This experimental project is located in the first belt of low-density neighborhoods surrounding downtown Denver at only two miles of the city center. It provides centrally located, low-cost housing for individuals or couples while integrating within the morphology of the suburban environment. The site consists of a 50-foot wide parcel divided into two equal lots. According to local zoning codes, we could built the main house and an ‘accessory dwelling unit’ (ADU) on each lot. By organizing each front house into 3 studios, each with its own bathroom and kitchenette, and a large communal living space, we managed to have eight units in total: six studios in the front houses, and two split-level ‘artist’ studios in the ADU’s towards the alley.
The project acknowledges how larger single-family residences in well-located neighborhood are frequently shared by roommates and friends, and was designed to cater to those needs. Integrating shared kitchen and living room, laundry areas, a powder room, and paved outdoor areas, the project stages a subtle balance between the need for privacy and the possibility of social interaction.
The project is built with a very limited budget (about 200 USD/sqft) using economical construction materials and standard solutions. The pitched roof volumes are clad with a standing seam metal roof (in a standard blue color) and a board and batten façade with different vertical intervals and tones of blue, to make the child-like house-shapes recognizable elements. Even within the restricted budget and buildable volume, the architecture has a generous and spacious feel. The front houses have double-height entrance areas, and the communal kitchen and living areas have large glazed surfaces to interact with each other. The upper-floor studios take advantage of the pitched roof volume creating high-ceiling living areas and a sleeping mezzanine accessible by a ladder. The split-level ADU’s received a roll-up garage door creating a workshop-like atmosphere and a direct connection with the outdoors during the warm summer months.
Team:
Architects: PRODUCTORA (Carlos Bedoya, Wonne Ickx, Víctor Jaime, Abel Perles)
Local architect and contractor: Joe Dooling (DDB)
Client: The Biennial of the Americas / Continuum Partners (Mark Falcone)
Developer: Continuum Partners
Collaborators: Ruy Berumen, Emiliano Rode, Tessa Watson
Photographer: Onnis Luque
Materials Used:
Facade cladding:
• Wall construction: 25/50 mm wood composite cover strip; 6 mm fiber cement panel cladding vapor-permeable windbreak foil16 mm glass fiber coated plasterboard50/150 mm timber studs, between them 150 mm glass wool thermal insulation vapor barrier 16 mm plasterboard
Flooring:
• Ground floor:76 mm reinforced concrete slab50 mm pressure-resistant thermal insulation100 mm compacted gravel.
• Upper level and Gallery level: 16 mm wood-look floor covering, lime-stone based sub-floor 16 mm OSB panel G-beams laminated veneer lumber/OSB12 mm plywood panel 16 mm plasterboard
• Mezzanine level:16 mm wood-look floor covering, limestone-based sub-floor 16 mm OSB panel, 50/203 mm timber beams, crawl space.
Doors:
• 2 folding wooden doors of white laminated wood 1.5' x 7'
Windows:
• Thermal glazing in pine frame
Roofing:
• Roof construction: standing seam sheet steel, powder-coated bitumen seal16 mm OSB sheeting-beams laminated veneer lumber/OSB with 75 mm PU foam insulation between them; 241 mm glass wool thermal insulation; vapor barrier 16 mm plasterboard.
Interior lighting:
• Ceiling lamp: Orion 7w. Brand: Estevez
• Wall-mounted lamp: ORION 13w. Brand: Estevez.
• Bathroom mirror light: Palermo 1200. Brand: Astro Lighting.
Interior furniture:
• Kitchenette: Wooden countertop and white laminated wood base
