Forty-six prefabricated modular units are arrayed on this long and narrow site in Mountain View to form a homeless shelter and support facility serving 120+ singles, couples, and families. The modules—some modified shipping containers, and some factory-built structures of similar size—provide private sleeping spaces, communal showers and toilets, dining, and onsite client support services. They are stitched together with custom site elements: a wood deck connects finish floors of all modules at a single level for ease of accessibility, and a shade sail spans the dining courtyard to shelter users from the elements and create a visual focal point. Ornamental planting softens the street frontage. Working with the proportions of the site, client support services and communal areas are centrally clustered, with separate residential areas for individuals and families at opposite ends. The centerpiece of this cluster is the Community Building – a custom module with a fully-glazed front façade and roll-up doors to join multi-purpose interior space and the courtyard.
Delivered under a highly accelerated schedule, the project is the result of an incredible collaboration among the City of Mountain View, XL Construction, Saris Regis Group, and LifeMoves. Our role was to design the overall site plan and coordinate modular unit designs of four different fabricators: Connect Homes, Falcon Structures, IndieDwell, and Urban Bloc. The facility became operational in less than a year from design commencement and provides LifeMoves with much-needed additional space to help transition the South Bay’s housing-vulnerable population into stable living conditions.
Learn more about the project and watch a video tour of the site here. The project is a Gold Nugget Award of Merit winner.
