Working to improve our quality of life: Multifamily Housing.

For a project to contribute meaningfully to its context, it should be shaped by it – plugging into a void like a LEGO brick. We call this incremental placemaking.

Jim Bailey, AIA

We make high-value housing that connects people to their neighborhoods, to the broader urban context, and to each other.

Guided by pragmatism, aspiration, and a profound belief in the integral role of each housing development within its neighborhood, we approach our work with dedication, ensuring that our projects seamlessly and sustainably integrate with the physical and cultural fabric of the communities they inhabit. We build long-term relationships with public housing agencies, local governments, and private commercial clients. This is demonstrated by our portfolio of over 12,000 housing units for a wide array of income bands in a host of typologies including low-/ mid-rise apartments, townhouses, and high-rise retrofit.

Over the last several years, Alamo Architects has been selected for projects that call on our expertise both in historic preservation and contemporary multifamily housing development. “The intricacy of adapting modern systems to legacy buildings is a formidable challenge; but it is very satisfying to problem-solve,” notes Housing Team lead and principal Beverly Baldwin. “These projects have the potential to become beacons of re-investment in urban neighborhoods, as in the case of our own headquarters building on a formerly underutilized corner of our block.” We are known locally for our specific empathy toward, and expertise in, revitalization of existing commercial buildings through retrofit to multifamily housing. Recently, we have been awarded the prestigious assignment of retrofitting the Deco-era Tower Life Building, an iconic profile in the San Antonio skyline, to residential use.

Within the last five years, our team oversaw four outstanding small townhome projects that showcase how design-forward development can make our urban neighborhoods attractive to new generations. These projects each respond differently to the surroundings; for example, urban infill where a bold contemporary expression suits both the street and the market, and infill on a quiet, historic street where adapting the historic vernacular is the correct response. Our design palette is varied, and uniquely tailored to its community and context. We are excited for the future of housing in our metropolitan area. The integral part that smart, well-designed multifamily housing will play in the city’s economic future and quality of life cannot be understated.

Every multifamily housing project we plan and design should be a valuable, welcome addition to its neighborhood, and contribute to a livable, workable downtown and metro area. In concert with upgrades to pedestrian and bicycle transportation, and the expansion of parks and greenways, we believe the availability of attractive affordable housing will play a major role in our quality of living.

Jim Bailey, AIA