ARCH 2140 Urban Walk-Up Housing

SPRING 2020

URBAN WALK-UP HOUSING ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions

Northeastern University School of Architecture

SPRING 2020

URBAN WALK-UP HOUSING ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions Northeastern University School of Architecture Introduction Tim Love Afterword Judith Kinnard Graphic Editor Noelle Burke Editors Lisa Hollywood Chimaobi Izeogu Kyle Jonasen

Spring 2020 Urban Walk-Up Housing Arch 2140 Urban Institutions Northeastern University School of Architecture College of Ars, Media and Design 102 Ryder Hall 360 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02155 617.373.3682 camd.northeastern.edu/architecture Copyright © 2021 Northeastern University School of Architecture Cover art by Marie Davis Printed by Blurb www.blurb.com

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The work contained within this publication is drawn from the Spring 2020 Northeastern University School of Architecture ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions studio. All work was produced by second year architecture students, for whom the focus of the semester was walk-up housing in Boston’s South End. STUDIO COORDINATORS Tim Love and Paxton Sheldahl FACULTY Kyle Barker, Lisa Hollywood, Chimaobi Izeogu STUDENTS Aakilah Rashid, Abdulaziz Alkhalifa, Adele Biehl, Anita Goharfar, Anna Bonfigli, Arpi Dayian, Isabella Greco, Cameron Hettich, Caroline Wertlieb, Christopher Beck, Cristina Solà Sanz, Dana Murtada, Daniela Zaragoza, Emely Mateo, Emerson Campbell, Emma Tracy, Ethan Wang, Eva Justo, Gene-Phillipe Mongan, Gloria He, Grace Drucker Shaooli, Harrison Boudreau, Jake Okrent, Ji Huyn Nam, Joana Tourinho, Haoming (Judy) Zhu, Karissa Xu, Lena Parsch, Marie Davis, Megan Arseneau, Melissa Jacobs, Miranda Hazoury, Nina Spellman, Nivedita Huple, Noah Wendel, Noelle Burke, Nouf Almuhaidib, Olivia Johnson, Omarlyn Martinez, Qiling (Krystal) Cai, Ruby Kenausis, Scarlett Hanks, Sharmeen Khan, Shepard Thompson, Sophia Pinto, Sophia Aguayo-Garber, Sterling Yun, Theodore Kypreos, Valentina Cantillana, William Chattin, Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan, Yuju Kang

Contents 1

Introduction

2

Single Stair Central

3

Single Stair Linear

1 Introduction by Tim Love 3 Preliminary Assignments 5 Site 7 Categories 9 Case Study by Noelle Burke

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Sophia Aguayo-Garber Marie Davis Adele Biehl Anita Goharfar Nouf Almuhaidib Sterling Yun Ji Huyn Nam Haoming (Judy) Zhu Miranda Hazoury Aakilah Rashid Karissa Xu Valentina Cantillana Abdulaziz Alkhalifa Gene-Phillipe Mongan Yuju Kang Gloria He Cristina Solà Sanz Isabella Greco Harrison Boudreau Grace Drucker Shaooli

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Emma Tracy William Chattin Caroline Wertlieb Qiling (Krystal) Cai Dana Murtada Scarlett Hanks Joana Tourinho Olivia Johnson Sophia Pinto Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan Nina Spellman Emerson Campbell Shepard Thompson Arpi Dayian Emely Mateo

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Corridor Based

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Exterior Access

6

Afterword

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Megan Arseneau Lena Parsch Daniela Zaragoza Sharmeen Khan Jake Okrent Ruby Kenausis Cameron Hettich

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Anna Bonfigli Ethan Wang Christopher Beck Theodore Kypreos Eva Justo Omarlyn Martinez Noah Wendel Melissa Jacobs Nivedita Huple

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Essay by Judith Kinnard

“A pejorative association with the word housing has not been a minor problem. Language reflects but also create’s cultural beliefs. Home, as represented by a house and yard, has been among the most cherished symbols of the American Dream. The concept of “housing” meanwhile—especially as evoked by such terms as public housing, multi-family housing, social housing, and even more generally, urban housing—has been harder for mainstream Americans to embrace. The fact that we commonly refer to apartments in multi-family housing as units hardly helps. Occupying a unit of housing surely sounds like something less than living in a home with grace dwelling in it.”

Alex Krieger, City on a Hill: Urban Idealism in America from the Puritans to the Present, 285.

Introduction Tim Love Multifamily housing was the subject of the Spring 2020 sophomore spring semester studio at Northeastern University, with a specific focus on urban “walk-up” housing of three and four stories. Housing is an important subject to tackle as a component of a comprehensive architecture curriculum because of its role as the building block of cities. The neighborhood character and social life of Boston’s diverse neighborhoods was and is still defined by the individual residential buildings that make up the neighborhood fabric, including the tenements of the North End, the rowhouses of the South End, and the tripledeckers of Dorchester.

In the past ten years, housing projects of a very different scale have been built on postindustrial sites at the edges of Boston’s traditional neighborhoods. This relatively new type is larger apartment or condo buildings with units organized along both sides of a corridor that runs the length of each floor. “Double-loaded” buildings are preferred by real estate developers because they maximize the amount of rentable or for sale real estate as a percentage of the total building area.

The height of the recent generation of multifamily housing in Boston is driven by economic considerations too. In Massachusetts, buildings that are seventy feet and taller trigger the high-rise code (the threshold is 75’ in other jurisdictions). High-rises need to be constructed of non-combustible materials like steel or concrete and come with other obligations that increase the construction cost per square foot.

As a result, developers prefer “stick built” wood frame buildings just under 70’ tall if they can’t justify high-rise buildings that are eleven stories 1 or taller. The net result of these pragmaticallyderived and market-embraced considerations is residential buildings that are remarkably the same no matter what the location and level of “luxury.”

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Although these buildings have been derided as 2 “Blandmarks” by critics because of their ubiquity, they have emerged as the result of a convergence between several different determinants, including the size of typical households, construction technology, building regulations, and the size of available development parcels. As a result, their form is as much market and regulation driven as the rowhouses, triple deckers, and tenements that preceded them.

2 “Restyling Blandmarks: Those Much Maligned Boxy Urban Condo Buildings,” Web Urbanist, accessed December 30, 2020.

The "Missing Middle" Planners working in communities across North America are lamenting the lack of “missing middle” housing as part of the development tool kit. The “missing middle” encompasses a widerange of housing types that are neither singlefamily homes nor the large double-loaded corridor apartment buildings that are the dominant residential building type being built in the Boston area today. Examples of missing middle housing include two-family buildings (duplexes), threefamily buildings (triple deckers in New England), and small apartment buildings of up to twelve or so units. The lack of missing middle housing is partly being driven by economics and regulations.

Developers build as densely as they can before triggering the high-rise code (see above) and missing middle types are typically not permitted

1 Typically, eleven stories is the minimum number of floors necessary to justify the additional costs of high-rise construction in multi-family construction.

4 Ramps at 1:12 require landings at every 30” of elevation change. Slopes at 1:20 or less do not require intermediate landings.

5 Travel distances within units also need to be considered when designing a building with a single egress stair.

in most zoning districts, except in commercial districts where larger apartment buildings are also allowed. As a result, the zoning is being changed in places like Somerville (MA) and Minneapolis to encourage the production of new manifestations of missing middle housing.

