FOLD AND STACK
NYC: HPD: AIANY: Multifamily Housing Competition Winners
Big Ideas for Small Lots NYC was an open design competition for small-scale, urban infill housing. The competition was organized by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY), and sought to address the challenges associated with the design and construction of affordable housing on underutilized City-owned land. Our proposal was 1 of 5 selected proposals of over 450 submissions.
The competition required priced, schematic drawings, and was reviewed by a jury of housing experts and urban designers including the Dean of the Yale’s School of architecture, the Chief Urban Designer of NYC, Executive Director of NYC Public Design Commission, contractors, developers, and community engagement partners.
| Description | Winning Competition Finalists |
| Client | NYC Department of Housing and Urban Development, AIA Center for Architecture |
| Location | New York City, NY |
| Dates | May 2019 (Competition) |
| Size | 5,500 SF |
| Collaborators | Ryan Botts, Yushrio Okamoto, Lindsay Kunz |
| Partners |
Engineers: Paul Laroque, Kristina Mile Estimating: Boyd Project Controls |
| Press |
Wall Street Journal, Curbed, Fast Company, Gothamist, NY1, CBS News, Center for Architecture, Archinect, ArchDaily, Bustler, 6sqft, Brooklyn Eagle |
What do you do when you have limited space? You fold and stack. This proposal seeks to turn the subject-site’s small footprint from a design obstacle into a design catalyst. By introducing a double-height typical unit, "Fold & Stack" seeks to minimize the unit's footprint, consolidate services into a modular wet core, and maximize reconfigurability across as many sites as possible. The double-height design brings more of the unit to the exterior of the site, allowing greater access to natural light and ventilation. A combination of prefabricated elements and cross-laminated timber panels allows for fast construction and minimal on-site labor.
