Wolf River Bluffs Selected as Finalist in MBJ’s Building Memphis Awards

Finalists for the Memphis Business Journal’s third annual Building Memphis Awards have been selected by the editorial staff and a panel of independent judges will choose the winners in each category.

In addition to six project categories, judges will select a “Best Sustainable Element” from all of the finalist projects and determine an overall “Project of the Year.”

Our Wolf River Bluffs development has been chosen as a finalist in Best Public Private Project: Small Category. Click here to learn more about the program’s mission to highlight various local professionals who collaborate to develop impactful projects in our city.

United Housing Selects Winning Designs for NeighborScape Demo Garden

During the Fall 2014 semester, nine students from the University of Memphis Architecture program prepared designs for our NeighborScape Demonstration Garden. On Friday, November 21, the students and their professor, Jenna Thompson, met at United Housing for the final voting on the design boards. 

The following five students were given the Participation Award, along with $25.00: Michelle Goulet, Jonathan Patterson, Catherine Pera, Sonia Raheel and Antonio Tirado. 

Four out of the nine participants received special recognition and awards for outstanding work. The winners are pictured below, and their names and awards from left to right are: Zach Gaines (Honorable Mention - $100.00), Ashley Espinoza (Award of Merit - Second Place - $500.00), Yasmine Jafari (Design of Excellence - First Place - $750.00) and Taylor Bond (Citation Award - Third Place - $250.00). 

Next spring, professor Thompson and her graduate assistant will use the elements of the students' designs to create a composite design for the final demonstration garden at United Housing for its Homebuyer Education clients. Once completed, the building and implementation phases will take place during the 2015 summer gardening season. 

United Housing Employees Help Keep Memphis Beautiful

After working at United Housing for almost two years, Bianca Patel began to think of new ways for the nonprofit to participate in eco-friendly practices. This thinking led Bianca, Accounting Coordinator and Administration Services, to implement an in-house recycling program at our office in November 2013.

“I noticed that most of the trash we were throwing out was actually recyclable, so I wanted to give our employees a way to recycle,” said Bianca. “This program parallels our other ‘green’ projects we have been working on, specifically United Housing’s Wolf River Bluffs development, so it was easy to get everyone on board.”

Bianca doesn’t just strive to keep our environment clean while at work. Although there aren’t any recycling programs that service her neighborhood, she still makes it a point to gather all her recyclable products and take them to local drop-off locations. Her concerted effort is obvious, and her coworkers have taken notice and joined in.

“The response from my coworkers has been great,” said Bianca. “I have also been able to get our neighbors in the office complex to participate, which has been encouraging.”

The program is one year old this month, and our office alone already recycles 50 to 100 pounds of materials every month.

Saturday, November 15 is America Recycles Day, sponsored by Keep America Beautiful (link to http://bit.ly/1yAv2xW). Want to help us keep our city beautiful? Find out how you can recycle in your neighborhood by visiting: http://bit.ly/1u1WLqq.

Final Student Designs Submitted for United Housing’s NeighborScape Demo Garden to Benefit Homebuyer Education Clients

On October 20, United Housing’s Anna Gattuso and Amy Schaftlein visited Jenna Thompson’s Architecture and Interior Design Studio at the University of Memphis to review the initial set of designs nine students had created for our NeighborScape Demonstration Garden. Based on feedback from a jury composed of Anna, Amy and Kalki Winter, the students then updated their design boards and presented the final pieces to us on October 24 in our Homebuyer Education classroom, where the boards will remain on display.

During the Spring 2015 semester, elements of the students’ designs will go into a composite design created by Jenna’s graduate assistant. Once finalized, the team will focus on the building phase of the garden during the 2015 summer gardening season.

In addition to being beneficial to United Housing and our Homebuyer Education clients, this project also greatly benefits the University of Memphis Architecture Department and the community as a whole.

“What I love most about the NeighborScape project is its potential to provide sustainable landscape techniques to individuals who will benefit from economic savings and take pride in where they live,” said Jenna. “The ability for all socio-economic levels to learn about sustainable landscaping and gardening provides opportunities to reduce water usage, improve home values and provide food options. This knowledge has the ability to empower homeowners by providing greater understanding of the environment and how a healthy and beautiful home creates healthy and happy inhabitants.”

The project will teach Jenna’s students specific real-life lessons, which can be difficult to communicate in a classroom setting.

“This project will provide hands-on experience with clients who have everyday needs and a budget,” Jenna said. “It is critical that design education provide more than theoretical knowledge by introducing students to real design issues such as sustainable landscaping.”