Missing middle housing has several advantages from an urban design standpoint. The buildings typically fit on the smaller lots of existing urban residential neighborhoods, and when built as part of a larger new development, they create a more walkable neighborhood with a wider range of unit types and levels of affordability. They also make it easier to provide private outdoor space to each of the units.

1. All ground floor units need to be “Type II accessible units,” which means they need to be on a single floor and accessed from the public sidewalk at grade or via ramps that are no steeper 4 than 1:12.

2. All upper floor units are accessible by a stair (and not an elevator).

3. Up to twelve total units per building and four 5 units per floor can share a single egress stair.

4. Buildings that include more than twelve units require a second enclosed egress stair.

5. The front door to a unit can be no higher in a building than the third floor.

6. All upper floor units can be multi-level units.

In addition to the richer spatial and organizational possibilities, walk-up housing can be less costly to build, can allow for more sidewalk-level entrances that enliven the public realm, and can better connect occupants to the ground plane and private outdoor spaces. These considerations were addressed at several stages of the studio.

A Case for Walk-Up Housing as the Focus of a Foundation Design Studio

3 At different stages during the studio, the student learned about the relevant building and accessibility codes in more detail.

The inevitable organizational logic of elevatoraccessed double-loaded corridor buildings means that the type is not a very interesting subject for a design studio. Walk-up “missing middle” housing, on the other hand, has richer spatial and social possibilities because the code for non-elevator buildings allows for a wider range of solutions for vertical and horizontal circulation. A few general rules (as prescribed by Massachusetts building 3 and accessibility codes ) set the stage for the numerous possibilities:

Tim Love 

Preliminary Assignments

Double-Loaded Corridor Building Test-Fit In a quick, one week exercise, students grappled with the codes and basic market considerations that govern double-loaded corridor buildings in order to develop their own typical floor plan on a given site, consisting of two parcels in Boston’s South End. Instructors asked students to consider topics such as corridor width and unit access, the minimum and maximum distance to egress stairs, the impact of daylighting requirements on unit layout, and building wing width and clearance between opposing wings. In their final proposals, students were required to develop a 3D model of the context and to represent their

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buildings with corridors, elevators, egress stairs, and unit partitions up to 70 feet.

The images above depict how somes students overcame spatial challenges, such as positioning egress stairs at wing junctions and developing unique unit layouts for inside corner conditions. Most importantly, some students recognized that tight courtyard conditions were suboptimal for daylighting and open space, electing to sacrifice some density to gain better sun exposure and open space opportunities.

INTRODUCTION

Learning from Precedent Working in small teams across studio sections, each student selected and analyzed a housing precedent, with a particular emphasis on the project’s circulation, programmatic layout, spatial sequencing, and organizational strategies of the following buildings.

Diagoon Experimental Housing Double House Narkomfin Building Housing Schilderswijk West Carabanchel Social Housing Songpa Micro-Housing Lindenstrasse, Berlin Seijo Townhouses Centre Village Quinta Monroy Social Housing Marginal Street Lofts

Students produced plans, sections, elevations, analytic diagrams, and 3D drawings, unpacking the zones of spatial occupation and patterning of outdoor space to develop their own walk-up housing projects.

Delft, Netherlands Utrecht, Netherlands Moscow, Russia Den Haag, Netherlands Carabanchel, Spain Seoul, South Korea Germany Tokyo, Japan Winnipeg, Canada Iquique, Chile Boston, United States

1970 1997 1932 1988 2007 2014 1986 2008 2010 2003 2014

Herman Hertzberger MVRDV Ginsburg & Milinis Alvaro Siza FOA Single Speed Design Herman Hertzberger Kazuyo Sejima 5468796 Architecture Elemental Merge Architects

Tim Love 

Site Located in Boston’s South End, the selected site is a parking lot bounded by Newcomb, Reed, and East Lenox Street and owned by the Boston Water and Sewer Department. The neighborhood is characterized by brick rowhouses and mid-rise public housing buildings to the north, and municipal buildings and single family houses to the south. Northeastern University and the Boston University School of Medicine are in close proximity, as well as opportunities for leisure and recreation in the form of Ramsay and Orchard Parks, the South Bay Harbor Trail, and various community gardens.

Under the guidance of the instructors, students conducted a site visit to record existing conditions and a brief historical

survey to understand the transformation of the site over time, referencing older aerial photos and maps archived within The Boston Altas by the Boston Planning & Development Agency. Nevertheless, the students’ final proposals were most informed by their recorded site analysis, including pedestrian desire lines to public transportation and City of Boston bicycle routes, nearby grocery and convenience stores, and access to playgrounds, playing fields, and other green spaces. Using this data, students developed basic approaches to landscape and urban orientations, either choosing to work within and supplement the framework of existing open space, or electing to embrace alternative forms of public and community-oriented spaces that enriched their residential program.

Legend 1. Melnea Cass Boulevard 2. E Lenox Street 3. Newcomb Street 4. Washington Street 5. Boston University School of Medicine 6. Amazon 7. Ramsay Park 8. Tropical Foods 9. Boston Water Commission 10. South Bay Harbor Trail Site

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INTRODUCTION 5

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Categories To make the studio projects accessible, we have grouped projects into clearly defined categories based on access and circulation, which fall into four types: single stair (central), single stair (linear), corridor-based, and exterior access. Within each section, projects are organized in descending order according to the total number of units. This organization allows the reader to assess the tradeoffs associated with density. A final layer of categorization tags each project with pictograms that represent site layout and window exposure. The site layout pictogram illustrates the types of morphological configurations of dwellings on the site that emerged in the studio. Students

considered how the different building configurations related to exterior light, shadows, and views. They also assessed how the block configuration positioned individual dwellings relative to one another, shared spaces, and the public realm. The other pictograms indicate window exposure, another theme that students grappled with as they investigated how more than one exposure could be achieved. The layers of categorization are intended to allow for comparison and to elicit an exploration of how various spatial typologies of walk-up housing, when brought to a site in Boston, produce tangible effects on community and lifestyle.

Access Single Stair—Linear

A single staircase provides access to all units above the ground floor. These stairs are un-embedded in the building.

Single Stair—Central

A single, often switchback staircase provides access to all units above the ground floor. These stairs are embedded within the building floor plates.

Corridor-Based

Circulation through the building is driven by the use of corridors.

Exterior Access

Dwelling units are primarily accessed directly from the exterior.

Unit Distribution This graphic shows the total number of units in each project, and breaks this total down into the number of each unit type, shown with squares representing studios, 1-bedrooms, 2-bedrooms, and 3-bedrooms.

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

INTRODUCTION

Block Configuration

Enclosed Courtyard

Modules are aggregated around the entire perimeter of the site, leaving space for a courtyard in the center.

Open Courtyard

Modules are aggregated in a U-shape around the site, leaving space for an open courtyard in the center.

Parallel Bars

Modules are aggregated along two sides of the site.

Single Bar

Modules are aggregated to form a single building, cutting through the site in a straight line.

Mat

Modules are aggregated across the entire site.

Unit Window Exposures

Single-Exposure

Units with openings on one side.

Double-Exposure Open-Ended

Units with openings at opposite ends.

Double-Exposure 90-Degree

Units with openings at corners or at 90 degrees to one another.

