SPRING 2020
URBAN
WALK-UP
HOUSING
ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions
Northeastern University
School of Architecture
SPRING 2020
URBAN
WALK-UP
HOUSING
ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions
Northeastern University
School of Architecture
Introduction
Tim Love
Afterword
Judith Kinnard
Graphic Editor
Noelle Burke
Editors
Lisa Hollywood
Chimaobi Izeogu
Kyle Jonasen
Spring 2020
Urban Walk-Up Housing
Arch 2140 Urban Institutions
Northeastern University
School of Architecture
College of Ars, Media and Design
102 Ryder Hall
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02155
617.373.3682
camd.northeastern.edu/architecture
Copyright © 2021
Northeastern University
School of Architecture
Cover art by Marie Davis
Printed by Blurb
www.blurb.com
®
The work contained within this publication is drawn from the Spring 2020 Northeastern University
School of Architecture ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions studio. All work was produced by second year
architecture students, for whom the focus of the semester was walk-up housing in Boston’s South End.
STUDIO COORDINATORS
Tim Love and Paxton Sheldahl
FACULTY
Kyle Barker, Lisa Hollywood, Chimaobi Izeogu
STUDENTS
Aakilah Rashid, Abdulaziz Alkhalifa, Adele Biehl, Anita Goharfar, Anna Bonfigli, Arpi Dayian, Isabella Greco,
Cameron Hettich, Caroline Wertlieb, Christopher Beck, Cristina Solà Sanz, Dana Murtada, Daniela Zaragoza,
Emely Mateo, Emerson Campbell, Emma Tracy, Ethan Wang, Eva Justo, Gene-Phillipe Mongan, Gloria He,
Grace Drucker Shaooli, Harrison Boudreau, Jake Okrent, Ji Huyn Nam, Joana Tourinho, Haoming (Judy) Zhu,
Karissa Xu, Lena Parsch, Marie Davis, Megan Arseneau, Melissa Jacobs, Miranda Hazoury, Nina Spellman,
Nivedita Huple, Noah Wendel, Noelle Burke, Nouf Almuhaidib, Olivia Johnson, Omarlyn Martinez, Qiling (Krystal) Cai,
Ruby Kenausis, Scarlett Hanks, Sharmeen Khan, Shepard Thompson, Sophia Pinto, Sophia Aguayo-Garber,
Sterling Yun, Theodore Kypreos, Valentina Cantillana, William Chattin, Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan, Yuju Kang
Contents
1
Introduction
2
Single Stair Central
3
Single Stair Linear
1
3
5
7
9
Introduction by Tim Love
Preliminary Assignments
Site
Categories
Case Study by Noelle Burke
19
23
29
33
37
41
45
49
53
57
61
67
71
75
77
81
85
89
93
95
Sophia Aguayo-Garber
Marie Davis
Adele Biehl
Anita Goharfar
Nouf Almuhaidib
Sterling Yun
Ji Huyn Nam
Haoming (Judy) Zhu
Miranda Hazoury
Aakilah Rashid
Karissa Xu
Valentina Cantillana
Abdulaziz Alkhalifa
Gene-Phillipe Mongan
Yuju Kang
Gloria He
Cristina Solà Sanz
Isabella Greco
Harrison Boudreau
Grace Drucker Shaooli
101
105
109
113
117
123
127
131
135
139
143
147
151
153
159
Emma Tracy
William Chattin
Caroline Wertlieb
Qiling (Krystal) Cai
Dana Murtada
Scarlett Hanks
Joana Tourinho
Olivia Johnson
Sophia Pinto
Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan
Nina Spellman
Emerson Campbell
Shepard Thompson
Arpi Dayian
Emely Mateo
4
Corridor
Based
5
Exterior Access
6
Afterword
165
169
173
175
181
185
189
Megan Arseneau
Lena Parsch
Daniela Zaragoza
Sharmeen Khan
Jake Okrent
Ruby Kenausis
Cameron Hettich
195
199
203
207
209
213
215
221
225
Anna Bonfigli
Ethan Wang
Christopher Beck
Theodore Kypreos
Eva Justo
Omarlyn Martinez
Noah Wendel
Melissa Jacobs
Nivedita Huple
229
Essay by Judith Kinnard
“A pejorative association with the word housing has not been a minor problem. Language
reflects but also create’s cultural beliefs. Home, as represented by a house and yard, has
been among the most cherished symbols of the American Dream. The concept of “housing”
meanwhile—especially as evoked by such terms as public housing, multi-family housing, social
housing, and even more generally, urban housing—has been harder for mainstream Americans
to embrace. The fact that we commonly refer to apartments in multi-family housing as units
hardly helps. Occupying a unit of housing surely sounds like something less than living in a
home with grace dwelling in it.”
Alex Krieger, City on a Hill: Urban Idealism in America from the Puritans to the Present, 285.
Introduction
Tim Love
Multifamily housing was the subject of the
Spring 2020 sophomore spring semester studio
at Northeastern University, with a specific focus
on urban “walk-up” housing of three and four
stories. Housing is an important subject to tackle
as a component of a comprehensive architecture
curriculum because of its role as the building
block of cities. The neighborhood character and
social life of Boston’s diverse neighborhoods was
and is still defined by the individual residential
buildings that make up the neighborhood fabric,
including the tenements of the North End, the
rowhouses of the South End, and the tripledeckers of Dorchester.
In the past ten years, housing projects of a
very different scale have been built on postindustrial sites at the edges of Boston’s traditional
neighborhoods. This relatively new type is
larger apartment or condo buildings with units
organized along both sides of a corridor that
runs the length of each floor. “Double-loaded”
buildings are preferred by real estate developers
because they maximize the amount of rentable
or for sale real estate as a percentage of the total
building area.
The height of the recent generation of multifamily housing in Boston is driven by economic
considerations too. In Massachusetts, buildings
that are seventy feet and taller trigger the
high-rise code (the threshold is 75’ in other
jurisdictions). High-rises need to be constructed
of non-combustible materials like steel or
concrete and come with other obligations that
increase the construction cost per square foot.
As a result, developers prefer “stick built” wood
frame buildings just under 70’ tall if they can’t
justify high-rise buildings that are eleven stories
1
or taller. The net result of these pragmaticallyderived and market-embraced considerations is
residential buildings that are remarkably the same
no matter what the location and level of “luxury.”
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Although these buildings have been derided as
2
“Blandmarks” by critics because of their ubiquity,
they have emerged as the result of a convergence
between several different determinants, including
the size of typical households, construction
technology, building regulations, and the size of
available development parcels. As a result, their
form is as much market and regulation driven as
the rowhouses, triple deckers, and tenements that
preceded them.
2
“Restyling Blandmarks:
Those Much Maligned Boxy Urban
Condo Buildings,” Web Urbanist,
accessed December 30, 2020.
The "Missing Middle"
Planners working in communities across North
America are lamenting the lack of “missing
middle” housing as part of the development tool
kit. The “missing middle” encompasses a widerange of housing types that are neither singlefamily homes nor the large double-loaded corridor
apartment buildings that are the dominant
residential building type being built in the Boston
area today. Examples of missing middle housing
include two-family buildings (duplexes), threefamily buildings (triple deckers in New England),
and small apartment buildings of up to twelve or
so units. The lack of missing middle housing is
partly being driven by economics and regulations.
Developers build as densely as they can before
triggering the high-rise code (see above) and
missing middle types are typically not permitted
1
Typically, eleven stories is
the minimum number of floors
necessary to justify the additional
costs of high-rise construction in
multi-family construction.
4
Ramps at 1:12 require
landings at every 30” of elevation
change. Slopes at 1:20 or less do not
require intermediate landings.
5
Travel distances within units
also need to be considered when
designing a building with a single
egress stair.
in most zoning districts, except in commercial
districts where larger apartment buildings are also
allowed. As a result, the zoning is being changed
in places like Somerville (MA) and Minneapolis to
encourage the production of new manifestations
of missing middle housing.
Missing middle housing has several advantages
from an urban design standpoint. The buildings
typically fit on the smaller lots of existing urban
residential neighborhoods, and when built as part
of a larger new development, they create a more
walkable neighborhood with a wider range of unit
types and levels of affordability. They also make it
easier to provide private outdoor space to each of
the units.
1. All ground floor units need to be “Type II
accessible units,” which means they need to be
on a single floor and accessed from the public
sidewalk at grade or via ramps that are no steeper
4
than 1:12.
2. All upper floor units are accessible by a stair
(and not an elevator).
3. Up to twelve total units per building and four
5
units per floor can share a single egress stair.
4. Buildings that include more than twelve units
require a second enclosed egress stair.
5. The front door to a unit can be no higher in a
building than the third floor.
6. All upper floor units can be multi-level units.
In addition to the richer spatial and organizational
possibilities, walk-up housing can be less costly
to build, can allow for more sidewalk-level
entrances that enliven the public realm, and can
better connect occupants to the ground plane and
private outdoor spaces. These considerations were
addressed at several stages of the studio.
A Case for Walk-Up Housing as the
Focus of a Foundation Design Studio
3
At different stages during
the studio, the student learned
about the relevant building and
accessibility codes in more detail.
The inevitable organizational logic of elevatoraccessed double-loaded corridor buildings means
that the type is not a very interesting subject for a
design studio. Walk-up “missing middle” housing,
on the other hand, has richer spatial and social
possibilities because the code for non-elevator
buildings allows for a wider range of solutions for
vertical and horizontal circulation. A few general
rules (as prescribed by Massachusetts building
3
and accessibility codes ) set the stage for the
numerous possibilities:
Tim Love
Preliminary Assignments
Double-Loaded Corridor Building Test-Fit
In a quick, one week exercise, students grappled with
the codes and basic market considerations that govern
double-loaded corridor buildings in order to develop their
own typical floor plan on a given site, consisting of two
parcels in Boston’s South End. Instructors asked students
to consider topics such as corridor width and unit access,
the minimum and maximum distance to egress stairs, the
impact of daylighting requirements on unit layout, and
building wing width and clearance between opposing
wings. In their final proposals, students were required to
develop a 3D model of the context and to represent their

