AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
AZ Awards 2021 Winner: A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward
This ambitious, holistic and replicable vision seeks to provide an affordable, socially cohesive and climate change–resilient housing option for one of Houston’s most vulnerable communities.
It proposes that any new residential development in the Texan city’s Third Ward, a predominantly Black neighbourhood, must increase density to bring down the cost for developers and buyers and satisfy demands for affordable habitation away from the flood-plain; maintain the essential spatial and social qualities to which Houstonians are accustomed; and protect residents from flooding while reintroducing porous surfaces to the urban landscape to mitigate runoff.
It’s a tall order. And it’s encompassed by a novel, hyper-densified take on the shotgun house model typical of the area, where the porch has long been a place for gathering. Within a permeable envelope featuring generous operable windows, this new iteration flips the porches from the short end to the long side in order to organize units in a linear formation while maximizing opportunities for natural light and cross-ventilation.
All the units are situated on upper levels, opening up the ground plane for green areas, parking and shared amenities while providing residents with protection from flooding. The prefab kit of parts also includes “chunky” interior walls that incorporate basic appliances and storage. It’s an all-in-one, A-to-Z, tailor-made response to the city’s housing problem.
This ambitious, holistic and replicable vision seeks to provide an affordable, socially cohesive and climate change–resilient housing option for one of Houston’s most vulnerable communities.
