It takes a Village: Reimagining Cooperative Living for Single Mothers and Children | Bachelors Design Project on Urban Housing

Site Context

Situated at 1650 Madison Ave, East Harlem, New York City, the site was one of several unoccupied public lots since its size was not ideal for development. This small stretch of land provides an invaluable opportunity to experiment with new forms of domestic living and collective ownership within an urban landscape. The proposed housing development is a mixed-use residential building with a daycare center and an indoor play space on the ground floor. 

The students observed that there was the most opportunity to experiment with form by responding to daylighting. In order to optimize the greenhouse areas, the entire building adopts a tiered plan, with the atrium bringing light into the lower floors. Dissolving the corner allows more light to enter the building and visually connects the small, cantilevered sections that arise from this decision.

Final Outcome

This project serves as evidence that emphasising play while designing for environmental considerations can be a meaningful way to redefine contemporary perceptions about the home. These are the kinds of places where kids can play outside come rain or shine, where cookouts can happen, or where potted plants can grow suspiciously big and take over. The urban backyard can be used year-round as a seasonal area by incorporating passive strategies that contribute to a comfortable atmosphere and encourage residents to utilise shared spaces and engage in cooperative living.  

The structure is a simple steel frame grid with circulation cores made of concrete. CLT panels are slid into the steel structure for flooring. The facade is a polycarbonate curtain wall that is supported up by a steel frame. The polycarbonate acts as its own self-supporting structure, and it is complemented by a secondary aluminium metal frame. The goal for the structure is something simple and easy to manipulate, and by using the grid of the steel framing it was possible to selectively carve away to create a vast atrium, two cantilevered spaces, and large patio spaces without adding complexities to construction.

Design Strategies

Massing, fenestration, cladding, and materiality were all intended to be both highly functional and expressive in this project. To accommodate various programmatic uses, the building is divided into three types of enclosures. Private living takes place in the first environment, also known as “the core.” This space is thermally controlled by wood-paneled stud walls and an outer wall covered in brick. Little niches between rooms offer a semi-private space that functions as an interior porch.

The communal spaces with living rooms and kitchens are situated in the second environment. A set of glass folding doors that open up to enclose these spaces and make them blend into the third environment encircles them. In order to create the urban backyard, the third environment offers a particularly flexible space that combines interior and exterior needs. Enclosed in a polycarbonate shell with an automated roof system and manually operated windows, these spaces rely on passive heating strategies. 

Different enclosure levels provide seasonal adaptability while collaborating with programmatic boundaries. The polycarbonate shell is completely operable in the summer and uses the stack effect to provide cooling and ventilation. The second environment opens up into the greenhouse spaces in the spring and autumn, reducing the need for mechanical energy because of passive strategies. In winter, the enclosure closes up again. 

While the shared areas and core are closed off and mechanically heated by radiant floors, the greenhouse space still provides an outdoor space for play and outdoor activities like cookouts and campfires. In addition to serving as a buffer climate, the mechanical heat recovery system in the greenhouse collects and circulates heat lost from the shared spaces.

Conclusion: The project addresses the lack of community support for single mothers and their children by promoting cooperative living. It envisions homes as multifunctional spaces that blend life, work, and play through a design strategy that values the flexibility of a space, enhancing mental health and well-being for all residents.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]