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Northside is a small, tightly-knit community in Greater Cincinnati which was the focus of a housing and urban design studio in winter 2007. A block with several defunct plots of land was chosen as the site for a mixed-use development, integrating the new construction into the existing block and the surrounding neighborhood.

I worked in a group of three to propose a redesigned block. The scheme we created was focused on interwoven, rippling strips of green space, taking over the disused alleys of the site, and inviting people from the nearby community onto the site and to the business within. At certain points, the green strips peel up to create street frontage for businesses and more private, elevated green spaces for the residential development above.

After the block proposal, the design progressed, focusing on the residential site. The main site was divided into three plots, onto which we integrated three separate residential buildings. The first floor of the site is composed of commercial spaces, with a lounge and gallery on my plot. The commercial spaces form a plinth, accessible by a wide ramp and stair, on which is a courtyard which serves as access for the three residential buildings. My residential building is minimalist in design, based around a series of vertical planes, which are clearly articulated in the design.