Pick a coconut from your bedroom window!
A new model of housing for multi-generational families and intentional communities
Green House brings a new model of communal living to Boston, one that is equally relevant to two distinct audiences:
multi-generational families that want to cohabitate & people looking for the affordabiliy and companionship of co-living.
What would typically be three separate homes share a communal ground floor that contains: dining, living, laundry and, either a “grandmother flat” or a home business. Each unit can be accessed from the first floor by a private stair that leads to their bedrooms.
The housing is paired with a public greenhouse-promenade that creates a mid-block shortcut, extending the community beyond the dwelling. This greenhouse allows the residents to grow a significant amount of food or flowers, and could be used to provide garden plots for neighbors as well. In Boston’s cold climate it provides a taste of the tropics year-round.
What would typically be three separate homes share a communal ground floor that contains: dining, living, laundry and, either a “grandmother flat” or a home business. Each unit can be accessed from the first floor by a private stair that leads to their bedrooms.
The housing is paired with a public greenhouse-promenade that creates a mid-block shortcut, extending the community beyond the dwelling. This greenhouse allows the residents to grow a significant amount of food or flowers, and could be used to provide garden plots for neighbors as well. In Boston’s cold climate it provides a taste of the tropics year-round.
One-Third Greenhouse + Two-Thirds House, as viewed from the East side
A site diagram showing the arrangement of the greenhouse & the house
This reconfiguration allows families to eat together and have a greater variety of social interactions, while saving on kitchen costs
The site is two back to back lots that create a mid-block pass through. The dimensions, 170’ long by 14’ wide at it’s narrowest, resist traditional development models
Year round tropics within the greenhouse arcade, which can be opened in the warm months
First Floor Plan, Living Room Zoom
The building is constructed of cross
laminated timber (CLT), a low-carbon mass timber structural system that has the warmth & beauty of wood
The upper floors house the majority of the bedrooms and bathrooms.
The shower is separated from the toilet and sink to help mitigate the morning / evening rush. The three separate volumes & the location of the closets creates additional privacy
A third of the ground floor is given over to an in-law unit or a small business (or a hybrid of both, as shown here)
The greenhouse arcade creates a mid-block cut through with year round tropical plants. It:
- Creates a privacy buffer for the residents
- Makes use of a long, narrow site, &
- Generates revenue for the residents through rentable garden plots
A long section cut through the greenhouse-promenade
The height of the greenhouse alternates from one to three stories, in step with the housing. This creates opportunities for trees & hanging plants, while establishing a human-scale
Each bedroom has one window into the greenhouse, and one to fresh air. Window sizes & heights reference the context
A short section cut through the roof deck, bedrooms, living room, and three-story green house.
A short section cut through the communal kitchen showing the windows of the bedrooms beyond
Client
Competition
Timeline
2018Status
CompleteLocation
Boston, MassachusettsServices
ArchitectureLandscape Architecture
Interior Design
Furniture Selection