Working in tandem with the varying adjacencies and existing urban fabric of the city, infill housing can be a beneficial exchange with its neighborhood. As an interventionist approach to housing, In Tandem is a design process that focuses on the opportunities and parameters presented by its context to function beyond the ways in which its form may solve the issue of supply in isolation. Stakeholder alignment will directly benefit future tenants by establishing the project as an asset to the community in place.
The primary elements of this study are responses to stakeholder considerations, working in tandem with the interests of our lot development, and the greater community. What if the rear yard is transformed into an amenity for the block, for the public? What if urban housing is an interior/exterior concept? What if a small lot could increase the resiliency of our water infrastructure for the whole block? What if we shared our home with pollinators also seeking habitat?
Backyard: We envision this backyard space as a garden that will become a part of a larger com-munal garden scheme in which neighboring buildings will share space and children can enjoy the benefits of a larger, more open, space. Recommended plants include Rhododendron maximum, Amelanchier canadensis, Cercis canadensis, Fothergilla major, Clethra alnifolia, Lobelia cardinalis, and Carex pensylvanica. These are native species that can grow with medium sunlight that is typical of rear yard conditions. The plants are fragrant and colorful, allowing for heightened sensory expe-riences.
Roof Garden The roof garden planting will include plants that are food sources and larval host plants for pollinators and birds. Its sunny exposure allows for many plant options. Some recommended perennials include Asclepias tuberosa, Sedum ‘Angelina,’ Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low,’ Muhlenbergia capillaris, and Thymus praecox. These flowering plants provide food for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Native grasses, such as Muhlenbergia, provide habitat for birds and are host plants for butterfly larvae.
Breadth Green Wall Using a gridded metal armature, such as Green Screen, along the western wall of the building, a tapestry of vines will be planted. Because the wall along the public access-way will have varying degrees of sun and shade, vines have been chosen that will thrive in these conditions.
Geothermal Pile Foundation + Basin Central pile foundation will minimize impact and potential underpinning for adjacent foundations. Integrating a geothermal system will take advantage of the thermal energy in the ground and reduce energy loads for the units. Shaping the base slab to collect and hold 30,000 gallons of water will benefit the existing storm water infrastructure beyond the lot.