On the site of a vacant big box store in West Seneca sits one of DePaul’s largest supportive housing communities. SWBR designed Ebenezer Square apartments, named for the area’s communal society founded by German immigrants in 1842. Through a series of pushes and pulls to the mass of the building, the design was able to break down the scale and treated to blend in with the surrounding housing stock in its residential neighborhood.
The 100 unit, 3 story design received LEED for Homes Platinum Certification and incorporates a 150 kilowatt solar array expected to generate 75% of the building’s electricity. A blend of affordable and supportive housing, each apartment unit has private storage, fully equipped kitchens and full baths. 75 units are part of NYS’s Residence –Single Room Occupancy (CR-SRO) Program, providing supportive housing in a service-enriched, recovery oriented setting for adults with mental disabilities. A shared community room, outdoor spaces and lounge spaces were strategically placed to spill out into the corridor and provide a place to pause along what would normally be a long corridor.
Ebenezer Square “enables individuals with disabilities to live fully integrated lives in their home community.” Said NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan; a result that directly aligns with DePaul’s mission.