Hemal Biscuitwala

Coram, NY USA

The design brief offers a container of a modular size. The design approach is to go the ‘OUTSIDE – IN’ way, where all around the house is designed initially. The design emphasizes on the quality of ‘combined interactive spaces’ obtained by creating variety in the placement of the housing modules together.

A ‘BASIC Housing Unit’ has been designed two 20 feet long containers, placed staggered thus carving out personal front-porches and back-yards for every unit. This single unit generates possibility to be combined and multiplied, to form ‘BIGGER Multi-Family’ options. Each of these basic units shares either their front porches or their private backyards. Which can ‘open-up’ to become larger shared spaces amongst family/ neighbours?

The combination of these blocks carve out shared interactive spaces can be used for playing Basketball, Dancing, Community celebrations, Green-spaces, etc. Whereas the back-yards are an extension of the kitchen, which can be shared for combined cooking, drying clothes, etc.
The section profile becomes interesting, as the upper level units overlook into these interactive areas, thus allowing visual participation.
The units respond to the site by restricting its linearity and breaking and twisting to respond to the site boundaries.