Tim Love 

Case Study

The topic of housing in pedagogy often covers complex constraints and myriad special areas of focus, ranging from theoretical, social, or economic interests, to material or experiential preoccupations. As a foundational studio, “Urban Walk-Up Housing” focused on an earnest, code-based approach to the circulation armature and organizational logic as the departure point for student investigation. This studio introduced students to the codified spatial language, considerations of density, and minimized circulation while challenging them to conceive of compelling configurations that explore the flexibility and potential opportunities of the walk-up housing type. The following project exemplifies this approach, developing an open courtyard and center for the community while using large moves to establish a

Section Perspective

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Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

INTRODUCTION relationship with the context. The project also deploys a hybrid circulation and organizational approach that creates a sense of individuality and a variety of living configurations for residents.

Each module contains nine units, as well as components of the building that make connections to the site. The first floor has two studios and a central, two story townhouse accessed

directly from the street. The inclusion of a townhouse in the center of the module allowed the student to avoid a second floor corridor and to dedicate additional area to the twobedroom flats. The third and fourth floor consist entirely of interlocking, two story residences accessed from, and wrapping around, a central corridor on the third floor. This organization satisfies the requirement that common circulation terminates

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Noelle Burke 

on the third floor. Each of the multi level residences has two or three bedrooms and private bathrooms located on the second floor, as well as a double height space at a portion of the living room and private balcony. On the ground floor exterior, sloped breezeways separate the stair core from ground floor units and provide access to the block interior.

Four typical modules are grouped in sections around the perimeter of the site in order to establish moments of communal use at the corners and center of the aggregation. A second module type fills the corners, including single story apartments on the second floor, and two story residences on the third and fourth floor, consistent with the massing of the typical module. At the ground level, the corners are left as open spaces, which provide secure locations for bicycle parking that remain visible from the street. Meanwhile, the large, mid-block condition is developed as a publicly accessible communal courtyard with overlapping views of the bicycle parking areas. Lastly, a special module that follows the angled corner of the site and contains indoor and outdoor community spaces, creates a dramatic, public entrance to the courtyard and meeting place for the neighborhood.

The resulting assemblage offers residents a number of common spaces to inhabit as well as a variety of

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

INTRODUCTION dwelling types, sizes, and views to the surrounding context.

A range of opening types and patterns help to distinguish program on the elevations. Private patio spaces adjacent to living rooms are articulated as large voids, while smaller windows define private spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms. Each unit is covered with panelling of different sizes that enables residents and visitors to identify specific

apartments from outside, and the stair cores appear as white boxes punctuated by large openings.

At the exterior, access to ground floor units animate the street, and the point-loaded stairs provide common entry points for upper floor residents. A system of sloped breezeways connect the street to the interior courtyard, pedestrian pathways, and

Noelle Burke 

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

bicycle parking. Internally, stairwells provide direct access to apartments on the second floor, and a skip-stop arrangement on the upper two floors—combined with internal, private stairs—minimizes the number of corridors needed to access the interlocking units, similar to the Narkomfin Building and Marginal Street Lofts.

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Drawing from building solutions from the double-loaded corridor study, the block was intentionally left open to the north, towards Washington Street, in the direction of the closest T stops and along which most of the local buses travel.

The open courtyard can be enjoyed by both residents and the rest of the neighborhood. Visitors can access the site at

INTRODUCTION Floor 3 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

the public walkway on East Lenox Street, which slopes gently from the sidewalk to the center of the courtyard, or at any of the sloped, pedestrian breezeways around the perimeter.

The entire mid-block zone is dropped 2’-6” below grade to provide additional privacy to the ground floor patios that face the courtyard. The retaining walls between the sidewalk and

bicycle parking also force residents and visitors to first enter the courtyard before parking, which serves as additional security against theft. Between the sidewalk and building exterior, private patios form a chain of intimate green spaces. At the center of the courtyard, reflecting pools, trees, and grassy areas provide areas for outdoor gatherings and communal recreation.

Noelle Burke 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Noelle Burke 

Single Stair - Central Each building module contains a single, centrally located communal staircase that provides access to all units above the ground floor. Front doors to units are centrally located by stair landings on the second and third floors. This layout follows the Massachusetts Building and Accessibility codes, which limit main entries to dwellings served by a single stair to the third floor and below. Any floors above the third floor are reached through private stairs inside the units.

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Four-pack floor plans commonly emerge from this access scheme, with a central stair leading to two units facing the street and two units at the rear. When aggregated like a rowhouse, units are single exposure. To add more exposures and bring spatial diversity, many students explored plans organized like a pinwheel or cross, and introduced multi-faceted geometries in plan. Others experimented with units that interlock in three dimensions, reaching across the building to attain additional window exposure for units.

Tim Love 

Sophia Aguayo-Garber

This project achieves a high density of units, by occupying much of the site with expansive building footprints and squeezing units in section with a raumplan configuration.

With just three flights of shared stairs, four and a half levels of units are reached, adhering to the walk-up code while adding density. Upper level flats and multi-story units achieve 90 degree window exposure through setting back a portion of the facade. Recessed bedrooms group volumetrically when aggregated to form more expansive corner conditions which are maximized with private balconies. Floor-to-ceiling windows face balconies, often wrapping corners, and are staggered in section to create a cohesive and rhythmic facade pattern.

Section Perspective

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Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL 5

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Sophia Aguayo-Garber 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Sophia Aguayo-Garber 

Marie Davis

This project utilizes the raum plan to pack units onto the site and generate spatial diversity. Units at the interior of the block are half a level below those on the street, allowing for additional units while still falling below the code-defined height limit. After ground floor flats, moving up on half levels, residents reach studios and the upper floors have split-level units that span the depth of the building. The top floor duplex is registered on the facade with tall corner windows in the double height space. Duplexes contain rich spatial layers, with split levels creating zones of privacy within units and interior windows connecting across double height spaces to the exterior. Elevation changes in the public realm define zones of publicness and recessed balconies and shutters facilitate operable privacy.

Section Perspective

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Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

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Marie Davis 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Marie Davis 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Marie Davis 

Adele Biehl

The site was developed using a framework of regulating lines at a forty-five degree angle relative to the street. Arranged in an open courtyard, each module remains a distinct building with an access alleyway that links the four corners of the site with a private courtyard. Ground floor units are either accessible or split-level. A central, switchback stair provides access to upper floor units with entries at intermediate landings, which offset opposing units by a half level. This arrangement, combined with an internal stair on the upper, two-level residences, creates a stepped massing with the tops of lower units providing rooms for roof gardens. Meanwhile, sections of exterior wall peel back, creating a dynamic facade with dramatic patios and varied, daylit interior and exterior conditions.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Perspective Perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Adele Biehl 

Anita Goharfar

The primary circulation for each building module is a central shared stair that opens onto the street. Ground floor flats are accessed off of the interior lobby, after passing resident mailboxes. Moving up the shared stair, units open off of every landing, with units at the interior of the block staggered half a level off units facing the street. Upper floor units are all duplexes and interior stairs are positioned symmetrically, away from corners.

In accordance with the code, the central stair stops at the third floor, and upper levels are reached by internal stairs.

