P2 - Community Dwellings

Affordable Community Oriented Housing

The  current build condition of this block as many more in Parramore is that of a suburban layout.  

Buildings were constructed respecting the setback for single family housing in a duplex configuration.  This configuration does not make the best use of the available land and results in an non-cohesive block where the green vacant space is underutilized.

This is a tight-knit community and the current condition of the block is not reflective of this, nor is it an enabler of social interaction.

In order to ensure that the rehabilitation of this city block is successful, it is imperative to increase the density both to build up the community that will make up this block and to ensure financial viability of the project.

By inserting new dwellings among the existing ones, some of the original fabric of the block is salvaged.  The new insertions allow the opportunity to create a courtyard space that will become a safe haven for kids within the block to play freely, a well as a community gathering area that fosters this close bonds this community is rich in.

Tying in with outdoor gathering spaces for the general community as proposed in a previous intervention, there will be a laundry facility that will serve the block as well as the surrounding household in need of this service.  

Here the gathering outdoor space will face the busy street of Westmoreland, and will serve as a transition between the street and the commercial locale. People waiting for their wash and dry can socialize under the sheltered gathering space.