As a culmination of the semester's study of urban housing, students were tasked with developing a site plan for Graduate Student Housing at Northeastern University. Students were to use their pre-developed urban walk-up housing module as the origin of their design and allow the new site to drive new design choices both within the module and within the larger urban planning of the site.
The site, now a Northeastern Parking Lot, is located in Boston's Fenway area. As shown on the maps below, the site was originally supposed to have a street, Jarvis St., running through it. For whatever reason, it was never designed. However, for the sake of our projects, we imagine that Jarvis street is real. Thus, existing housing on Hemenway street was removed from the site as indicated with an X.
Map of Fenway from 1938 with Jarvis Street noted
View of the site from Hemenway Street
Urban Walk-Up Housing, which deviates from the typical double-loaded corridor apartment scheme, provides an opportunity for more rich social interactions and more creative design decisions. Some of the requirements for Urban Walk-Up Housing are as follows: four stories with four apartments per floor (that can only be accessed from the third floor or lower), a single egress stair, daylighting for bedrooms and living spaces, an outdoor space for each apartment, and at least 12' of party wall conditions. Additionally, in order to suit the needs of graduate students, I focused on including large bedrooms.
Because the front of the site is 6' higher than the back, I offset the front and back of the building by 5'-3'' such that two apartments are accessed each half-flight of stairs.
Section: illustrates the site's 5'-3'' offset and its effect on units
Starting on the first floor, I designed an off-centered corridor that serves as a thoroughfare to the alley at the back of the site and provides access to each first floor apartment. The apartment on Level 1 is accessible, while the apartments on Level 0.5 must be accessed by a descending stair or the alleys on either side of the site. Apartments 0.5A and 1A are two-bedroom units whose outdoor spaces exist on the front or back of the building, creating a rhythm along Jarvis street that alternates grass, patio space, alley, and so forth. On the B side, there is a studio sized apartment with an outdoor patio that tucks into the voids between modules as well as a bike room for the entire module.
First Floor Plan
All four apartments on the second floor have the same layout. Each apartment contains two bedrooms and has an outdoor patio that cantilevers slightly over the first-floor green space below. These patios abut one another, so a partial wall separates the two patios from one another. This condition allows for a semi-public gathering space if the inhabitants desire or could remain completely private.
Second Floor Plan
One of the caveats in the Massachusetts walk-up housing code is that apartment entry must occur on the third level in order for safe egress. So, in order to reach the four story height requirement, apartments on the third floor must be multistory. Rather than having each apartment's upper floor stack directly above itself, each units' stairs cross over the building's central axis to get to the upper floor.
The entrance level of apartments 2.5A and 2.5B contain three bedrooms, a bathroom, and a half-flight of stairs that cross over to level 3. On level 3, there is a kitchen, living space, dining space, and an outdoor patio that is stepped back from the one below to allow sunlight. Apartments 3A and 3B do the opposite: the kitchen and living space are on the entrance level and the bedrooms are accessed via a half-flight of stairs up to level 3.5. Additionally, because all of the living spaces align on level 3, it provides the opportunity for an entirely glazed façade.
Third Floor Plan
In apartments 3A and 3B, the stairs up to level 3.5 head straight up to the outdoor space at the rear of the module. Two bedrooms and a spliced bathroom are also found on level 3.5. On level 4, there is a final bedroom with a small private terrace and a green roof.
Fourth Floor Plan
Unit Diagram: demonstrates how the units fit together and cross over the central axis
Once the modules were updated and improved, I moved onto the site plan. I managed to fit six of the original modules and six adjusted modules that adhere to the site's boundaries and replace those destroyed on Hemenway to create Jarvis Street. As the diagram indicates, my project attempts to address the "missing middle" of urban housing by offering a variety of unit types.
Metrics Diagram: details the metrics of each module including those that were adjusted to site conditions
At the boundaries of each site (north and south of Jarvis Street), there is a 12-15' alley that mimics the preexisting alleys in the Fenway area. These sloping alleys bring inhabitants to the back of the site, which is 5'3'' lower, and create a pedestrian walkway. The alleys that run through the first floor of my building add to this network. Additionally, I designed a back garden on the South lot of Jarvis street that was created using desire lines from an entrance to Stetson East, a Northeastern dorm. The garden is lined with trees that provide privacy for residents of Stetson East and filled with tables where Northeastern students can gather. As a final note on site planning and as previously mentioned, the alleys on the first floor alternate with green space and patio space to create an interesting rhythm along Jarvis Street.
First Floor Site Plan
Second Floor Site Plan
Aerial View: depicts the rhythm along Jarvis street, the 3rd floor glazing, and the stepping balconies
Section Perspective: cuts through the central circulation in the module closer in perspective and cuts through in-unit circulation in the module on the other side of Jarvis Street
Interior Perspective: depicts apartment 3B and the stairs that take inhabitants to the outdoor space and bedrooms on level 3.5
Balcony Perspective: provides a glimpse across Jarvis street from a second-floor balcony
Watercolor Perspective
Garden Perspective: demonstrates how the network of alleys in the garden might be occupied
Street Perspective: illustrates the rhythm of alleys, green space, and patio space along Jarvis Street
Watercolor Perspective