This competition entry to the Department of Housing Development and Preservation is a contribution to the many studies and proposals seeking to address this critical issue to New York City’s future: affordable housing. I worked on this study with my partner, Anh Truong Montgomery. This study is one of the 444 submitted to the competition from 36 countries across 5 continents according to the Center for Architecture, that is currently hosting an exhibition on the competition.
Competitions are opportunities for architects to explore issues without compensation and contribute to the scholarship of the field.
The competition poses the question of how to make use of extremely small empty lots scattered across the city that are owned by the city but difficult to make useful for affordable housing. This study addresses this problem by balancing maximizing the number and diversity of the units with the need to control the construction budget and to provide a civilized environment for the residents. This scheme shares many of the characteristics as one of the selected schemes given an award (see selected schemes here)
