Photos: College housing like no other unveiled northwest of Atlanta

Fun fact: Spread across 27,000 acres, Berry College near Rome is by far the world’s largest college campus—nearly six times the size of Atlanta’s airport grounds, in fact. Now, a section of that property has been reimagined in a uniquely uplifting way.

Atlanta-based architecture firm Cooper Carry unveiled this week a project called Amber Grace Community at Berry College, which was recently completed as a model approach for supportive-living communities aimed at helping adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD.

The 10-acre Amber Grace project includes eight residences that can house up to 48 adults alongside amenities in a bucolic setting about 75 miles northwest of Atlanta.

New entry to the Amber Grace Community at Berry College's campus. Courtesy of Cooper Carry

Courtesy of Cooper Carry

The goal of the project—as designed by Cooper Carry, based on Reach Architects’ preliminary concepts—is to lend residents a supportive environment that provides life and vocation skills, boosts independence, and creates a sense of belonging.

Residences with shared courtyards are positioned around a village green social hub, and pathways link all parts of Amber Grace like city streets. A community center acts as the project anchor, with a dining hall and spaces for classes. Other amenities include a playground, fitness studio, gymnasium, and onsite cosmetology and healthcare studios, according to project architects.

Private rooms in each home open to a shared living space to create a “family-style atmosphere” that “exudes a true neighborly environment” rather than an institutional feel, according to Cooper Carry reps.

The development team also included project manager Gleeds America and Choate Construction.

Courtesy of Cooper Carry

David and Debbie Turner, parents of an adult daughter with Down Syndrome, founded Amber Grace as a faith-based nonprofit in 2020. They established the Berry College community as a means to address needs for post-secondary school programs and services for adults with IDD in a more communal, productive setting.

“With Amber Grace, the end goal was to design an engaging and authentic built environment where human bonds are fostered and encouraged,” said Tim Fish, Cooper Carry principal, in a project announcement. “By emulating an interwoven neighborhood experience, the community empowers residents to take charge of their independence and live life abundantly.”

Have a closer look around the Amber Grace project’s grounds and facilities in the gallery above.

Courtesy of Cooper Carry