Pamela’s Place is home to many of Salt Lake City’s most vulnerable residents—people with disabilities and those who have struggled with homelessness.
Embracing the theme of “connecting,” the five-story development blends 100 studio apartments with valuable community spaces. The common areas are on one level and designed to promote social interaction. The main floor houses a medical clinic operated by Sacred Circle Healthcare, a resident entrance, a dramatic elevator lobby, and large indoor and outdoor spaces that provide welcomed shelter without the feeling of confinement.
The Housing Authority of Salt Lake City worked closely with its partners, including Giv Group and Architecture Belgique, to develop a building that is healthy, sustainable, and efficient to operate and maintain. All of this was delivered in a very tight timeline that coincided with the closing of a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City.
The design of Pamela’s Place maximizes clear lines of sight to create a visually safe environment and eliminate a sense of confinement. The main corridor is designed to have a “wandering wall” to add visual interest to an otherwise drab, confining space. Windows at each end and in the elevator lobby provide abundant natural light. This meant that the corridor could span from one end of the building to the other and not appear long or straight. With the elevators at the center of the building, the corridors flare and open to the elevator lobby on both ends creating an additional seating/social interaction space.
The development was funded through donations, public sources, and federal low-income tax credits.
Named after Pamela Atkinson, a longtime advocate for people experiencing homelessness and others in Utah, the development is designed to be a beacon of hope in the state’s largest city.
