Studio: Yale Advanced Studio Spring 2017             

Faculty: Pier Vittorio Aureli, Emily Abruzzo

The Richmond District, located in northwest corner of San Francisco, is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Golden Gate Park to the South, and is connected to both the Presidio and Lands End to the North, giving the Richmond District access to some of the most picturesque recreational amenities the city has to offer. It is for this reason the city is seeking to draw young families to the area in an effort to combat the flight of families with children from the city which has recently resulted in a statistic that says there are more dogs than children in San Francisco.[i] In addition, the Richmond District is considered one of the cheapest neighborhoods in San Francisco, with a median 1-bedroom apartment rental of $2,550 during the winter of 2015-2016. Yet, 22.4% of households are considered to be rent burdened (paying more the 30% of their income to rent) and another 22% who are extremely rent burdened (paying more than 50% of income to rent) according to data provided by the city for 2012.

My proposal would address the question of affordability as well as offer a myriad of family organizations a new and more flexible housing typology. Structured around a generous communal space with amenities such as industrial kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, seating, and study spaces all connected both horizontally and vertically through four large atrium spaces. Located off this large communal space, a smaller more intimate but still shared ‘living room’ and bathroom directly accessed by a series of adjacent flexible rooms that can be joined or divided. This structure creates three scales, from the individual to the family unity, and finally to the larger community. This living structure creates interaction among families, encouraging co-parenting, and limiting the burden of domestic space by engaging in communal living.