Only a few miles from the downtown area of Denver, this experimental co-housing project by Productora provides centrally located, low-cost housing for couples or individuals while integrating with surrounding suburban context.
The 50-foot wide site parcel is divided into two equal lots. In accordance with local zoning codes, each lot can accommodate a main house and an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). Eight units in total are created here by organizing each front house into 3 studios, which come complete with a bathroom and kitchenette, and access to a large communal living space. Six studios are located in the front houses, and two-split-level ‘artist studios’ are located in the two ADU’s fronting the alley.
This programmatic arrangement acknowledges how many larger single-family residences in the neighbourhood are shared by roommates, friends, and family. By integrating shared kitchen, living, laundry, powder room and exterior areas, the project thus aims to strike a critical balance between efficiency, privacy, affordability, and potential for social interaction.
Double-height entrance areas provide a welcoming experience for the front houses, while communal kitchen and living areas feature large, glazed surfaces that afford interaction. Upper-floor studios take advantage of the pitched roof volume with their inclusion of a sleeping mezzanine accessible by ladder. Finally, the split-level ADU’s include roll-up garage door for a workshop-like space that has a direct connection with the outdoors.
Finally, the tight budget (approximately 200 USD/sq ft) required economical construction materials and standard solutions. The volumes are finished with standing seam metal roof and a board and batten façade in striking blue tones.
