Client Vision & Community Impact
The Church of Christian Compassion has served as an anchor in West Philadelphia for more than 45 years. When rising housing costs threatened to displace neighborhood elders, leadership answered the call with Compassion Senior Living—a mission-driven development designed to help longtime residents age in place with dignity.
Funded in part through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), the development provides deeply affordable homes for seniors earning between 20% and 60% of Area Median Income (AMI), including four dedicated units for individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
CICADA’s design reinterprets the classic West Philly apartment building into a contemporary, multi-family form. The exterior design draws direct inspiration from the surrounding streetscape, utilizing warm, textured brick masonry, modulated streetwall massing, and articulated window bays that echo the rhythmic facades of neighboring blocks. Inside, universal design principles prioritize senior wellness and mobility: wide, daylit corridors connect private residences to shared amenities, including a library, laundromat, and multi-purpose community rooms.
Built to Enterprise Green Communities standards, a high-performance building envelope works in tandem with energy-efficient MEP systems and an active green-roof stormwater management system—lowering operating loads while delivering a healthy, sustainable home for its residents.