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
buildings with corridors, elevators, egress stairs, and unit
partitions up to 70 feet.
The images above depict how somes students overcame
spatial challenges, such as positioning egress stairs at
wing junctions and developing unique unit layouts
for inside corner conditions. Most importantly, some
students recognized that tight courtyard conditions were
suboptimal for daylighting and open space, electing to
sacrifice some density to gain better sun exposure and
open space opportunities.
INTRODUCTION
Learning from Precedent
Working in small teams across studio sections, each
student selected and analyzed a housing precedent,
with a particular emphasis on the project’s circulation,
programmatic layout, spatial sequencing, and
organizational strategies of the following buildings.
Diagoon Experimental Housing
Double House
Narkomfin Building
Housing Schilderswijk West
Carabanchel Social Housing
Songpa Micro-Housing
Lindenstrasse, Berlin
Seijo Townhouses
Centre Village
Quinta Monroy Social Housing
Marginal Street Lofts
Students produced plans, sections, elevations, analytic
diagrams, and 3D drawings, unpacking the zones of
spatial occupation and patterning of outdoor space to
develop their own walk-up housing projects.
Delft, Netherlands
Utrecht, Netherlands
Moscow, Russia
Den Haag, Netherlands
Carabanchel, Spain
Seoul, South Korea
Germany
Tokyo, Japan
Winnipeg, Canada
Iquique, Chile
Boston, United States
1970
1997
1932
1988
2007
2014
1986
2008
2010
2003
2014
Herman Hertzberger
MVRDV
Ginsburg & Milinis
Alvaro Siza
FOA
Single Speed Design
Herman Hertzberger
Kazuyo Sejima
5468796 Architecture
Elemental
Merge Architects
Tim Love
Site
Located in Boston’s South End, the selected site is a parking
lot bounded by Newcomb, Reed, and East Lenox Street and
owned by the Boston Water and Sewer Department. The
neighborhood is characterized by brick rowhouses and mid-rise
public housing buildings to the north, and municipal buildings
and single family houses to the south. Northeastern University
and the Boston University School of Medicine are in close
proximity, as well as opportunities for leisure and recreation in
the form of Ramsay and Orchard Parks, the South Bay Harbor
Trail, and various community gardens.
Under the guidance of the instructors, students conducted
a site visit to record existing conditions and a brief historical
survey to understand the transformation of the site over time,
referencing older aerial photos and maps archived within
The Boston Altas by the Boston Planning & Development
Agency. Nevertheless, the students’ final proposals were most
informed by their recorded site analysis, including pedestrian
desire lines to public transportation and City of Boston bicycle
routes, nearby grocery and convenience stores, and access to
playgrounds, playing fields, and other green spaces. Using
this data, students developed basic approaches to landscape
and urban orientations, either choosing to work within and
supplement the framework of existing open space, or electing
to embrace alternative forms of public and community-oriented
spaces that enriched their residential program.
Legend
1. Melnea Cass Boulevard
2. E Lenox Street
3. Newcomb Street
4. Washington Street
5. Boston University
School of Medicine
6. Amazon
7. Ramsay Park
8. Tropical Foods
9. Boston Water Commission
10. South Bay Harbor Trail
Site
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
INTRODUCTION
5
4
7
3
2
6
8
9
1
10
Tim Love
Categories
To make the studio projects accessible, we have grouped
projects into clearly defined categories based on access and
circulation, which fall into four types: single stair (central),
single stair (linear), corridor-based, and exterior access. Within
each section, projects are organized in descending order
according to the total number of units. This organization allows
the reader to assess the tradeoffs associated with density. A
final layer of categorization tags each project with pictograms
that represent site layout and window exposure. The site layout
pictogram illustrates the types of morphological configurations
of dwellings on the site that emerged in the studio. Students
considered how the different building configurations related
to exterior light, shadows, and views. They also assessed how
the block configuration positioned individual dwellings relative
to one another, shared spaces, and the public realm. The other
pictograms indicate window exposure, another theme that
students grappled with as they investigated how more than one
exposure could be achieved. The layers of categorization are
intended to allow for comparison and to elicit an exploration
of how various spatial typologies of walk-up housing, when
brought to a site in Boston, produce tangible effects on
community and lifestyle.
Access
Single Stair—Linear
A single staircase provides access to all units above
the ground floor. These stairs are un-embedded in the
building.
Single Stair—Central
A single, often switchback staircase provides access to all
units above the ground floor. These stairs are embedded
within the building floor plates.
Corridor-Based
Circulation through the building is driven by the use of
corridors.
Exterior Access
Dwelling units are primarily accessed directly from the
exterior.
Unit Distribution
This graphic shows the total number of units in each
project, and breaks this total down into the number of
each unit type, shown with squares representing studios,
1-bedrooms, 2-bedrooms, and 3-bedrooms.

