Design Competition Opens for Creation of Accessory Dwelling Units as an Affordable, Multi-generational, Housing Option
City of San Antonio, Neighborhood and Housing Services News Release – The City of San Antonio together with San Antonio-based architecture and planning firm, Able City, and its nonprofit affiliate City Makery, are calling creatives of all ages to participate in a design competition to imagine how Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) can be designed to address the needs in their community with a chance to win up to $500.
The competition is funded through a $15,000 2023 AARP Community Challenge Grant and $500 grant from DisabilitySA awarded to City Makery to lead a quick-action project to help communities become more livable and accessible, with an emphasis on the needs of adults 50 years old and older.
The competition is open from July 27 through Sept. 15 and is an opportunity for youth, adults, families, professionals, and groups to explore how homeowners can build ADUs. ADUs are commonly referred to as a guest home, casita, in-law suite, carriage home, alley home or a garage apartment. They are often built as a private, separate home from the primary residence, but ADUs can also be a garage, back room or second floor room that is converted into independent living space from the main house.
Increasing the number of Accessory Dwelling Units through the City is a strategy within the City’s Strategic Housing Implementation Plan. ADUs are an alternative housing option, which can fill the need for cheaper, smaller units, a housing typology that is in high demand throughout the City. In addition, rental ADUs can provide a secondary revenue stream for homeowners.
“The City of San Antonio updated the Unified Development Code to make building ADUs easier,” said Veronica Garcia, the Director of the City’s Neighborhood and Housing Services Department. “This competition is an opportunity to spark conversation and hear from communities about how they imagine ADUs in their neighborhoods.”
The competition features nine written prompts that encourage narrative on how an ADU benefits families, who could rent an ADU, what amenities or public transit would be nearby and more. Three spaces are designated for drawing and imagining what an ADU could look like and what features would be included.
“We hope that participants engage their family or neighbors about how an ADU on their property could benefit their household and community,” said Seema Kairam, Associate at Able City. “We are eager to learn about what the needs are and to collect creative designs that respond to those needs. We encourage residents of all ages, from students to older adults, to send in their responses. Diverse responses will help us shape future ADU policies and programs so they can best serve the residents of San Antonio.”
Submissions will be judged by representatives from Successful Aging and Living in San Antonio and from the National Organization of Minority Architects Central Texas Chapter. Entries will be competing in the following categories:
Most Innovative Design | $500
Proposes a creative architectural solution for an ADU.
Most Cohesive Story | $500
Thoughtfully describes a resident who could benefit from an ADU and proposes an ADU design that meets their needs.
Most Accessible Design | $500
Sponsored by disABILITYsa, this proposes a solution designed for people of all abilities including people with physical, visual, hearing or cognitive disabilities.
Best Student Entry | $250
Open to K-12 students.
Best Design Professional Entry | $250
Open to Design Professionals.
Best Older Adult Entry | $250
Open to Older Adults (65 +)
“disABILITYsa is proud to support this competition and we’re looking forward to seeing how residents will envision housing options where people with all types of disabilities can live more inclusively and independently in San Antonio neighborhoods and where older adults can comfortably age-in-place,” said Melanie Cawthon, Co-Founder and Executive Director of disABILITYsa.
Submissions can be mailed, completed online at SA.gov/ADU, or picked up and dropped off at one of multiple libraries and senior centers accepting submissions throughout San Antonio below:
In coordination with the launch of the city-wide ADU Design Competition, students who attended the Project Pipeline Architecture Summer Camp the weekend of July 14-15, 2023 learned about ADUs and explored the ADU design competition. The camp, hosted by the Central Texas chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), is geared toward middle school, high school and college students who want to explore the architectural field.
Within the curriculum for Project Pipeline, NOMA prioritizes using the city as a classroom and connecting youth to real world architects to foster the next generation of design professionals, civic leaders and changemakers. Students are empowered to understand the most critical issues that exist in the built environment, dream big around solutions and present strong concepts to support their goals. Youth bring a unique view to the urgency around the need for affordable housing and access to housing resources in the Central Texas region.
“This year, we brought conversations around Accessory Dwelling Units to our camp. More specifically, how this typology can be leveraged as an engine for social and economic mobility, and to strengthen the fabric of communities, neighborhoods and families,” said Gregory Street, a Senior Architect with Overland and the Board Chair of NOMA Central Texas. “We look forward to continuing this discourse and contributing to what happens at the intersection of design, public policy and advocacy.”
