Residential Winner:
Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build:
Mechanicsville Infill Housing

1007, 1011 and 1015 Knoxville College Drive
Architect: Elizabeth Eason Architecture, llc

916 and 936 Knoxville College Drive, 1601 Moses Drive
Architect: Jennifer Martella/Urban Design Associates

Developer: Knoxville Habitat for Humanity
Contractor: Habitat for Humanity Volunteers
Landscape/Planting Design: Habitat for Humanity Volunteers
Owner: Habitat for Humanity (2009); Individual Home owners (2010)

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The winner is Habitat for Humanity. Their staff collaborated with Elizabeth Eason Architects to design and build three hillside houses. Habitat also developed several other houses, using the adopted housing plans for Mechanicsville Commons.

Beth Eason’s designs revolved around three themes: affordability, energy efficiency and compatibility with existing architecture. Habitat featured this project as part of their spring “Blitz” in 2009, in which an army of volunteers built the houses in a week, completing the last phase of the traditional neighborhood’s development.

 

Part of the success of Habitat’s program is that the new homeowners had been selected and were ready to move in after construction. They also assisted in building their houses.

Craftsman styles were used along Knoxville College Drive, blending with the traditional architecture along the street. Where vacant lots still existed, Habitat precisely built the style that was called for in the neighborhood plan.