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
INTRODUCTION
Block Configuration
Enclosed
Courtyard
Modules are aggregated around the entire perimeter of
the site, leaving space for a courtyard in the center.
Open
Courtyard
Modules are aggregated in a U-shape around the site,
leaving space for an open courtyard in the center.
Parallel Bars
Modules are aggregated along two sides of the site.
Single Bar
Modules are aggregated to form a single building, cutting
through the site in a straight line.
Mat
Modules are aggregated across the entire site.
Unit Window Exposures
Single-Exposure
Units with openings on one side.
Double-Exposure
Open-Ended
Units with openings at opposite ends.
Double-Exposure
90-Degree
Units with openings at corners or at 90 degrees to one
another.
Tim Love
Case Study
The topic of housing in pedagogy often covers complex
constraints and myriad special areas of focus, ranging
from theoretical, social, or economic interests, to material
or experiential preoccupations. As a foundational studio,
“Urban Walk-Up Housing” focused on an earnest, code-based
approach to the circulation armature and organizational
logic as the departure point for student investigation. This
studio introduced students to the codified spatial language,
considerations of density, and minimized circulation while
challenging them to conceive of compelling configurations
that explore the flexibility and potential opportunities of
the walk-up housing type. The following project exemplifies
this approach, developing an open courtyard and center
for the community while using large moves to establish a
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
INTRODUCTION
relationship with the context. The project also deploys a hybrid
circulation and organizational approach that creates a sense of
individuality and a variety of living configurations for residents.
Each module contains nine units, as well as components of
the building that make connections to the site. The first floor
has two studios and a central, two story townhouse accessed
directly from the street. The inclusion of a townhouse in the
center of the module allowed the student to avoid a second
floor corridor and to dedicate additional area to the twobedroom flats. The third and fourth floor consist entirely of
interlocking, two story residences accessed from, and wrapping
around, a central corridor on the third floor. This organization
satisfies the requirement that common circulation terminates
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Noelle Burke
on the third floor. Each of the multi level residences
has two or three bedrooms and private bathrooms
located on the second floor, as well as a double
height space at a portion of the living room and
private balcony. On the ground floor exterior, sloped
breezeways separate the stair core from ground floor
units and provide access to the block interior.
Four typical modules are grouped in sections
around the perimeter of the site in order to establish
moments of communal use at the corners and center
of the aggregation. A second module type fills the
corners, including single story apartments on the
second floor, and two story residences on the third
and fourth floor, consistent with the massing of the
typical module. At the ground level, the corners are
left as open spaces, which provide secure locations
for bicycle parking that remain visible from the
street. Meanwhile, the large, mid-block condition
is developed as a publicly accessible communal
courtyard with overlapping views of the bicycle
parking areas. Lastly, a special module that follows
the angled corner of the site and contains indoor
and outdoor community spaces, creates a dramatic,
public entrance to the courtyard and meeting place
for the neighborhood.
The resulting assemblage offers residents a number
of common spaces to inhabit as well as a variety of

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
INTRODUCTION
dwelling types, sizes, and views to the surrounding context.
A range of opening types and patterns help to distinguish
program on the elevations. Private patio spaces adjacent
to living rooms are articulated as large voids, while smaller
windows define private spaces such as bedrooms and
bathrooms. Each unit is covered with panelling of different
sizes that enables residents and visitors to identify specific
apartments from outside, and the stair cores appear as white
boxes punctuated by large openings.
At the exterior, access to ground floor units animate the street,
and the point-loaded stairs provide common entry points for
upper floor residents. A system of sloped breezeways connect
the street to the interior courtyard, pedestrian pathways, and
Noelle Burke
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
bicycle parking. Internally, stairwells provide direct access to
apartments on the second floor, and a skip-stop arrangement
on the upper two floors—combined with internal, private
stairs—minimizes the number of corridors needed to access
the interlocking units, similar to the Narkomfin Building and
Marginal Street Lofts.

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Drawing from building solutions from the double-loaded
corridor study, the block was intentionally left open to the
north, towards Washington Street, in the direction of the
closest T stops and along which most of the local buses travel.
The open courtyard can be enjoyed by both residents and
the rest of the neighborhood. Visitors can access the site at
INTRODUCTION
Floor 3 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
the public walkway on East Lenox Street, which slopes gently
from the sidewalk to the center of the courtyard, or at any
of the sloped, pedestrian breezeways around the perimeter.
The entire mid-block zone is dropped 2’-6” below grade to
provide additional privacy to the ground floor patios that face
the courtyard. The retaining walls between the sidewalk and
bicycle parking also force residents and visitors to first enter the
courtyard before parking, which serves as additional security
against theft. Between the sidewalk and building exterior,
private patios form a chain of intimate green spaces. At the
center of the courtyard, reflecting pools, trees, and grassy areas
provide areas for outdoor gatherings and communal recreation.
Noelle Burke

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Noelle Burke
Single Stair - Central
Each building module contains a single,
centrally located communal staircase that
provides access to all units above the ground
floor. Front doors to units are centrally located
by stair landings on the second and third
floors. This layout follows the Massachusetts
Building and Accessibility codes, which limit
main entries to dwellings served by a single
stair to the third floor and below. Any floors
above the third floor are reached through
private stairs inside the units.

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Four-pack floor plans commonly emerge
from this access scheme, with a central stair
leading to two units facing the street and
two units at the rear. When aggregated like a
rowhouse, units are single exposure. To add
more exposures and bring spatial diversity,
many students explored plans organized
like a pinwheel or cross, and introduced
multi-faceted geometries in plan. Others
experimented with units that interlock in three
dimensions, reaching across the building to
attain additional window exposure for units.
Tim Love
Sophia Aguayo-Garber
This project achieves a high density of units, by occupying
much of the site with expansive building footprints and
squeezing units in section with a raumplan configuration.
With just three flights of shared stairs, four and a half
levels of units are reached, adhering to the walk-up code
while adding density. Upper level flats and multi-story
units achieve 90 degree window exposure through setting
back a portion of the facade. Recessed bedrooms group
volumetrically when aggregated to form more expansive
corner conditions which are maximized with private
balconies. Floor-to-ceiling windows face balconies, often
wrapping corners, and are staggered in section to create a
cohesive and rhythmic facade pattern.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
5
2
4
1
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Sophia Aguayo-Garber

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Sophia Aguayo-Garber
Marie Davis
This project utilizes the raum plan to pack units onto the site
and generate spatial diversity. Units at the interior of the
block are half a level below those on the street, allowing for
additional units while still falling below the code-defined
height limit. After ground floor flats, moving up on half levels,
residents reach studios and the upper floors have split-level
units that span the depth of the building. The top floor duplex
is registered on the facade with tall corner windows in the
double height space. Duplexes contain rich spatial layers,
with split levels creating zones of privacy within units and
interior windows connecting across double height spaces to the
exterior. Elevation changes in the public realm define zones
of publicness and recessed balconies and shutters facilitate
operable privacy.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
5
2
4
1
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Marie Davis

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Marie Davis

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Marie Davis
Adele Biehl
The site was developed using a framework of regulating lines
at a forty-five degree angle relative to the street. Arranged in an
open courtyard, each module remains a distinct building with
an access alleyway that links the four corners of the site with
a private courtyard. Ground floor units are either accessible or
split-level. A central, switchback stair provides access to upper
floor units with entries at intermediate landings, which offset
opposing units by a half level. This arrangement, combined
with an internal stair on the upper, two-level residences, creates
a stepped massing with the tops of lower units providing rooms
for roof gardens. Meanwhile, sections of exterior wall peel back,
creating a dynamic facade with dramatic patios and varied,
daylit interior and exterior conditions.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Perspective
Perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
3
2
1
Adele Biehl

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Adele Biehl
Anita Goharfar
The primary circulation for each building module is a
central shared stair that opens onto the street. Ground
floor flats are accessed off of the interior lobby, after
passing resident mailboxes. Moving up the shared stair,
units open off of every landing, with units at the interior
of the block staggered half a level off units facing the
street. Upper floor units are all duplexes and interior
stairs are positioned symmetrically, away from corners.
In accordance with the code, the central stair stops at the
third floor, and upper levels are reached by internal stairs.
Curved protruding balconies add an additional language
to the block massing, and serve to emphasize individual
units and draw attention to these semi-private spaces.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Anita Goharfar

