Work
Barrio
Fall 2022 ARC 308 Housing StudioJust as vernacular Puerto Rican Casitas spring up throughout the gardens of Melrose, Barrio creates flexible spaces for this particular type of gathering and cultural expression. In these shared spaces, neighborhood residents are seen sharing food , dancing, and many other facets of what may preserve the idea of home from hundreds of miles away. It’s an act of taking back parts of the city and revitalizing them to reinforce the element of community that the residents hold dear.
Barrio aims to give the city access to their Casitas without the risk of being displaced. A system of “Casita” spaces is established throughout a primary 30ft grid. Standardized units on a secondary 10ft grid become the building blocks for endless permutations of space distribution, giving agency to those inhabiting. The middle floor of each vertical 30ft unit is reserved for negotiation between the residents of the top and bottom floors.
The permanence of the primary 30ft grid is expressed with a concrete materiality and the flexible sub-system allow for informal adjestment of space with lighter cross-laminated timber panels. The framework not only prompts to occupy, but also creates a lighter spatial language sensitive to the surrounding context.
Julia Bolukh
Prof. Marcos Parga