We propose a courtyard scheme at 41-43 Button St. to scale down the large site and to unite two units around a communal outdoor space with a shared entrance. The family unit and the efficiency unit both feature open, linear arrangement of spaces progressing towards high-ceiling living areas with expansive views facing the backyard. Private areas are nestled into L-shaped brackets to set them apart from the shared central courtyard. This bracket motif is repeated in the overall arrangement of the units themselves and in the thickened CLT walls which frame the courtyard. The arrangement of the building masses on either side of the courtyard is a continuation of the spacing rhythm along the street and a reference to the historical footprints of the houses that previously occupied the same area in separate lots. Although the oblique line-of-sight from the front steps, through the glass vestibule, into the courtyard and beyond hints at a porous relationship between building and landscape, the connection of the units at the front of the building ensures that the courtyard space remains intimate and protected from the street.Ultimately, the goal of our proposal is to create a safe, but inviting space for people who might find such an enclave a private luxury or the rock around which to grow a community in their new neighborhood.

Team I Jim Vlock First Year Building Project Proposal

In collaboration with Camille Chabrol, Serena Ching, Phoebe Harris, Rhea Schmid, and Seth Thompson

Critics: Amy Lelyveld & Joeb Moore