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Anita Goharfar
Nouf Almuhaidib
Each building module is organized around a central
staircase that leads to second floor flats and third floor
duplexes. Lower level apartments are designed with
additional and separate entrances to sleeping quarters,
including exterior stairs that lead directly to “airbnb”
suites. This provides residents with the flexibility to rent
out spaces for additional income. Each unit has a private
outdoor space, and wrap-around upper floor terraces
promote socialization with neighbors. On the top floor, a
deck spans between buildings, creating a semi-public open
space between private balconies. Multi-bedroom units and
connections between private and shared outdoor spaces are
geared specifically toward young families with children.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Nouf Almuhaidib

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Nouf Almuhaidib
Sterling Yun
Building modules are organized around a central stair
and units pinwheel around the stair in plan. Above
ground floor accessible units, the shared stair leads to
four flats on each level. The pinwheel arrangement
of units gives multiple window exposures. This is
accentuated by locating bathrooms and closets between
units, which gives the facade further exposure. The
corners are optimized further with private balconies.
The social nature of the central courtyard is enhanced
by locating entrances to each building facing the interior
courtyard.
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Sterling Yun

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Sterling Yun
Ji Huyn Nam
Each module consists of a pinwheel plan, with a stair, lobby,
and shared recreational terrace at the center, surrounded by
units and terraces of varying sizes. The ground and second
floor have flats, while the third and fourth floor have two-level
units accessed from the third floor by the central stair. The
modules aggregate to form two fairly dense bars articulated
by stepped terraces and separated by a walkway and public
plaza connecting East Lenox and Newcomb Street. While the
proximity of the terraces encourages neighbor interaction, no
two terraces physically touch, ensuring each has a degree of
privacy. Internally, the units are neatly organized into public
and private sections, with living rooms, kitchens, and dining
rooms opening up to private terraces.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
2
4
1
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Ji Huyn Nam

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section B
Scale: 1:60
Ji Huyn Nam
Haoming (Judy) Zhu
Each module is defined by square and trapezoid-shaped
units aggregated around a central stair in a pinwheel. At the
ground floor, the units are offset to provide access to corridors
that connect the sidewalk to a series of interlocking, publicly
accessible courtyards. Pairs of modules lightly touch to form
two articulated bars; however, each module retains formal
autonomy due to the aggregation strategy, landscape forms,
and hyperformal roof system. At each level, units slide
relative to the unit below, which creates opportunities for
private terraces. Two-level, upper floor units are accessed
from the third floor, but share a communal courtyard roof
deck at the fourth floor. Internally, residences are carefully
zoned between private and enclosed bedroom spaces versus
more open living room, kitchen, and dining spaces.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
3
1
2
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Haoming (Judy) Zhu

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Roof Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Haoming (Judy) Zhu
Miranda Hazoury
Apartments pinwheel around the central stair which
gives direct access to units. After apartments on the
ground floor, the stair leads to flats on the second level
and duplexes accessed on the third level. By rotating the
units on each level, patios and overhangs emerge and
define generous private open spaces for each apartment.
Semi-public space is limited to the area around the
central stair and the linear open space that connects
across the block. By staggering the units in plan, double
ninety degree window exposure is achieved, which is
expressed further through corner windows.
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
2
3
1
Miranda Hazoury
Concept
Massing

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Miranda Hazoury
Aakilah Rashid
In each bow-tie-shaped module, a central stair connects
three residential floors to a roof deck amenity. The stair also
connects two single-loaded corridors that provide access
to a one and three bedroom apartment, with a two-level,
two bedroom residence holding the corners of the third
and fourth floor. Internally, the living and dining room
provides connections to the private spaces of each unit, and
small balconies are accessed from the living room or master
bedroom. At the exterior, the facade peels at each floor, tying
each private terrace visually to an inaccessible green roof.
On the site, four loosely aggregated modules create deep
lawns along the street, two publicly accessible courtyards,
and one semi-private courtyard for the residents.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
3
2
1
Aakilah Rashid
Circulation

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Public vs Private
Unit Types
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Aakilah Rashid
Karissa Xu
Units in each module are accessed by a central stair that
winds around a shared, entry court. The ground and
second floor consist of flats and a townhouse, while the
third and fourth floor have only two-level residences
accessed from the third floor. The modules aggregate
to form two bars separated by a cruciform walkway
and public plaza connecting East Lenox and Newcomb
Street. A series of small, stepped, private terraces
overlook the plaza and street. Internally, units have fairly
compact footprints, which results in a moderately dense
system of courtyard blocks.
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Karissa Xu

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Karissa Xu

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Karissa Xu
Valentina Cantillana
Units are arranged around a central communal stair which
gives direct access to dwelling spaces. Above ground floor
accessible flats, the communal stair leads to a mix of duplexes
and flats which are accessed from the second, third, and fourth
floors. The hexagonal units makes each unit identifiable
from the exterior and allows for multiple window exposures
per apartment. The stacked units jog in section, defining
private terraces below overhangs. From the hexagonal unit,
a honeycomb logic extends across the site to guide the
position of buildings, leaving a generous courtyard at the
center of the block. The shape also permeates other design
elements, including the configuration of the communal stairs
and landscape elements, giving the project a cohesive and
recognizable design language.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2B
1A
1B
Valentina Cantillana

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Valentina Cantillana
Abdulaziz Alkhalifa
A central stair is the primary circulation element for each
building module and leads directly from the street to
dwelling units. The units are designed for college students
and young professionals and include ground floor accessible
units, second and third floor flats, and third floor duplexes.
Interior features support a youthful social lifestyle, with
rotating walls and murphy beds designed for parties and
overnight visitors. Exterior cantilevers provide covered
pedestrian walkways along the streets and a gateway into the
semi-public courtyard that traverses the site. The material
palette echoes that of the neighborhood, with cobblestones
leading through the courtyard and facades composed of
scaled-up versions of the typical Boston red bricks.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
3
1
4
2
Abdulaziz Alkhalifa
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section A
Scale: 1:60

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section B
Scale: 1:60
Abdulaziz Alkhalifa
Gene-Phillipe Mongan
Building module circulation is organized around a shared
central stair that leads directly to upper floor units. The
ground floor lobby emanates from this stair with a door to
the public street, the interior of the block, and to the two
remaining facades. The lobby has lounge space, ample
bike storage, and entrances to the ground floor units.
These units include flats and duplexes and the central
stair takes residents to second floor flats and third floor
duplexes. The street-facing facade is flat and the massing
terraces down to the center of the block, giving upper
floor units generous balconies. The monolithic facades
are inscribed with punch windows, and floor-to-ceiling
glass creates connections to the private terraces.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
2
4
1
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Gene-Phillipe Mongan
Yuju Kang
Each module is defined by a set of overarching geometric
principles that bring nuance and variety to common housing
elements. A chain of linked octagons, inspired by the bay
windows of nearby rowhouses, line the site and enclose a
semi-public courtyard connected to the neighborhood via
a wide walkway running from E Lenox to Newcomb Street.
Angled regulating lines organize exterior walls that capture
semi-public front yard spaces and semi-private terraces, as
well as the central, triangular stair that provides access to each
unit. Internally, single and two-level units have expansive
common spaces and sculptural private spaces. Externally, the
angled walls and modular landscape approach create a dynamic
backdrop of overlapping activity and varied, sunlit conditions
and spaces that soften the limits of the building and its
interaction with the streets.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
5
2
4
1
3
Yuju Kang

