Lessons Learned from Public Housing Renovations: A Technical Perspective
Reinventing the Familiar
Public housing faces a paradox. Many of the buildings that provided affordable shelter for generations now struggle to meet today’s expectations for accessibility, energy performance, and livability. However, these structures hold social and even architectural value that cannot be replaced easily or economically. The renovation of Jones Village in Dublin, Georgia -a 50-unit community originally constructed in 1952—offered our team at SRJ Architects an opportunity to reconcile that tension between past and future.
The goal was simple but ambitious: transform a mid-century housing project into a contemporary, dignified multi-family neighborhood—without displacing Residents or erasing the community’s identity. Along the way, we learned valuable lessons about technical coordination, phasing, and the profound effect of design on Residents.
