Public Groundspace
Spring 2022 • Foundation Studio III - Housing
Completed with Ben Small
On our first visit, the site was in the context of urban, low-rise buildings. Many of these buildings were shops and stores, but there lacked foot traffic, especially with the possible connections to neighboring parks. This informed my project to take on a modular unit aggregation that would be connected by green and public space.
Unit aggregation diagramThe studio was prompted to design a temporary housing program for visiting faculty and their families at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond by revitalizing the urban site and the greater area of Scott’s Addition in Richmond and bringing in green, public leisure space for residents. We would propose a 24 to 36-unit housing project that incorporates collective amenities and responds to the institutional needs of the two schools as well as its faculty dwellers.
Circulation diagramHousing for Living and Working
The residential space consists of 27 units of different sizes (6 total configurations) where the second and third floors are connected by a series of mezzanines and outdoor space.
Axon drawing of Richmond's Scott's Addition site plan with a material layout.
Ground floor plan - circulation
Site plan - perceiving depthExterior Space
On either side of the library, there are 2 courtyard conditions that are surrounded by the residential units: one as a more private, shared outdoor space and one as a public green space that intends to extend beyond the boundaries of the site and into the pathways of parks in Scott’s Addition.
Secondary Civic Program
As a primary hub and connector of the site to its surroundings, the implementation of a library and cafe, fulfills the needs of the neighborhood, while serving as a connector to outdoor, green space.