Housing as Process

The senior architecture competition repositioned its focus to explore new forms of housing in the Fall of 2021. For the past few years, this studio proposed new high-density housing in New York City. This year, students shifted their view to Buffalo’s East Side and the Pratt Willert neighborhood. Students investigated how different methods of housing can create a response to city conditions. Topics of conversation included issues of affordability, funding and a lack of urban assets. Students worked on the adaptive reuse of 230 Pratt St. which was formerly a portion of Iroquois Brewing Company.

This studio challenges students to engage with existing infrastructure and work with a community partner, C & R Housing, to develop a proposal that blends housing and commerce. C & R Housing is a local contracting firm that has deep roots within Buffalo’s East Side. This partner was looking to transform 230 Pratt Street as a catalyst for change in the neighborhood. They studied the historical conditions that created the neighborhood and how these conditions have continued to mature within the community. Design projects within the studio took diverse approaches to reuse and redevelopment, as well as proposals for an integrated and phased new development on an adjacent site along Hickory Street that could foster growth in the area.

Patchwork, a design proposal by Lauren Herran and Abdul Mohammad, was inspired by the student’s personal experiences. Herran and Mohammad identified with the immigrant and refugee populations within the neighborhood and used this connection in their scheme. The students used their different skills through sketching and modelling to work through their ideas in person.

An excerpt from their presentation: "Buffalo, commonly known as ‘The City of Good Neighbors,’ has been known to welcome and provide a safe environment for refugees and immigrants. In the past 10 years, Buffalo’s population grew 6.5 percent due to an influx of incoming refugees and immigrants.

"Patchwork was inspired by Lauren and Adbul's personal experiences and identification with emerging immigrant and refugee populations on Buffalo's East Side."

"Known as the City of Good Neighbours, Buffalo has welcomed an influx of new Americans over the past decade. Patchwork combines flexibility and affordability in housing to accommodate the varying family structures of immigrants, while providing resources and supports for emplacement."

"For instance, multi-use space on the ground floor can be used for vendors during the day and community events in the evening. Additionally, an in-unit track system allows residents to change the layout based on their preferences or circumstances."

8 Corners, by Alex Marchioli and Thomas Stankowski, proposes a reorganization of the site into eight new corner stores. These stores include on-street parking in front of each storefront, with the intention that a small commercial district could evolve over time. The students' proposal seeks to generate revenue through ground-level commercial spaces on the site in response to C & R Housing's mission to integrate commerce in a residential area. Marchioli and Stankowski planned to change Iroquois Alley and introduce a new street that cuts through the site. This urban move would increase the amount of street corners, resulting in the increased availability of new storefronts and walkability within the neighborhood.

The natural orientation of the site infrastructure implies a North-South building orientation. 8 Corners breaks the current massing of 230 Pratt Street to an East-West orientation, thereby increasing the number of South-facing surfaces. The increase in southern orientation would also provide the opportunity to implement passive heating strategies for heat in the winter within the residential units.

Students
Lauren Herran, Abdul Mohammad (Patchwork)
Thomas Stankowski, Alex Marchioli (8 Corners) 

Faculty
Erkin Ozäy (coordinator), Nicholas Bruscia, Annette LeCuyer, Laura Lubniewski, Bradley Wales

Term
ARC 402, Fall 2021

Program
BS Arch