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:30
Yuju Kang
Gloria He
A shared central staircase provides direct access to
upper floor units while ground floor units have their
own front doors. Apartments on the upper floors are all
flats, stacked on levels two and three. The front and the
backside of the buildings take on different characters
and uses. The front facade is primarily flat, with shallow
bay window projections, similar to the context. The back
face takes a toothed profile in plan, increasing window
exposure and creating pockets for private outdoor space.
Apartments feature spacious private balconies located
adjacent to the living areas of the units, and projecting
into the backyard. The private balconies overlook a
shared sunken courtyard at the center of the block.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
3
2
1
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Gloria He

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Gloria He
Cristina Solà Sanz
The module of this project is defined by units formed by
cubes and aggregated into a pyramid shape counterpoised
by sweeping, curved terraces capturing private and collective
open space. Internally, a central, common stair provides
access to the second floor from which all upper floor units are
accessed. Each unit has a unique plan and access to ample
open space, creating a rich and vibrant backdrop of activity
flanking a curvilinear promenade that weaves through the
site. Moreover, due to the stepped massing and orientation of
the modules, each terrace, and the courtyard interior, receive
variable lighting and sun exposure. Meanwhile, each building
presents a taut facade, with stepped roofs and punched
windows, towards the adjacent streets and masonry buildings.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
2
4
1
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Cristina Solà Sanz

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Cristina Solà Sanz
Isabella Greco
Building modules are composed of ground floor duplexes
accessed from the exterior, and a central communal stair
leads to a flat and duplex accessed from the third floor. The
shared stair also provides access to large communal rooftop
terraces on the third floor and fourth floor. The project
promotes communal living and units are designed around
shared living rooms. In each duplex, residents enter through
the shared living room and can access three bedrooms and a
kitchen on the first level, and another set on the upper level.
Mobile walls allow for the kitchen and bedroom space to be
closed off from the living space for privacy. The buildings
form a continuous street wall around the block, with an
entrance to the central courtyard at the east and west.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Isabella Greco

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Isabella Greco
Harrison Boudreau
The project consists of two modules that use a central stair
to develop a variety of units in a compact footprint. In the
main module, a central common stair connects the entry
vestibule and community room with access to apartments.
Secondary stairs internal to two-level apartments hug the
main stair and push the main space of each unit towards
the exterior wall. The common stair is centered in the
module with apartment plans organized on a four-square
grid. Apartments to the left of the stair each take up one
quadrant, but span two floors, separating living or kitchen
and dining spaces from private rooms. Apartments to the
right are flats that span two quadrants with views of the
street and courtyard.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Unit Diagram
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Harrison Boudreau
Grace Drucker Shaooli
Building modules consist of circular units that are connected
tangentially to a central circular communal staircase. Ground
floor apartments are accessible flats, and the shared stair leads
to flats, duplexes, and a shared dining terrace on the second
floor. Residents achieve privacy from their surroundings, with
landscaped berms at street edges, and operable bamboo screens
and railings that wrap all facades. A sense of community is
promoted around the shared staircases, with unit living spaces
and glazing facing the central stair. Ample private outdoor
space is created for each unit through varying the dimensions of
the outdoor circulation. Units have multiple window exposures
due to their form, and the variation of overall building height
allows light to further infiltrate apartments.
Elevation
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
1
4
3
Grace Drucker Shaooli

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
CENTRAL
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Grace Drucker Shaooli
Single Stair - Linear
Each building module contains a single
communal staircase that provides access to
all units above the ground floor. Front doors
to units are located on the second and third
floors. Higher floors are reached through
private stairs inside units to abide by the
Massachusetts Building and Accessibility
codes.
Unlike the previous category, the shared
stair is not contained within the center of
the massing. Instead, it extends across to the
front and back facades of the building. The
elongation of this shared zone sets up visual

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
and physical access through the block and can
improve the experience within this collective
domain. It often serves to separate individual
units from one another, enhancing privacy.
The figure of the linear stair influences unit
entrances, resulting in fewer stacked entrances
and more modifications to floor plans on each
level. The units on either side of the stair can
occupy the length of the building to achieve
double exposure. When additional units are
added per floor, other methods for improving
exposure are employed, like developing an
undulating facade.
Tim Love
Emma Tracy
Long apartments within each module are organized by a
continuous, linear stair that springs from a narrow entry
courtyard and splits the module into two halves. The first and
second floor consist of three flats, and a townhouse, while the
third floor has flats, with fourth floor flats accessed via internal
stairs on the third floor. At the block interior, long terraces with
deep, alternating alcoves per floor wrap the kitchen/dining
spaces and provide a semi-private buffer between apartment
interiors and the courtyard. Along the street, apartments
and modules aggregate and break up the massing to form
projecting bays that sequester shared patio spaces on the
ground floor. Internally, private space is oriented to the street,
while common spaces are adjacent to the courtyard.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
1
4
3
Emma Tracy

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Emma Tracy
William Chattin
The primary circulation is a stair that runs straight through
the building on the ground floor, with a lobby that includes
bike storage and connects to the public realm at the interior
of the block. The first floor consists of accessible onebedroom units with enclosed private open spaces serving
as a buffer between the interior of the units and the public
realm. The shared central stair leads to second floor flats
and third floor duplexes, each of which have large corner
balconies that become a rhythmic facade element. To
maximize density on the site, special building types are
developed to fill out the block along Reed Street. This
extension generates a related but distinct architecture,
including references to local bay windows at its corners.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
2
1
4
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
William Chattin

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
William Chattin
Caroline Wertlieb
Contained within two opposing bars, this project is organized
by a long, transverse stair that divides the module into
quadrants. Since the stair is a continuous run, its position
changes from floor to floor. This technique allows the units
to grow and expand from tightly regimented one bedroom
accessible flats on the ground level, to half-floor or L-shaped,
multi-bedroom apartments or townhouses above. Public
and private rooms pinwheel around the stair, and each unit
type has a particular staging for single or double open-ended
window views of the street or mid-block court, depending on
the floor. Nevertheless, the extremely consistent arrangement
of stepped balconies accessed from living spaces belies the
planimetric variety of units within a simple module.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Caroline Wertlieb

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Caroline Wertlieb
Qiling (Krystal) Cai
This project is organized around a linear stair that runs
straight through the module, giving direct access to dwelling
units as well as a semi-public common area on the second
floor. Apartments fall on either side of the stair, including
accessible ground floor units, and a mix of flats and duplexes
on the upper levels. The complex is designed for the student
population in the area and features generous shared
spaces for work and play, including large private terraces,
second floor study lounges, and a semi-enclosed courtyard.
The courtyard is a central design feature that is spatially
reinforced through pedestrian breezeways that lead from
the street, down half a level to the courtyard, off of which
are the entrances to the buildings.
Site Section
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Qiling (Krystal) Cai

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Qiling (Krystal) Cai
Dana Murtada
The linear stair is the primary circulation element of this
project and provides direct access to dwelling units, semiprivate mail room, and an interior, semi-public courtyard.
Apartments of various sizes—including accessible, ground floor
units, second and third floor flats, and multi-level units—occur
to either side of the main stair and demising wall of the Type A
and B modules. The Type C module—specifically designed as
a communal infill building to enclose the courtyard—provides
interior and exterior amenity space topped by a bi-level
townhouse. The most striking features of the facade are the
private, double height, ganged terraces, which face either the
courtyard or the front yard and allow for overlapping views of
private interiors, semi-private exterior space, and the street.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Dana Murtada

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section A
Scale: 1:60
Dana Murtada

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Dana Murtada
Scarlett Hanks
A linear communal stair provides access across the building on
the ground floor and to upper floor units. Apartment footprint
sizes are similar, with flats on either side of the stair on the
first and second floor, and four duplexes with entrances on
the third floor. The x-shaped plan creates units with multiple
exposures and lends unique characteristics to the open
space. Six building modules are aggregated across the site,
connecting to form continuous street facades. The character
of the courtyards between x-shapes changes according to their
adjacencies, with streetside triangular courtyards providing
bike parking, octagonal semi-public open spaces between
buildings providing access to shared stairs, and square semiprivate courtyards serving ground floor units.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Scarlett Hanks