Curved protruding balconies add an additional language to the block massing, and serve to emphasize individual units and draw attention to these semi-private spaces.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Anita Goharfar 

Nouf Almuhaidib

Each building module is organized around a central staircase that leads to second floor flats and third floor duplexes. Lower level apartments are designed with additional and separate entrances to sleeping quarters, including exterior stairs that lead directly to “airbnb” suites. This provides residents with the flexibility to rent out spaces for additional income. Each unit has a private outdoor space, and wrap-around upper floor terraces promote socialization with neighbors. On the top floor, a deck spans between buildings, creating a semi-public open space between private balconies. Multi-bedroom units and connections between private and shared outdoor spaces are geared specifically toward young families with children.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

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Nouf Almuhaidib 

Sterling Yun

Building modules are organized around a central stair and units pinwheel around the stair in plan. Above ground floor accessible units, the shared stair leads to four flats on each level. The pinwheel arrangement of units gives multiple window exposures. This is accentuated by locating bathrooms and closets between units, which gives the facade further exposure. The corners are optimized further with private balconies.

The social nature of the central courtyard is enhanced by locating entrances to each building facing the interior courtyard.

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Sterling Yun 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Sterling Yun 

Ji Huyn Nam

Each module consists of a pinwheel plan, with a stair, lobby, and shared recreational terrace at the center, surrounded by units and terraces of varying sizes. The ground and second floor have flats, while the third and fourth floor have two-level units accessed from the third floor by the central stair. The modules aggregate to form two fairly dense bars articulated by stepped terraces and separated by a walkway and public plaza connecting East Lenox and Newcomb Street. While the proximity of the terraces encourages neighbor interaction, no two terraces physically touch, ensuring each has a degree of privacy. Internally, the units are neatly organized into public and private sections, with living rooms, kitchens, and dining rooms opening up to private terraces.

Section Perspective

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Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

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Section B Scale: 1:60

Ji Huyn Nam 

Haoming (Judy) Zhu

Each module is defined by square and trapezoid-shaped units aggregated around a central stair in a pinwheel. At the ground floor, the units are offset to provide access to corridors that connect the sidewalk to a series of interlocking, publicly accessible courtyards. Pairs of modules lightly touch to form two articulated bars; however, each module retains formal autonomy due to the aggregation strategy, landscape forms, and hyperformal roof system. At each level, units slide relative to the unit below, which creates opportunities for private terraces. Two-level, upper floor units are accessed from the third floor, but share a communal courtyard roof deck at the fourth floor. Internally, residences are carefully zoned between private and enclosed bedroom spaces versus more open living room, kitchen, and dining spaces.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

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Haoming (Judy) Zhu 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Roof Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Haoming (Judy) Zhu 

Miranda Hazoury

Apartments pinwheel around the central stair which gives direct access to units. After apartments on the ground floor, the stair leads to flats on the second level and duplexes accessed on the third level. By rotating the units on each level, patios and overhangs emerge and define generous private open spaces for each apartment.

Semi-public space is limited to the area around the central stair and the linear open space that connects across the block. By staggering the units in plan, double ninety degree window exposure is achieved, which is expressed further through corner windows.

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

Section Perspective

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Concept

Massing

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SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Miranda Hazoury 

Aakilah Rashid

In each bow-tie-shaped module, a central stair connects three residential floors to a roof deck amenity. The stair also connects two single-loaded corridors that provide access to a one and three bedroom apartment, with a two-level, two bedroom residence holding the corners of the third and fourth floor. Internally, the living and dining room provides connections to the private spaces of each unit, and small balconies are accessed from the living room or master bedroom. At the exterior, the facade peels at each floor, tying each private terrace visually to an inaccessible green roof.

On the site, four loosely aggregated modules create deep lawns along the street, two publicly accessible courtyards, and one semi-private courtyard for the residents.

Perspective

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Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

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Circulation

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Public vs Private

Unit Types

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Aakilah Rashid 

Karissa Xu

Units in each module are accessed by a central stair that winds around a shared, entry court. The ground and second floor consist of flats and a townhouse, while the third and fourth floor have only two-level residences accessed from the third floor. The modules aggregate to form two bars separated by a cruciform walkway and public plaza connecting East Lenox and Newcomb Street. A series of small, stepped, private terraces overlook the plaza and street. Internally, units have fairly compact footprints, which results in a moderately dense system of courtyard blocks.

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Karissa Xu 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Karissa Xu 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Karissa Xu 

Valentina Cantillana

Units are arranged around a central communal stair which gives direct access to dwelling spaces. Above ground floor accessible flats, the communal stair leads to a mix of duplexes and flats which are accessed from the second, third, and fourth floors. The hexagonal units makes each unit identifiable from the exterior and allows for multiple window exposures per apartment. The stacked units jog in section, defining private terraces below overhangs. From the hexagonal unit, a honeycomb logic extends across the site to guide the position of buildings, leaving a generous courtyard at the center of the block. The shape also permeates other design elements, including the configuration of the communal stairs and landscape elements, giving the project a cohesive and recognizable design language.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2B

1A

1B

Valentina Cantillana 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Valentina Cantillana 

Abdulaziz Alkhalifa

A central stair is the primary circulation element for each building module and leads directly from the street to dwelling units. The units are designed for college students and young professionals and include ground floor accessible units, second and third floor flats, and third floor duplexes.

Interior features support a youthful social lifestyle, with rotating walls and murphy beds designed for parties and overnight visitors. Exterior cantilevers provide covered pedestrian walkways along the streets and a gateway into the semi-public courtyard that traverses the site. The material palette echoes that of the neighborhood, with cobblestones leading through the courtyard and facades composed of scaled-up versions of the typical Boston red bricks.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

3

1

4

2

Abdulaziz Alkhalifa 

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section A Scale: 1:60

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section B Scale: 1:60

Abdulaziz Alkhalifa 

Gene-Phillipe Mongan

Building module circulation is organized around a shared central stair that leads directly to upper floor units. The ground floor lobby emanates from this stair with a door to the public street, the interior of the block, and to the two remaining facades. The lobby has lounge space, ample bike storage, and entrances to the ground floor units.

These units include flats and duplexes and the central stair takes residents to second floor flats and third floor duplexes. The street-facing facade is flat and the massing terraces down to the center of the block, giving upper floor units generous balconies. The monolithic facades are inscribed with punch windows, and floor-to-ceiling glass creates connections to the private terraces.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL 2

4

1

3

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Gene-Phillipe Mongan 

Yuju Kang

Each module is defined by a set of overarching geometric principles that bring nuance and variety to common housing elements. A chain of linked octagons, inspired by the bay windows of nearby rowhouses, line the site and enclose a semi-public courtyard connected to the neighborhood via a wide walkway running from E Lenox to Newcomb Street.

Angled regulating lines organize exterior walls that capture semi-public front yard spaces and semi-private terraces, as well as the central, triangular stair that provides access to each unit. Internally, single and two-level units have expansive common spaces and sculptural private spaces. Externally, the angled walls and modular landscape approach create a dynamic backdrop of overlapping activity and varied, sunlit conditions and spaces that soften the limits of the building and its interaction with the streets.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

5

2

4

1

3

Yuju Kang 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:30

Yuju Kang 

Gloria He

A shared central staircase provides direct access to upper floor units while ground floor units have their own front doors. Apartments on the upper floors are all flats, stacked on levels two and three. The front and the backside of the buildings take on different characters and uses. The front facade is primarily flat, with shallow bay window projections, similar to the context. The back face takes a toothed profile in plan, increasing window exposure and creating pockets for private outdoor space.

