ERa

Housing attainability has shifted dramatically over the past couple decades. Across the U.S., particularly in urban centers, rising home prices driven in part by limited supply are colliding with stagnant wages and the escalating cost of living. For many Americans, homeownership is no longer within reach. But this wasn’t always the case. The core of this proposal considers how we create new attainable housing that reinvests locally within unique urban contexts.

Between 1900 and 1930, a model of accessible housing took root in Denver, known locally as the ‘Denver Square.’ Variations of it appeared in cities across the country. With its ornament-free, practical two-story box form, the Denver Square was built to be affordable for middle-class families. It was modest but sizable; typically four bedrooms, one to two baths, and a plan flexible enough to evolve and become unofficial duplexes, multi-unit apartments that came to be shared by multiple families. This proposal dissects and reinvents the 'Square' as a multi-unit proposition creating higher density on smaller lots. 

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Shortlist Competition Nomination, Denver Affordable Housing Challenge

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COLLABORATORS

Eric Reeder

Nellie Lazzarini