1036 Mission is 83 units of affordable family housing in a nine-story courtyard building in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. The design challenges include (1) providing opportunities for community life and for children to  play and learn and on this dense urban site; (2) insuring that this bulky mid-rise building amongst much smaller older neighbors does not stigmatize its residents as low-income project dwellers. A mid-block courtyard and roof deck provide green outlook and open space. Vertical articulations of the chunky mass create a graceful fit and compliment to smaller neighbors.