Amber Grace Community

amber grace community

This first-of-its-kind residential community for adults affected by Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) envisions what quality of life means for such individuals as they grow into their adulthoods and beyond. A yearlong programming, master-planning, and visioning effort was undertaken as a collaboration between Reach Architects, and the AGC board, to uncover what the program needed to be to help best serve the community that would call the community their home. The process included surveys, research, brainstorming workshops, interviews, precedent community visits, site visits, and design charrettes. At the end of the process, the deliverables included a “Owners Project Requirements” document, a program summary worksheet, and a masterplan with conceptual exterior building renderings. Following the programming, master-planning & visioning phase, Reach Architects went on to serve as the design architect on the project, and it is currently under construction with an estimated completion by the end of 2025.

The master-planned development is conceived as a neighborhood where residents, their families, and caregivers can cohabitate on a dedicated 10-acre site within the Berry College Campus. A delicate balance was struck throughout the project between the practicalities of a highly variegated program and the specific needs of IDD adults. The driving mission statement for the project is “To cultivate a Christ-led abundant life for every Neighbor, their families, and the communities we serve.”.

  Image courtesy of HGOR