dallas averages 1 architecture firm for every 3,300 people. Brownsville averages 1 architect firm for every 35,600 people. So what's the big deal? Dallas has 10 times the capacity of people working towards providing better housing, public spaces and development within the city. Brownsville is in need of a greater design capacity and this is where bcWORKSHOP comes in.

Maggie Winter, a bcWORKSHOP designer, has been working toward implementing improvements for the quality of life in the LRGV since September 2011. Her projects have ranged from city-wide planning to housing and broader community development.

Justin Tirsun, a former VISTA at bcW, has been a part of the LRGV team since July 2012. Justin's main focus in the Valley has been policy research and development in the Colonias, as well as the Belden Trail. Among all of the projects, I have had the opportunity to work on the Alegria House.

Alegria House, front elevation.

bcWORKSHOP has been working with Ms. Alegria to design a new home for her and her 3 children. The Alegrias currently live in a mobile home without running water or electricity. Recently, Ms. Alegria's son was paralyzed in an accident, making accessibility part of their housing needs. Working within CDCB's Colonia Redevelopment Program, bcWORKSHOP has designed a home that will meet their needs and provide a healthy living environment. Construction is slated to begin in November!

The Colonia Redevelopment Program is a reconstruction & rehabilitation service for homeowners in Colonias currently living in homes that are not meeting their basic needs. Based on the sustainABLEhouse model,  bcW is teaming up with CDCB to offer a custom design service to the program. This opportunity directly involves the homeowners in the design and construction of their new home while remaining within the parameters of the Colonia Redevelopment Program. The bcW LRGV office is currently working with 4 families to design homes that will accommodate their needs, be energy efficient, and provide healthy living environments. We are thrilled to be working so closely with all of these families!

So now back to that OTHER housing project. What's going on with La Hacienda?! I'm excited to bring the news that the La Hacienda site has been under construction for 4 weeks now. With the infrastructural work underway (eg: water, sewer and fire lines; site-drainage and street layout) the first 8 homes will be under construction in the next couple weeks. The foundations have been staked and completion of these units is scheduled for mid-January. Stay tuned over these next few weeks: the houses are on their way!

La Hacienda site on 10/1/2012 facing east from Paloma Ln.