Williams Terrace Senior Housing is the first dedicated housing for low-income seniors in the city of Charleston, South Carolina. DBA collaborated with local firm McMillan Pazdan Smith to create this gracious senior building, which finally replaces affordable family housing destroyed in a 1989 hurricane.
The design team worked closely with the Housing Authority of the City of Charleston to create a dynamic building that meets the challenges of the site—located in a high-velocity flood zone—and respects the gracious built fabric of downtown historic Charleston.
The building features external circulation—deep porches that create opportunities for connection and are lined with exterior seating to encourage interaction among the residents. The building’s units, porches, and rooftop terrace community room enjoy views across the new park toward the Charleston harbor.