Co-Living Community
University of Pittsburgh - Studio 3, Spring 2020
Produced in Partnership with:
Erica Conner
​
Project Site: Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA
Overhead axon viewed from the Southeast corner.
A TYPOLOGY REIMAGINED
The predominant building typology in Oakland is a 2-3 story townhome with a front porch immediately adjacent to the public sidewalk. These porches are often a site of spontaneous social interaction between neighboring residents.
While we wanted to design something distinctly new, it was also important for us to respect the local context. Our solution was to replicate the townhome typology, but shift the porch to the sides of the residences. This creates more opportunities for natural ventilation and passive solar gain, while also preserving the local phenomena of private outdoor spaces acting as places of public social interaction.
CO-LIVING MODULES
To encourage community, and to blur any distinctions between the residences of grad-students and refugees, we developed two types of co-living modules.
One module is intended for individuals or couples and is mostly shared space with private bedrooms.
The other module is intended for families and is mostly private space.
The intention is for each module to be shared by a student and a refugee to encourage social interaction between the two user groups.
View of community garden..
View of interior pedestrian pathway.