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Scarlett Hanks
Joana Tourinho
A long lobby precedes a common, central stair with direct
access to apartment entries on upper floors. Fourth floor
units are accessed via in-unit private stairs that spring from
the central stair and split the module into two halves. Each
floor has twin units, and each unit has multiple, large,
private terraces that create a lively, tiered composition of
social and outdoor spaces for the residents. The generosity
of the outdoor spaces is inversely related to the tight
organization of each unit type. At the exterior, the modules
aggregate to form a sequence of stepped roof terraces that
ensure semi-privacy for each unit facing the courtyard,
while the taut, street-side facades are punctuated by smaller
punched windows and tall planter elements.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Joana Tourinho

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Joana Tourinho
Olivia Johnson
Building modules are organized around a shared staircase
that extends straight across the block. All unit entrances are
accessed directly off this stair zone, including ground floor
flats and duplexes. The communal stair leads to second floor
flats, duplexes on the third floor, and a door that contains
an internal stair serving fourth floor flats to accommodate
the code. The shared linear stair is the primary architectural
element which is registered on the facade with double height
glazing at its entrance on the street as well as on its final
landing on the third floor. The staircase and surrounding
landings are fattened to allow residents to linger and promote
social interaction. Modules are arranged into solid bars that
are punctured with private balconies and interior light wells.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
3
2
1
Olivia Johnson
Unit Configuration

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Circulation
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Olivia Johnson
Sophia Pinto
A single, linear stair organizes a trio of L-shaped units
along opposing edges. The stair connects four floors,
with three bedroom apartments on the first and fourth
floors, and a mix of one and two bedroom residences on
the remaining floors. Internally, each unit is subdivided
by program, with bedrooms and bathrooms contained
within one wing, while the other wing contains the
living room, dining area, and kitchen. Along the exterior
facade, triangular patios and terraces fill the space
between the angle of each unit. The resulting zig-zag
breaks up the massing of the two bars deployed on the
site and ensures that each unit has ample opportunity
for lighting and views of the surrounding neighborhood.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
1
2
3
4
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Sophia Pinto

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Sophia Pinto
Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan
Building modules are organized around a central stair
that leads directly to dwelling units. The complex is
multi-generational, with ground floor accessible units
for the elderly, second floor flats for young couples, and
upper floors with studios for singles and duplexes for
larger families. Sun exposure and solar orientation are
dominating logics. All units have multiple exposures
and building modules are arranged in parallel rows with
private terraces facing south. Vegetation and vertical
partitions filter between the privacy of the units, the
semi-public courtyard, and the street. The fence design
allows for nuanced modulation as panels rotate open for
visibility, and closed for privacy.
Site Section
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Units
Scale: 1:30
2-Bed
3-Bed
Studio
1-Bed
Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Yanwen (Evelyn) Tan
Nina Spellman
Within this project, primary circulation is a wide, transverse
stair connected to a series of ramps that establish a
procession of shared spaces that deliver residents and
visitors to ground floor bicycle parking, the interior
courtyard flanked by terraces, or access to units elevated
above the street. Each module is a self-contained collection
of flats, accessed at the ground or third floor, and deployed
around the site as a necklace of residential buildings held
off from the corners by a pocket park and community
center. Internally, each apartment has a semi-public flexible
room or shared area that can be sequestered and privatized
depending on the needs of the inhabitants, ideally suited for
students or small families with a visiting family member.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Nina Spellman

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
Fourth Floor
Nina Spellman
Emerson Campbell
A central stair provides access to units and occupies a linear
circulation zone that connects directly from the street to
the open space at the interior of the block. The front doors
of units on the ground floor open onto the unenclosed
portion of this circulation zone. The shared stair leads to
flats and duplexes on the second floor and the third floor
contains flats that are nestled against the upper level of
the duplexes. The third floor also contains the front doors
to the flats on the fourth floor, which are accessed through
private staircases. This allows for fourth floor flats while
still abiding by the code that prohibits unit entrances above
the third floor.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Emerson Campbell

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Emerson Campbell
Shepard Thompson
Inspired by the massing of the Quinta Monroy houses
in Iqueque, Chile, the modules are split by a narrow
stair, with a sculptural volume bookending the twin
residential bars. A stack of increasingly smaller
unit footprints allow space for an assembly of semiprivate terraces, adjacent to living and dining rooms,
flanking an interior pedestrian walkway. Externally,
eight staunch, three-story, row house-like forms with
punched openings face each street, which combine with
the stepped terraces to form a distinctly neighborhood
scale image.
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
1
2
3
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Shepard Thompson
Arpi Dayian
Building modules are organized around a central linear stair
that provides a connection from the street to the interior
of the block on the ground floor. While the ground floor
units are accessible flats, all other units are multi-level and
contain interior stairs. The complex interlocking units nest
into a cohesive exterior geometry with clustered protruding
balconies. The geometry is further emphasized through
material changes, and common contextual materials like
brick echo the neighborhood. The use of brick reads as
distinct within the context, by exploring color choice and
brick aggregation. Screens of brick answer questions of
privacy between individual balconies, creating a buffer and
still allowing for light and air.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
3
6
2
5
1
4
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
Arpi Dayian

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Arpi Dayian

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Arpi Dayian
Emely Mateo
Within this project, a central stair core functions as a pivot
point, providing access to each building from the street,
and organizing the apartments. Units pinwheel around the
central stair, which opens up opportunities for enhanced
lighting for interior spaces, and semi-enclosure for exterior
spaces. The project is designed for multi-generational
families with lower-level flats and upper-floor duplexes
accommodating more and less social families, respectively.
The four modules aggregate to form two, c-shaped bars that
capture leisure, garden, and amenity spaces on the ground
floor. The interior courtyard is programmed for kids of many
ages to promote socializing between families and modest
street-side lawns create a buffer between the private patios
on the ground floor and the adjacent street.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Emely Mateo

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
SINGLE STAIR
LINEAR
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:30
Emely Mateo
Corridor-Based
The primary access for building modules in
this category is through communal horizontal
circulation. Corridors contain the front doors
to units and upper level corridors are reached
through shared stairs. Unlike the single stair
projects, shared circulation can exist above the
third level.
In addition, the corridor system allows for
more units to be connected under the same
armature than the single stair system, which
caps the number of units served by one stair

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
to twelve. However, in its typical form, the
corridor is a dimly lit, uncomfortable narrow
space that results in units with a single
orientation. To resolve this problem, several
students expand the corridor area, converting
it to a sunlit atrium. This casts the corridor
space as a livable social space for neighborly
interaction. Other projects employ a skip-stop
corridor, which limits corridors to every other
level and allows duplexes to wrap around the
building to achieve double exposure.
Tim Love
Megan Arseneau
The primary circulation for this project is through
shared stairs that lead to a third floor corridor through
which all upper floor duplexes are accessed. Ground
floor units each have their own entry, buffered from the
public realm with gated private gardens. On the upper
levels, the skip-stop arrangement locates bedrooms on
the third floor and living spaces of the same unit are
either above or below, spanning the building to achieve
double-exposure. Lobbies to the shared stairs are at the
corners of the building and accommodate bike parking.
Living spaces are traced on the facade with larger
apertures and corresponding balconies that are further
defined through a change in material.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
3
2
1
Megan Arseneau

