Mix & Match Housing



The view from one roof deck to another


A radical, factory-built take on the Accessory Dwelling Unit

For the last few decades planners have championed “mixed use” as the best-practice development model for cities. Why hasn’t this thinking permeated the “single family” scale?

Current residential models can’t accommodate a mix of uses because they don’t provide a way to create privacy between the zones of the unit. The organization of most urban homes limits the ability to create a clear distinction between living space and space for a home business or a communal amenity.

This project leverages the very thing that is often seen as a liability for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)—their size—to create a mixed-use dwelling that can be aggregated and hybridized with its neighbors.

It uses the width of the triple decker, but re-imagines its organization. Rather than a matrix of interconnected programs, each program is given an entire, optimized floor plate. This module consists of a program, a stair, and a plumbing chase. The stair links the programs vertically, and allows each to function independently of the others.

Often, conversations about affordability focus on austerity. This project seeks to re-frame that discussion. Kitchens are consolidated into a shared program to save money, but also to build community. Residents decide if their living rooms are private to them, open to their neighbors, or home to something altogether different!




View at Southern Entry




An isometric view of the development:
together & pulled apart.
The colors indicate the different uses:  
Blue—Apartments
Green—Roof Decks
Light Pink—Collective Kitchen
Dark Pink—Collective Living Room
Purple—Collective Flex Space






The view from the East






Ground Floor Plan





View at Northern Entry






Second Floor Plan




View across the second floor terraces






Third Floor Plan





View from Roof Deck







Roof Plan














A long section cut showing,
left to right:
Ground floor—kitchen, living room, flex space
Second floor—outdoor terraces with bedroom beyond, bedroom
Third floor—bedrooms with terrace beyond
Roof—roof decks













A short section cut through, from top to bottom: a roof deck, bedrooms, the collective kitchen, & the stair






Client

Competition

Timeline

2020

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Stats

  • 3-stories
  • 6 bedrooms
  • Lot Size (of Backyard): 2,400 sf (0.055 acres)
  • Bedrooms per Acre: 109
  • Amenities: Communal Kitchen, Shared Laundry & Living Room, Event Space, Shared Roof Decks, Shared Planters, Communal Compost, Bike Parking, Lending Library

Services

  • Architecture
  • Interior Design
  • Landscape Architecture


Award

2020 Rotch Prize Finalist



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