Fellwood Homes, Savannah

Savannah, Georgia, 2007

Melaver Inc., a pioneering sustainable development firm, included Michael Singer Studio as part of their Sustainable Fellwood Affordable Housing project team to explore environmental opportunities for the site, multi-family residential building design and community programming on a 27 acre site located on the west side of downtown Savannah, Georgia. Sustainable Fellwood is a $50 million mixed-use development encompassing 220 mixed use, mixed income housing units (in several phases), 100 senior housing units, 13 single family homeowner units, and potential retail, medical, and technical space. Amenities include a clubhouse, an organic community garden and a large common green space. Sustainable Fellwood was accepted into the LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Program (LEED – ND), has achieved stage 2 Silver Certification and is seeking Stage 3 Gold Certification.

Michael Singer Studio was involved in the early planning of the development, identifying combinations of building massing and circulation plan strategies that maximize green spaces among the housing units while maintaining parking requirements. The unit and massing configurations also explored methods to protect the existing large oaks on site, vary building massing, increase natural light within living spaces, create roof terrace gardens and provide native water-filtering landscapes. The Studio also investigated and made recommendations for innovative community programming. These programs provide economic opportunity at the site and for Savannah’s west side communities through the creation of local jobs, and crucially, locally owned businesses such as a community owned co-op market place. The Studio also identified opportunities for incubating new businesses and venues in the creative economy. A number of the concepts were included in the final design, though many design features, strategies and programming initiatives were removed from the project or delayed due to the economic downturn in 2008.

Artist / Designer: Michael Singer
Singer Studio Project Team: Jason Bregman, Aaron Kadoch
Master Developer: Melaver Inc.
Sustainability Management: Tommy Linstroth with Melaver Inc., now Trident Sustainability
Architect: Lott+Barber Architects (Phase I and II)