Apartments feature spacious private balconies located adjacent to the living areas of the units, and projecting into the backyard. The private balconies overlook a shared sunken courtyard at the center of the block.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL 3

2

1

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Gloria He 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Gloria He 

Cristina Solà Sanz

The module of this project is defined by units formed by cubes and aggregated into a pyramid shape counterpoised by sweeping, curved terraces capturing private and collective open space. Internally, a central, common stair provides access to the second floor from which all upper floor units are accessed. Each unit has a unique plan and access to ample open space, creating a rich and vibrant backdrop of activity flanking a curvilinear promenade that weaves through the site. Moreover, due to the stepped massing and orientation of the modules, each terrace, and the courtyard interior, receive variable lighting and sun exposure. Meanwhile, each building presents a taut facade, with stepped roofs and punched windows, towards the adjacent streets and masonry buildings.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL 2

4

1

3

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Cristina Solà Sanz 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Cristina Solà Sanz 

Isabella Greco

Building modules are composed of ground floor duplexes accessed from the exterior, and a central communal stair leads to a flat and duplex accessed from the third floor. The shared stair also provides access to large communal rooftop terraces on the third floor and fourth floor. The project promotes communal living and units are designed around shared living rooms. In each duplex, residents enter through the shared living room and can access three bedrooms and a kitchen on the first level, and another set on the upper level.

Mobile walls allow for the kitchen and bedroom space to be closed off from the living space for privacy. The buildings form a continuous street wall around the block, with an entrance to the central courtyard at the east and west.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Isabella Greco 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Isabella Greco 

Harrison Boudreau

The project consists of two modules that use a central stair to develop a variety of units in a compact footprint. In the main module, a central common stair connects the entry vestibule and community room with access to apartments.

Secondary stairs internal to two-level apartments hug the main stair and push the main space of each unit towards the exterior wall. The common stair is centered in the module with apartment plans organized on a four-square grid. Apartments to the left of the stair each take up one quadrant, but span two floors, separating living or kitchen and dining spaces from private rooms. Apartments to the right are flats that span two quadrants with views of the street and courtyard.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Unit Diagram

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Harrison Boudreau 

Grace Drucker Shaooli

Building modules consist of circular units that are connected tangentially to a central circular communal staircase. Ground floor apartments are accessible flats, and the shared stair leads to flats, duplexes, and a shared dining terrace on the second floor. Residents achieve privacy from their surroundings, with landscaped berms at street edges, and operable bamboo screens and railings that wrap all facades. A sense of community is promoted around the shared staircases, with unit living spaces and glazing facing the central stair. Ample private outdoor space is created for each unit through varying the dimensions of the outdoor circulation. Units have multiple window exposures due to their form, and the variation of overall building height allows light to further infiltrate apartments.

Elevation Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

1

4

3

Grace Drucker Shaooli 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR CENTRAL Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Grace Drucker Shaooli 

Single Stair - Linear Each building module contains a single communal staircase that provides access to all units above the ground floor. Front doors to units are located on the second and third floors. Higher floors are reached through private stairs inside units to abide by the Massachusetts Building and Accessibility codes.

Unlike the previous category, the shared stair is not contained within the center of the massing. Instead, it extends across to the front and back facades of the building. The elongation of this shared zone sets up visual

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

and physical access through the block and can improve the experience within this collective domain. It often serves to separate individual units from one another, enhancing privacy.

The figure of the linear stair influences unit entrances, resulting in fewer stacked entrances and more modifications to floor plans on each level. The units on either side of the stair can occupy the length of the building to achieve double exposure. When additional units are added per floor, other methods for improving exposure are employed, like developing an undulating facade.

Tim Love 

Emma Tracy

Long apartments within each module are organized by a continuous, linear stair that springs from a narrow entry courtyard and splits the module into two halves. The first and second floor consist of three flats, and a townhouse, while the third floor has flats, with fourth floor flats accessed via internal stairs on the third floor. At the block interior, long terraces with deep, alternating alcoves per floor wrap the kitchen/dining spaces and provide a semi-private buffer between apartment interiors and the courtyard. Along the street, apartments and modules aggregate and break up the massing to form projecting bays that sequester shared patio spaces on the ground floor. Internally, private space is oriented to the street, while common spaces are adjacent to the courtyard.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

1

4

3

Emma Tracy 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Emma Tracy 

William Chattin

The primary circulation is a stair that runs straight through the building on the ground floor, with a lobby that includes bike storage and connects to the public realm at the interior of the block. The first floor consists of accessible onebedroom units with enclosed private open spaces serving as a buffer between the interior of the units and the public realm. The shared central stair leads to second floor flats and third floor duplexes, each of which have large corner balconies that become a rhythmic facade element. To maximize density on the site, special building types are developed to fill out the block along Reed Street. This extension generates a related but distinct architecture, including references to local bay windows at its corners.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR 2

1

4

3

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

William Chattin 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

William Chattin 

Caroline Wertlieb

Contained within two opposing bars, this project is organized by a long, transverse stair that divides the module into quadrants. Since the stair is a continuous run, its position changes from floor to floor. This technique allows the units to grow and expand from tightly regimented one bedroom accessible flats on the ground level, to half-floor or L-shaped, multi-bedroom apartments or townhouses above. Public and private rooms pinwheel around the stair, and each unit type has a particular staging for single or double open-ended window views of the street or mid-block court, depending on the floor. Nevertheless, the extremely consistent arrangement of stepped balconies accessed from living spaces belies the planimetric variety of units within a simple module.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Caroline Wertlieb 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Caroline Wertlieb 

Qiling (Krystal) Cai

This project is organized around a linear stair that runs straight through the module, giving direct access to dwelling units as well as a semi-public common area on the second floor. Apartments fall on either side of the stair, including accessible ground floor units, and a mix of flats and duplexes on the upper levels. The complex is designed for the student population in the area and features generous shared spaces for work and play, including large private terraces, second floor study lounges, and a semi-enclosed courtyard.

The courtyard is a central design feature that is spatially reinforced through pedestrian breezeways that lead from the street, down half a level to the courtyard, off of which are the entrances to the buildings.

Site Section Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Qiling (Krystal) Cai 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Qiling (Krystal) Cai 

Dana Murtada

The linear stair is the primary circulation element of this project and provides direct access to dwelling units, semiprivate mail room, and an interior, semi-public courtyard.

