The Reserves at Gray Park

About the Project

Ed Gray Park in Greenville, MS was an overgrown, unused, and abandoned city park. The City of Greenville tasked the Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association with developing the first new affordable housing project in many years. Duvall Decker’s design and planning team researched housing needs within the city and, through an iterative process, created a complex of 42 new units to support affordable, healthy, and sustainable housing.

Research indicated that the typical suburban family house on a large lot was obsolete. With goals including new affordable housing, stormwater control, and future park space, the design proposed a dense, multi-story arrangement of housing units on a portion of the site, leaving the remainder to the natural landscape. Building forms are developed from pattern arrangements of modular unit types, oriented to create a unified permeable façade.

Generous overhangs shield living spaces from solar heat gain, while large shaded slider windows transmit light and provide cross ventilation for each unit. Living units operate efficiently, offering utility cost savings for residents and low maintenance costs for the owner. The complex includes private courts, a shared interior landscape, and space for larger private and shared front porches. Sidewalks surround the outer perimeter and intersect private courts, providing a safe, healthy walking trail for residents.

Duvall Decker was assisted by W.L. Burle Engineers, PA, Engineering Resource Group, Inc, and Jon D Rice & Associates, LLC.

Awards

• 2022 AIA MS Design Merit Award
• 2022 Architizer A+Award – Best Affordable Housing

Publications

• Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, The State of Housing Design, 2023