Northeastern University Graduate Student Housing (2021)

Through the usage of a cruciform shape, I created modular housing for this Northeastern student housing proposal through unit zoning, offering consistency among similar unit types while offering a diverse range of types to house students from all backgrounds, in all graduate programs, and from all financial backgrounds. Each of the modules on-site incorporates five (5) two bedroom, one bathroom units, one (1) two bedroom, two bathroom unit, two (2) three bedroom, two bathroom units, and four (4) four bedroom, two bathroom units. Program sizing in each unit is slightly different in addition to the views and corner conditions offered by each, but all units offer flexible office and multipurpose spaces. These spaces are primarily office spaces, but are sized based on expected unit occupancy and can be easily shifted to accommodate guest bedrooms, music rooms, studios, etc. Each building hosts a singular stair core leading to the third floor with a ground floor hallway uniting units with a trash room and laundry room, a second floor landing offering unit entry and an additional laundry space, and a third floor hallway giving access to units and shared balcony spaces. In-unit circulation is predictable, bordering the stair core and hallway and clearly reflected in plan across the core. 

Both sites integrate the modular proposal with the urban context through a series of landscape strategies. Adjusting the proposal with Hemenway and Saint Stephen Streets, two studio/one bedroom buildings and two community buildings house semi-public functions accessible to the Jarvis Street residents. These buildings house programming like a community office space, and communal kitchen and living room, bicycle storage for each modular building, and guest bathrooms and bedrooms allowing for further flexibility and guest visitation. To further serve the Jarvis Street buildings, there are a network of pathways linking the sidewalk to first floor units, building entrances, more public site programming, and the community buildings. The two additional buildings house six one-bedroom and five studio units, responding to the urban realities of a shortage of affordable single occupancy housing accommodations across Boston. The buildings respond to the modules by using similar tectonic strategies, forms, and social strategies, each with their own private balcony and access to site amenities, offering senses of both connection and removal perfect for visiting faculty members or introverted graduate students. Outdoors on-site, a semi-public study zone and public community gardens and Jarvis Park link the proposal with the Fenway community, offering more green spaces and the opportunity to grow one’s own fruits and vegetables contingent upon season. The park space in particular acts as a backyard of sorts, giving a place to gather for Stetson East and Saint Stephen Street dormitory residents. ADA-accessible ramps allow for residents who use wheelchairs to take full advantage of pedestrian access to all corners of the site and the surrounding neighborhood.