Apartments of various sizes—including accessible, ground floor units, second and third floor flats, and multi-level units—occur to either side of the main stair and demising wall of the Type A and B modules. The Type C module—specifically designed as a communal infill building to enclose the courtyard—provides interior and exterior amenity space topped by a bi-level townhouse. The most striking features of the facade are the private, double height, ganged terraces, which face either the courtyard or the front yard and allow for overlapping views of private interiors, semi-private exterior space, and the street.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Dana Murtada 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section A Scale: 1:60

Dana Murtada 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Dana Murtada 

Scarlett Hanks

A linear communal stair provides access across the building on the ground floor and to upper floor units. Apartment footprint sizes are similar, with flats on either side of the stair on the first and second floor, and four duplexes with entrances on the third floor. The x-shaped plan creates units with multiple exposures and lends unique characteristics to the open space. Six building modules are aggregated across the site, connecting to form continuous street facades. The character of the courtyards between x-shapes changes according to their adjacencies, with streetside triangular courtyards providing bike parking, octagonal semi-public open spaces between buildings providing access to shared stairs, and square semiprivate courtyards serving ground floor units.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Scarlett Hanks 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Scarlett Hanks 

Joana Tourinho

A long lobby precedes a common, central stair with direct access to apartment entries on upper floors. Fourth floor units are accessed via in-unit private stairs that spring from the central stair and split the module into two halves. Each floor has twin units, and each unit has multiple, large, private terraces that create a lively, tiered composition of social and outdoor spaces for the residents. The generosity of the outdoor spaces is inversely related to the tight organization of each unit type. At the exterior, the modules aggregate to form a sequence of stepped roof terraces that ensure semi-privacy for each unit facing the courtyard, while the taut, street-side facades are punctuated by smaller punched windows and tall planter elements.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Joana Tourinho 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Joana Tourinho 

Olivia Johnson

Building modules are organized around a shared staircase that extends straight across the block. All unit entrances are accessed directly off this stair zone, including ground floor flats and duplexes. The communal stair leads to second floor flats, duplexes on the third floor, and a door that contains an internal stair serving fourth floor flats to accommodate the code. The shared linear stair is the primary architectural element which is registered on the facade with double height glazing at its entrance on the street as well as on its final landing on the third floor. The staircase and surrounding landings are fattened to allow residents to linger and promote social interaction. Modules are arranged into solid bars that are punctured with private balconies and interior light wells.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

4

3

2

1

Olivia Johnson 

Unit Configuration

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Circulation

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Olivia Johnson 

Sophia Pinto

A single, linear stair organizes a trio of L-shaped units along opposing edges. The stair connects four floors, with three bedroom apartments on the first and fourth floors, and a mix of one and two bedroom residences on the remaining floors. Internally, each unit is subdivided by program, with bedrooms and bathrooms contained within one wing, while the other wing contains the living room, dining area, and kitchen. Along the exterior facade, triangular patios and terraces fill the space between the angle of each unit. The resulting zig-zag breaks up the massing of the two bars deployed on the site and ensures that each unit has ample opportunity for lighting and views of the surrounding neighborhood.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

1

2

3

4

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Sophia Pinto 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Sophia Pinto 

Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan

Building modules are organized around a central stair that leads directly to dwelling units. The complex is multi-generational, with ground floor accessible units for the elderly, second floor flats for young couples, and upper floors with studios for singles and duplexes for larger families. Sun exposure and solar orientation are dominating logics. All units have multiple exposures and building modules are arranged in parallel rows with private terraces facing south. Vegetation and vertical partitions filter between the privacy of the units, the semi-public courtyard, and the street. The fence design allows for nuanced modulation as panels rotate open for visibility, and closed for privacy.

Site Section Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Units Scale: 1:30

2-Bed

3-Bed

Studio

1-Bed

Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan 

Nina Spellman

Within this project, primary circulation is a wide, transverse stair connected to a series of ramps that establish a procession of shared spaces that deliver residents and visitors to ground floor bicycle parking, the interior courtyard flanked by terraces, or access to units elevated above the street. Each module is a self-contained collection of flats, accessed at the ground or third floor, and deployed around the site as a necklace of residential buildings held off from the corners by a pocket park and community center. Internally, each apartment has a semi-public flexible room or shared area that can be sequestered and privatized depending on the needs of the inhabitants, ideally suited for students or small families with a visiting family member.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Nina Spellman 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

First Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Fourth Floor

Nina Spellman 

Emerson Campbell

A central stair provides access to units and occupies a linear circulation zone that connects directly from the street to the open space at the interior of the block. The front doors of units on the ground floor open onto the unenclosed portion of this circulation zone. The shared stair leads to flats and duplexes on the second floor and the third floor contains flats that are nestled against the upper level of the duplexes. The third floor also contains the front doors to the flats on the fourth floor, which are accessed through private staircases. This allows for fourth floor flats while still abiding by the code that prohibits unit entrances above the third floor.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Emerson Campbell 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Emerson Campbell 

Shepard Thompson

Inspired by the massing of the Quinta Monroy houses in Iqueque, Chile, the modules are split by a narrow stair, with a sculptural volume bookending the twin residential bars. A stack of increasingly smaller unit footprints allow space for an assembly of semiprivate terraces, adjacent to living and dining rooms, flanking an interior pedestrian walkway. Externally, eight staunch, three-story, row house-like forms with punched openings face each street, which combine with the stepped terraces to form a distinctly neighborhood scale image.

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

1

2

3

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Shepard Thompson 

Arpi Dayian

Building modules are organized around a central linear stair that provides a connection from the street to the interior of the block on the ground floor. While the ground floor units are accessible flats, all other units are multi-level and contain interior stairs. The complex interlocking units nest into a cohesive exterior geometry with clustered protruding balconies. The geometry is further emphasized through material changes, and common contextual materials like brick echo the neighborhood. The use of brick reads as distinct within the context, by exploring color choice and brick aggregation. Screens of brick answer questions of privacy between individual balconies, creating a buffer and still allowing for light and air.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR 3

6

2

5

1

4

Module Plans Scale: 1:30

Arpi Dayian 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Arpi Dayian 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Arpi Dayian 

Emely Mateo

Within this project, a central stair core functions as a pivot point, providing access to each building from the street, and organizing the apartments. Units pinwheel around the central stair, which opens up opportunities for enhanced lighting for interior spaces, and semi-enclosure for exterior spaces. The project is designed for multi-generational families with lower-level flats and upper-floor duplexes accommodating more and less social families, respectively.

The four modules aggregate to form two, c-shaped bars that capture leisure, garden, and amenity spaces on the ground floor. The interior courtyard is programmed for kids of many ages to promote socializing between families and modest street-side lawns create a buffer between the private patios on the ground floor and the adjacent street.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Module Plans Scale: 1:30

2

4

1

3

Emely Mateo 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

SINGLE STAIR LINEAR Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:30

Emely Mateo 

Corridor-Based The primary access for building modules in this category is through communal horizontal circulation. Corridors contain the front doors to units and upper level corridors are reached through shared stairs. Unlike the single stair projects, shared circulation can exist above the third level.

In addition, the corridor system allows for more units to be connected under the same armature than the single stair system, which caps the number of units served by one stair

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

to twelve. However, in its typical form, the corridor is a dimly lit, uncomfortable narrow space that results in units with a single orientation. To resolve this problem, several students expand the corridor area, converting it to a sunlit atrium. This casts the corridor space as a livable social space for neighborly interaction. Other projects employ a skip-stop corridor, which limits corridors to every other level and allows duplexes to wrap around the building to achieve double exposure.

Tim Love 

Megan Arseneau

The primary circulation for this project is through shared stairs that lead to a third floor corridor through which all upper floor duplexes are accessed. Ground floor units each have their own entry, buffered from the public realm with gated private gardens. On the upper levels, the skip-stop arrangement locates bedrooms on the third floor and living spaces of the same unit are either above or below, spanning the building to achieve double-exposure. Lobbies to the shared stairs are at the corners of the building and accommodate bike parking.