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Megan Arseneau
Lena Parsch
In each module, dwelling units are accessed by a central stair
which occupies a sunlit atrium. This atrium extends across
the module and sets up lateral circulation that connects
between building modules. Apartments are a mix of one and
two-bedrooms, with ground floor accessible units, second
floor flats, and third floor duplexes. Expansive ground
floor lobbies are intended to serve the neighborhood with
institutional, cultural, or retail programming. Conceived in
the same vein as the residential alleyways of South Boston,
narrow open spaces between buildings provide secondary
access and semi-private gardens. Upper floor units contain
private open spaces that are a mix of open-air terraces and
glass enclosed sun-rooms. Stacked sunrooms are vertically
expressed on the facade, and changes in materiality per
dwelling unit convey individuality.
Section Perspective Diagram

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Lena Parsch

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Floor 4 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Lena Parsch
Daniela Zaragoza
Each module contains multi level apartments with wide,
internal steps organized along daylit, double loaded corridors
capped by stair cores. Each unit has an adjacent, single or
two-level outdoor terrace that offers residents varying levels of
daylighting and privacy from the street. These outdoors spaces
form expressive voids that alternate from floor to floor, perforate
the massing, and lend a sculptural quality to the corners of the
building and articulated roofline. Internally, private bedrooms
and bathrooms face the street, and are organized on the
elevated portion of each tetris-like unit. Meanwhile the living
room, kitchen, and dining area are organized on an open plan
and borrow light from the adjacent terrace, creating an interior
landscape of publicness and privacy.
Section
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Circulation
Outdoor Space
Unit Plans
Scale: 1:30
3
2
1
Daniela Zaragoza
Sharmeen Khan
Within this project, exterior circulation consists of four openair stairs connecting four buildings to street corners, while
two breezeways provide expedient access to the courtyard for
residents with bicycles. The first module type faces the main
streets and alternates between three bedroom apartments and
studios, while the second module consists of three bedroom
apartments and townhouses, and encloses the courtyard.
Access from the street to the interior is defined by a sequence
of courtyards. Residents move diagonally through the site, from
corner plaza, to entry stairwells, to the courtyard, and viceversa. ‘Public’ activities occur at the courtyard and adjacent
dining room and unit outdoor spaces. Meanwhile ‘private’ is
defined by a ring of bedrooms and living rooms, with views
facing the street and neighboring buildings.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
3
2
1
Sharmeen Khan

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Sharmeen Khan

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Sharmeen Khan
Jake Okrent
This project explores the indirect relationship between
circulation efficiency versus vertical connectivity and
spatial experience. A pair of stair cores and strategically
placed corridors form the basic access armature organizing
twin buildings of technically two bedroom apartments.
Meanwhile, 28 two-level units stack and slip over one
another, creating multifaceted interior and exterior spatial
opportunities using a pair of interior and exterior stairs
internal to each unit that connect the private and more public
spaces of each apartment. The remaining 4 units are flats
that signal the beginning and end of the aggregation system.
Internally, folding walls allow the semi-public spaces of units
to expand and contract, be more open to the exterior, or more
privatized, depending on the occupants’ needs.
Section Perspective
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Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
3
2
1
Jake Okrent

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Jake Okrent
Ruby Kenausis
Circulation is organized around a central second-floor
atrium that’s reached by a broad staircase from the street or
an enclosed stair at the back. Residents of upper floor flats
and duplexes access their front doors via corridors facing
the multi-story atrium. The atrii are conceived as lush
greenhouses that can be used year-round, including during
the harsh Boston winter. On the backside of the buildings,
corridors extend from atria on the third floor, connecting
between building modules and enhancing sociability across
the block. This interior communal space is open to light
and views through transparent facades, while the publicfacing street side of the building contains small apertures to
enhance privacy and symbolic arches to denote entrances.
Elevation
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Ruby Kenausis
Unit Layout

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Ruby Kenausis
Cameron Hettich
Elevated corridors provide access to upper floor flats and
duplexes and define shaded paths to flats and duplexes
on the ground floor. The massing across the site is
terraced, with a third floor corridor on one side and a
second floor corridor on the other, giving additional
light and views to units. The project aims to create an
urban housing complex that has the amenities of the
suburbs through a lower density of units and spacious
private outdoor areas. Unit entrances are clustered
around semi-public space with front stoops and bike
parking. Trapezoidal units combine to create sawtooth
profiles with unique living spaces at the pointed tip of
the trapezoid.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
CORRIDOR
BASED
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
1
2
Cameron Hettich
4
3
2
1
Circulation Diagrams

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
CORRIDOR
BASED
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Cameron Hettich
Exterior Access
In this category, the primary building access is
located outdoors. The circulation system itself
may be through single stairs, corridors, or a
combination, with its exterior nature as the
unifying factor.
Open to the air, corridors are no longer
dark claustrophobic spaces, though weather
becomes an impact. Exterior corridor

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
access to units can take on the character
of neighborhood streets when scaled
proportionally. Circulation systems in this
category become architectural expression,
with staircases becoming diagonal geometries
across the facade, visible stairs inviting people
to elevated courtyards, and elevated walkways
tracing facades.
Tim Love
Anna Bonfigli
A system of exterior stairs allow residents and visitors to
process through terraces before reaching the entries for
the residences. Meanwhile, convenience stairs tether these
elevated terraces together, creating a patchwork of semi-public
space accessible by residents and the community. Modules are
aggregated to maximize the number of units on the site, but a
courtyard plaza and alleyways maintain the formal autonomy
of each building. Private patios for the residences are adjacent
to the stairs and face a variety of orientations, including the
street, courtyard plaza, or alleyways, ensuring that there are no
pockets of spatial stagnation or disuse. Within unit interiors,
there is a similar procession from publicness to privacy as
residents move through kitchen and dining spaces to the
living room and bedrooms.
Elevation
Scale: 1:30

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
1
2
3
Anna Bonfigli

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Anna Bonfigli
Ethan Wang
A system of exterior stairs, elevated walkways, and large,
open balconies allow each unit to be accessed directly from
the exterior. The first two floors of each module consist of
a loose aggregation of units into a cruciform and parallel
bars centered on a social courtyard that provides access to
six one bedroom apartments. Meanwhile, four two-level
residences accessed via the two main stairs make up the
third and fourth floors. Once deployed on the site, the
cruciform aggregation on the ground floor creates a system
of connected social courtyards at the block interior and
pocket patios lining the street. The remaining floors form a
perforated block oriented to the east and west, promoting
access to ample light and air for each residence.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
4
2
3
1
Ethan Wang
3
2
1

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Elevation
Scale: 1:30
Ethan Wang
Christopher Beck
Six semi-public stairs and their adjoining, elevated terraces
organize this building into three main strata. The ground
plane is an expanse of private lawns, common planting beds,
and publicly accessible walkways that encourage openness,
community living, and a shared, outdoor experience
for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. The
intermediate levels have a combination of residences, private
patios, and shared terraces. At the upper level, the proportion
of enclosed to open space shifts again, with primarily
bedrooms overlooking a series of green roofs and terraces.
Each module consists of a ground floor flat, two townhouses
accessed from the ground floor, and two townhouses accessed
from the third floor via the semi-public stair core. Internally,
units are organized with common spaces on one level, and
private bedrooms on another.
Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Christopher Beck

