who knows?
If the starting point for the design of multi-unit housing was personal and the art of architecture to create a quality experience was valued, what could be accomplished? The intention of this studio is to describe extraordinary places for daily living, places where you could project yourself, or others you care about, living, places that you have walked through in your mind. Program, construction method, context, and economy appropriate to the program must all resonate.The beginning of a project description . . .Recently, Gwendolyn Wright shared an article she wrote for the NY Times (April 18,1999) with me. In the article she described a program, in Paris, that tied housing to the development of post offices. New post office developments were required to include housing. The French postal authority realized that postal workers were commuting long distances to affordable housing as little such housing was available close to the postal routes where employees worked. It is an idealistic program but it spoke to the idea of valuing people and daily living. Using this example as a starting point, I began to wonder about developing case studies that spun off from this idea. I have located a site in Hollywood, California ( that can accommodate fifty or so units). It is located on a commercial street. It would, from a developer\’s point of view, sustain a variety of housing categories from affordable to live/work to middle-income. Condominiums or rentals would be viable. It would be great to compare various design scenarios directed at different types of residents and program mixes. I see great potential for integrating the work of architects, planners, and urban designers to develop viable, innovative models.