Living spaces are traced on the facade with larger apertures and corresponding balconies that are further defined through a change in material.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

4

3

2

1

Megan Arseneau 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Megan Arseneau 

Lena Parsch

In each module, dwelling units are accessed by a central stair which occupies a sunlit atrium. This atrium extends across the module and sets up lateral circulation that connects between building modules. Apartments are a mix of one and two-bedrooms, with ground floor accessible units, second floor flats, and third floor duplexes. Expansive ground floor lobbies are intended to serve the neighborhood with institutional, cultural, or retail programming. Conceived in the same vein as the residential alleyways of South Boston, narrow open spaces between buildings provide secondary access and semi-private gardens. Upper floor units contain private open spaces that are a mix of open-air terraces and glass enclosed sun-rooms. Stacked sunrooms are vertically expressed on the facade, and changes in materiality per dwelling unit convey individuality.

Section Perspective Diagram

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Lena Parsch 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Floor 4 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Lena Parsch 

Daniela Zaragoza

Each module contains multi level apartments with wide, internal steps organized along daylit, double loaded corridors capped by stair cores. Each unit has an adjacent, single or two-level outdoor terrace that offers residents varying levels of daylighting and privacy from the street. These outdoors spaces form expressive voids that alternate from floor to floor, perforate the massing, and lend a sculptural quality to the corners of the building and articulated roofline. Internally, private bedrooms and bathrooms face the street, and are organized on the elevated portion of each tetris-like unit. Meanwhile the living room, kitchen, and dining area are organized on an open plan and borrow light from the adjacent terrace, creating an interior landscape of publicness and privacy.

Section Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Circulation

Outdoor Space

Unit Plans Scale: 1:30

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Daniela Zaragoza 

Sharmeen Khan

Within this project, exterior circulation consists of four openair stairs connecting four buildings to street corners, while two breezeways provide expedient access to the courtyard for residents with bicycles. The first module type faces the main streets and alternates between three bedroom apartments and studios, while the second module consists of three bedroom apartments and townhouses, and encloses the courtyard.

Access from the street to the interior is defined by a sequence of courtyards. Residents move diagonally through the site, from corner plaza, to entry stairwells, to the courtyard, and viceversa. ‘Public’ activities occur at the courtyard and adjacent dining room and unit outdoor spaces. Meanwhile ‘private’ is defined by a ring of bedrooms and living rooms, with views facing the street and neighboring buildings.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Sharmeen Khan 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Sharmeen Khan 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Sharmeen Khan 

Jake Okrent

This project explores the indirect relationship between circulation efficiency versus vertical connectivity and spatial experience. A pair of stair cores and strategically placed corridors form the basic access armature organizing twin buildings of technically two bedroom apartments.

Meanwhile, 28 two-level units stack and slip over one another, creating multifaceted interior and exterior spatial opportunities using a pair of interior and exterior stairs internal to each unit that connect the private and more public spaces of each apartment. The remaining 4 units are flats that signal the beginning and end of the aggregation system.

Internally, folding walls allow the semi-public spaces of units to expand and contract, be more open to the exterior, or more privatized, depending on the occupants’ needs.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Jake Okrent 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Jake Okrent 

Ruby Kenausis

Circulation is organized around a central second-floor atrium that’s reached by a broad staircase from the street or an enclosed stair at the back. Residents of upper floor flats and duplexes access their front doors via corridors facing the multi-story atrium. The atrii are conceived as lush greenhouses that can be used year-round, including during the harsh Boston winter. On the backside of the buildings, corridors extend from atria on the third floor, connecting between building modules and enhancing sociability across the block. This interior communal space is open to light and views through transparent facades, while the publicfacing street side of the building contains small apertures to enhance privacy and symbolic arches to denote entrances.

Elevation Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Ruby Kenausis 

Unit Layout

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Ruby Kenausis 

Cameron Hettich

Elevated corridors provide access to upper floor flats and duplexes and define shaded paths to flats and duplexes on the ground floor. The massing across the site is terraced, with a third floor corridor on one side and a second floor corridor on the other, giving additional light and views to units. The project aims to create an urban housing complex that has the amenities of the suburbs through a lower density of units and spacious private outdoor areas. Unit entrances are clustered around semi-public space with front stoops and bike parking. Trapezoidal units combine to create sawtooth profiles with unique living spaces at the pointed tip of the trapezoid.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

CORRIDOR BASED Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Cameron Hettich 

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Circulation Diagrams

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

CORRIDOR BASED Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Cameron Hettich 

Exterior Access In this category, the primary building access is located outdoors. The circulation system itself may be through single stairs, corridors, or a combination, with its exterior nature as the unifying factor.

Open to the air, corridors are no longer dark claustrophobic spaces, though weather becomes an impact. Exterior corridor

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

access to units can take on the character of neighborhood streets when scaled proportionally. Circulation systems in this category become architectural expression, with staircases becoming diagonal geometries across the facade, visible stairs inviting people to elevated courtyards, and elevated walkways tracing facades.

Tim Love 

Anna Bonfigli

A system of exterior stairs allow residents and visitors to process through terraces before reaching the entries for the residences. Meanwhile, convenience stairs tether these elevated terraces together, creating a patchwork of semi-public space accessible by residents and the community. Modules are aggregated to maximize the number of units on the site, but a courtyard plaza and alleyways maintain the formal autonomy of each building. Private patios for the residences are adjacent to the stairs and face a variety of orientations, including the street, courtyard plaza, or alleyways, ensuring that there are no pockets of spatial stagnation or disuse. Within unit interiors, there is a similar procession from publicness to privacy as residents move through kitchen and dining spaces to the living room and bedrooms.

Elevation Scale: 1:30

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Anna Bonfigli 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Anna Bonfigli 

Ethan Wang

A system of exterior stairs, elevated walkways, and large, open balconies allow each unit to be accessed directly from the exterior. The first two floors of each module consist of a loose aggregation of units into a cruciform and parallel bars centered on a social courtyard that provides access to six one bedroom apartments. Meanwhile, four two-level residences accessed via the two main stairs make up the third and fourth floors. Once deployed on the site, the cruciform aggregation on the ground floor creates a system of connected social courtyards at the block interior and pocket patios lining the street. The remaining floors form a perforated block oriented to the east and west, promoting access to ample light and air for each residence.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Ethan Wang 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Elevation Scale: 1:30

Ethan Wang 

Christopher Beck

Six semi-public stairs and their adjoining, elevated terraces organize this building into three main strata. The ground plane is an expanse of private lawns, common planting beds, and publicly accessible walkways that encourage openness, community living, and a shared, outdoor experience for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. The intermediate levels have a combination of residences, private patios, and shared terraces. At the upper level, the proportion of enclosed to open space shifts again, with primarily bedrooms overlooking a series of green roofs and terraces.

Each module consists of a ground floor flat, two townhouses accessed from the ground floor, and two townhouses accessed from the third floor via the semi-public stair core. Internally, units are organized with common spaces on one level, and private bedrooms on another.

Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Christopher Beck 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Christopher Beck 

Theodore Kypreos

Within the module of this project, each apartment sits between an exterior stair facing the courtyard, and a series of private patios.. The exterior stair has deep landings that provide additional outdoor space for residents to casually meet and socialize. Additionally, the exterior stair breaks up the courtyard facade into a solid-void composition that acts as a backdrop for a publicly accessible courtyard and community garden. Internally, each module consists of flats on the ground and second floor, and two-level units with internal stairs on the third and fourth floor.