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Christopher Beck
Theodore Kypreos
Within the module of this project, each apartment sits
between an exterior stair facing the courtyard, and a series
of private patios.. The exterior stair has deep landings that
provide additional outdoor space for residents to casually
meet and socialize. Additionally, the exterior stair breaks
up the courtyard facade into a solid-void composition
that acts as a backdrop for a publicly accessible courtyard
and community garden. Internally, each module consists
of flats on the ground and second floor, and two-level
units with internal stairs on the third and fourth floor.
Within each unit, spaces are separated by activity, with
private bedrooms sequestered to one section or floor of the
apartment, and common spaces organized in an open plan.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Theodore Kypreos
Eva Justo
Communal staircases on opposite ends of the site link
to exterior corridors on the second and third floors that
lead to dwelling units and shared amenities. Flats and
duplexes on the ground floor have their own private
entrances, located at the interior of the block facing the
shared circulation system. Second level walkways lead
to flats and and third level walkways access duplexes.
The expressive exterior circulation also provides access to
common areas including bike parking on the ground floor,
and common working and dining rooms on the second
floor. Each unit has 90 degree exposure and duplexes
feature double-height windows opening onto living
spaces, with the bonus of skylights for top floor duplexes.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
1
3
Eva Justo

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section
Scale: 1:60
Eva Justo
Omarlyn Martinez
Each module contains a series of variably shaped
three bedroom units that form clusters on the ground
floor around two central stairs. Each stair connects
to generous corridors that provide space for casual
interaction between neighbors on the same floor.
Internally, many Z-shaped units are zoned with private
bedrooms and bathrooms in one wing and common
spaces, such as the living room and kitchen, in another.
At the exterior, the unique aggregation forms small,
insulated courtyards between units where entry patios
also occur on upper floors. The position of each module
on the site also provides room for two interconnected
corner park plazas oriented to the neighborhood.
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:60
2
4
1
3
Omarlyn Martinez
Noah Wendel
Unit access takes place outside and occurs centrally within
the building module. The front doors of ground floor
flats are clustered around a shared stair that leads to two
duplexes. All units are crenellated to achieve 90 degree
exposure, and upper level duplexes have windows on three
sides. Duplexes also have large private terraces facing the
street and the interior of the block, and an internal stair
that is lit from a clerestory above. Though buildings are
aggregated in rows, movement across the site is porous
with pathways across the block connecting through the
center of the block and through building circulation zones
to the street. On the ground level, fenced in yards and
hedges enhance the privacy of the units.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
3
2
1
Noah Wendel

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Floor 2 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Noah Wendel

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Noah Wendel
Melissa Jacobs
Through careful aggregation, this project enhances sun
exposure for each unit and maximizes open space on the
site via three features. Two community gardens provide
residents with leisure and amenity spaces, and an elevated
roof deck terrace, supplemented by two stairs, provide
access and outdoor space to upper, two-level apartments.
Internally, each module consists of a four-square grid, offset
along the midline to create new opportunities for views of
the garden and street from bedrooms and living spaces.
Four accessible flats bookend the ground floor plans. All
other units have two levels, and all units have direct access
from the exterior, which keeps the street and gardens
full of activity. The slanted roof forms provide a sense of
community and human scale.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
4
3
1
Melissa Jacobs

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Floor 3 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Floor 1 Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Melissa Jacobs
Nivedita Huple
Unlike most other projects in the studio, the building
modules are not organized around a shared stair. Instead,
all units have a front door on the ground level. This
circulation system results in lower density housing and
reaches just two stories in total. The balconies of the
duplex units fit together like puzzle pieces, forming
individual terraces that are visually connected with a low
fence between spaces to enhance the sense of community.
Careful attention is given to the facades facing the
balconies, with blank walls adding privacy to terraces
of the opposing unit. These blank walls still allow for
sunlight to enter the unit through a clerestory, created
through a butterfly roof that opens toward the balconies.
Section Perspective

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Aerial Axon
Aerial perspective view of the housing
complex and its surrounding area.
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Module Plans
Scale: 1:30
2
1
Nivedita Huple
Unit Configuration

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
EXTERIOR
ACCESS
Site Plan
Scale: 1:60
Section A
Scale: 1:60
Nivedita Huple
Afterword
Judith Kinnard
What is the role of housing studios
in a design curriculum? Are projects
that explore residential aggregation
essential to the education of an
architect?
These questions come up with remarkable frequency
in faculty debates. They are often followed by an
assertion that urban housing has been largely absent
in recent years and needs to be revived. Having
observed the arc of curricula at multiple institutions
over the last 40 years, I suspect that this is not exactly
true. The topic seems to be present in most design
programs, though it certainly oscillates in its position
in the timeline of a student’s education. A program
may place it outside the “core” as a specialized (and
optional) offering until the pendulum swings back
and it reenters the coordinated (and collective)
curriculum. Of course, the pendulum is not fixed, and
the debate gets revived.
The varied rationale for each placement tends to be
articulated in the following ways:
•
It belongs in the core because it is the building
block of the city and it engages important
compositional and social issues. Housing
also occupies such a large portion of the built
environment; how can a student be fully
prepared to enter the profession without
encountering the unique challenges of scale
and human occupancy at the residential
scale (beyond a single house)? Students from
suburban environments become better designers
through the distillation of urban dwelling into its
essential individual and collective components.
•
It should be an offering for advanced students
due to the complexity of the topic. Important
issues of zoning, codes, access systems,
individual and community benefits, equity, and
financing mechanisms would inhibit the creative
exploration of a less experienced designer.

Urban Walk-Up Housing Studio
Of course, all of these arguments have merit, and
this partly explains the cyclical positioning of the
topic. Another factor in the curricular emphasis on
housing involves the faculty. Depending on their
own educational experience or current practice,
this will seem either central or totally peripheral
to their interests. During most of the last century,
housing design was vitally important to architecture’s
role in society. For the first generation of modern
architects, the design of social housing was central
to their practices and to their mission of social
reform through architecture. Mies, Gropius, and
others took this perspective to IIT and Harvard. As
other US programs sought to overturn the remnants
of Beaux-Arts instruction, housing studios took
precedence over institutional programs like libraries
and museums. In the 70’s many faculty members
at Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia (as well as other
highly respected architecture schools across the
United States and Canada) had active practices
designing projects for public sector clients. One
prominent example involved Urban Development
Corporation (UDC) projects urban and rural sites in
New York State. Practitioners brought the project type
into the classroom, producing many innovative and
award-winning solutions in the process. Although
new public housing construction largely stopped
being built in the US shortly after this through
political forces, powerful international examples of
social housing could still be introduced to students.
The reinvestment in cities that occurred in the early
2000s led to interesting market-rate projects on the
east and west coasts. The lack of affordable dwellings
in urban centers also increased the relevance of
this theme, and faculty from international contexts
continued to bring this topic into US programs as
well.
The studio at Northeastern, conducted under the
leadership of Tim Love, is a terrific example of
successfully bringing the theme of collective dwelling
into an undergraduate core studio. As both an
educational leader and a distinguished practitioner,
Love is, in some ways, uniquely able to marry
instruction involving basic formal and urban design
themes with building the student’s understanding
of the specialized vocabulary of this typology and
its market and regulatory pressures. While one
frequently hears about the importance of connecting
education and practice, there is no better place to
see how this can operate, and how challenging it
can be, than through Love’s example. It is not easy,
and far too many in the practice world glibly criticize
architectural education for not doing more of this
while failing to understand the juggling act necessary
to accomplish this kind of cross-fertilization.
The studio’s focus on walk-up housing strategies
has taken on increased relevance as we confront the
Covid-19 pandemic. Entering an elevator in a high-rise
building has been transformed from a convenience
to a source of anxiety, as has the ubiquitous doubleloaded corridor. In the 1920’s natural ventilation and
light were key themes in modern housing due to
public health crises. One hundred years later these
priorities have come roaring back. The good news is
that the future of urban dwelling—and the city—will
require a renewed commitment to these issues, and
architectural education needs to play an active role in
shaping accomplished and ethically driven architects
uniquely suited to explore the possibilities.
Judith Kinnard
Spring 2020
URBAN WALK-UP HOUSING
ARCH 2140 Urban Institutions
Northeastern University
School of Architecture
camd.northeastern.edu/architecture