BARRIO WEST
BARRIO WEST
low income housing
low income housing
location:
menlo park, tucson, arizona
program:
residential
structure:
concrete frame
materials:
concrete + steel
Team:
multidisciplinary team
location:
menlo park, tucson, arizona
program:
residential
structure:
concrete frame
materials:
concrete + steel
Team:
multidisciplinary team
Tucson is a sprawling city that grows outwards rather than upwards. The typical Tucson residence is a single story structure that contributes to Tucson’s ground-hugging nature. The Menlo Park neighborhood is no exception as it is composed of low-rise residences. In order to blend in with the urban context, the majority of the proposal’s buildings is one story, with some units strategically rising up to two stories, the maximum height within the housing complex.
The project focuses on implementing various housing types that fall within the “middle housing” category which is slowly disappearing from the American society. The units include row houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes; multiplexes, live/work, and garden homes. Each of these typologies are placed on the site to respond to specific areas surrounding the site.
Tucson is a sprawling city that grows outwards rather than upwards. The typical Tucson residence is a single story structure that contributes to Tucson’s ground-hugging nature. The Menlo Park neighborhood is no exception as it is composed of low-rise residences. In order to blend in with the urban context, the majority of the proposal’s buildings is one story, with some units strategically rising up to two stories, the maximum height within the housing complex.
The project focuses on implementing various housing types that fall within the “middle housing” category which is slowly disappearing from the American society. The units include row houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes; multiplexes, live/work, and garden homes. Each of these typologies are placed on the site to respond to specific areas surrounding the site.
KITTITASH CHAIKUNPON
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION
land ethics
location:
saguaro national park (west), tucson, arizona
program:
mixed-use
structure:
load-bearing wall + concrete thin shell
materials:
exposed aggregate concrete
awards:
monsoon award nomination + archon award finalist
The project is exploring the ethical relationship between land and architecture by understanding that the land is not primarily a resource that belongs to us to be developed, but rather a source of sensibility that we must learn to belong to by careful examination and grounding of our actions.
The campus totally relies on passive strategies and the site distinctive context, such as the saguaros and bedrock to provide various experiences for the users. Each building is designed to harmonize man-made elements to nature. Lichen and desert vegetation will grow on the roof and wall allowing the nature to dominant the architecture.