Within each unit, spaces are separated by activity, with private bedrooms sequestered to one section or floor of the apartment, and common spaces organized in an open plan.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Theodore Kypreos 

Eva Justo

Communal staircases on opposite ends of the site link to exterior corridors on the second and third floors that lead to dwelling units and shared amenities. Flats and duplexes on the ground floor have their own private entrances, located at the interior of the block facing the shared circulation system. Second level walkways lead to flats and and third level walkways access duplexes.

The expressive exterior circulation also provides access to common areas including bike parking on the ground floor, and common working and dining rooms on the second floor. Each unit has 90 degree exposure and duplexes feature double-height windows opening onto living spaces, with the bonus of skylights for top floor duplexes.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Eva Justo 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section Scale: 1:60

Eva Justo 

Omarlyn Martinez

Each module contains a series of variably shaped three bedroom units that form clusters on the ground floor around two central stairs. Each stair connects to generous corridors that provide space for casual interaction between neighbors on the same floor.

Internally, many Z-shaped units are zoned with private bedrooms and bathrooms in one wing and common spaces, such as the living room and kitchen, in another.

At the exterior, the unique aggregation forms small, insulated courtyards between units where entry patios also occur on upper floors. The position of each module on the site also provides room for two interconnected corner park plazas oriented to the neighborhood.

Site Plan Scale: 1:60

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:60

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Omarlyn Martinez 

Noah Wendel

Unit access takes place outside and occurs centrally within the building module. The front doors of ground floor flats are clustered around a shared stair that leads to two duplexes. All units are crenellated to achieve 90 degree exposure, and upper level duplexes have windows on three sides. Duplexes also have large private terraces facing the street and the interior of the block, and an internal stair that is lit from a clerestory above. Though buildings are aggregated in rows, movement across the site is porous with pathways across the block connecting through the center of the block and through building circulation zones to the street. On the ground level, fenced in yards and hedges enhance the privacy of the units.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Noah Wendel 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Floor 2 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Noah Wendel 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Noah Wendel 

Melissa Jacobs

Through careful aggregation, this project enhances sun exposure for each unit and maximizes open space on the site via three features. Two community gardens provide residents with leisure and amenity spaces, and an elevated roof deck terrace, supplemented by two stairs, provide access and outdoor space to upper, two-level apartments.

Internally, each module consists of a four-square grid, offset along the midline to create new opportunities for views of the garden and street from bedrooms and living spaces.

Four accessible flats bookend the ground floor plans. All other units have two levels, and all units have direct access from the exterior, which keeps the street and gardens full of activity. The slanted roof forms provide a sense of community and human scale.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Melissa Jacobs 

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Floor 3 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Floor 1 Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Melissa Jacobs 

Nivedita Huple

Unlike most other projects in the studio, the building modules are not organized around a shared stair. Instead, all units have a front door on the ground level. This circulation system results in lower density housing and reaches just two stories in total. The balconies of the duplex units fit together like puzzle pieces, forming individual terraces that are visually connected with a low fence between spaces to enhance the sense of community.

Careful attention is given to the facades facing the balconies, with blank walls adding privacy to terraces of the opposing unit. These blank walls still allow for sunlight to enter the unit through a clerestory, created through a butterfly roof that opens toward the balconies.

Section Perspective

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Aerial Axon Aerial perspective view of the housing complex and its surrounding area.

EXTERIOR ACCESS Module Plans Scale: 1:30

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Nivedita Huple 

Unit Configuration

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

EXTERIOR ACCESS Site Plan Scale: 1:60

Section A Scale: 1:60

Nivedita Huple 

Afterword Judith Kinnard What is the role of housing studios in a design curriculum? Are projects that explore residential aggregation essential to the education of an architect?

These questions come up with remarkable frequency in faculty debates. They are often followed by an assertion that urban housing has been largely absent in recent years and needs to be revived. Having observed the arc of curricula at multiple institutions over the last 40 years, I suspect that this is not exactly true. The topic seems to be present in most design programs, though it certainly oscillates in its position in the timeline of a student’s education. A program may place it outside the “core” as a specialized (and optional) offering until the pendulum swings back and it reenters the coordinated (and collective) curriculum. Of course, the pendulum is not fixed, and the debate gets revived.

The varied rationale for each placement tends to be articulated in the following ways: •

It belongs in the core because it is the building block of the city and it engages important compositional and social issues. Housing also occupies such a large portion of the built environment; how can a student be fully prepared to enter the profession without encountering the unique challenges of scale and human occupancy at the residential scale (beyond a single house)? Students from suburban environments become better designers through the distillation of urban dwelling into its essential individual and collective components.

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It should be an offering for advanced students due to the complexity of the topic. Important issues of zoning, codes, access systems, individual and community benefits, equity, and financing mechanisms would inhibit the creative exploration of a less experienced designer.

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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio

Of course, all of these arguments have merit, and this partly explains the cyclical positioning of the topic. Another factor in the curricular emphasis on housing involves the faculty. Depending on their own educational experience or current practice, this will seem either central or totally peripheral to their interests. During most of the last century, housing design was vitally important to architecture’s role in society. For the first generation of modern architects, the design of social housing was central to their practices and to their mission of social reform through architecture. Mies, Gropius, and others took this perspective to IIT and Harvard. As other US programs sought to overturn the remnants of Beaux-Arts instruction, housing studios took precedence over institutional programs like libraries and museums. In the 70’s many faculty members at Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia (as well as other highly respected architecture schools across the United States and Canada) had active practices designing projects for public sector clients. One prominent example involved Urban Development Corporation (UDC) projects urban and rural sites in New York State. Practitioners brought the project type into the classroom, producing many innovative and award-winning solutions in the process. Although new public housing construction largely stopped being built in the US shortly after this through political forces, powerful international examples of social housing could still be introduced to students.

The reinvestment in cities that occurred in the early 2000s led to interesting market-rate projects on the east and west coasts. The lack of affordable dwellings in urban centers also increased the relevance of this theme, and faculty from international contexts continued to bring this topic into US programs as well.

The studio at Northeastern, conducted under the leadership of Tim Love, is a terrific example of successfully bringing the theme of collective dwelling into an undergraduate core studio. As both an educational leader and a distinguished practitioner,

Love is, in some ways, uniquely able to marry instruction involving basic formal and urban design themes with building the student’s understanding of the specialized vocabulary of this typology and its market and regulatory pressures. While one frequently hears about the importance of connecting education and practice, there is no better place to see how this can operate, and how challenging it can be, than through Love’s example. It is not easy, and far too many in the practice world glibly criticize architectural education for not doing more of this while failing to understand the juggling act necessary to accomplish this kind of cross-fertilization.

The studio’s focus on walk-up housing strategies has taken on increased relevance as we confront the Covid-19 pandemic. Entering an elevator in a high-rise building has been transformed from a convenience to a source of anxiety, as has the ubiquitous doubleloaded corridor. In the 1920’s natural ventilation and light were key themes in modern housing due to public health crises. One hundred years later these priorities have come roaring back. The good news is that the future of urban dwelling—and the city—will require a renewed commitment to these issues, and architectural education needs to play an active role in shaping accomplished and ethically driven architects uniquely suited to explore the possibilities.

Judith Kinnard 

Spring 2020 URBAN WALK-UP HOUSING ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions Northeastern University School of Architecture camd.northeastern.edu/architecture