Yale Building Project

ACADEMIC | DESIGN STUDIO

TEAM Gioia Connell, Clara Domange, Eunice Lee, Zack Lenza, Will James, Max Ouellette-Howitz, Manasi Punde

Spring 2018 Yale School of Architecture | Core II Studio Design Build CRITIC | Marta Caldeira STUDIO COORDINATORS | Alan Organschi, Adam Hopfner

The Building Project is a long standing tradition at Yale, in which first-year students design and build a house. As the second of a five-year contract with homelessness non-profit Columbus House, the duplex that students designed in 2018 needed to reflect place and demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of those formerly homeless. Our home design was generated with three key values: identity, privacy, and connection. The house seeks to provide a place of comfort and security for its residents, while fostering bonds to its environment with a unique yet vernacular design.

In addition, this year’s class was asked to incorporate cross-laminated timber into the construction, thanks to a generous donation from the United States Forest Service. In our design, a tree-like cross-laminated timber structure stretches through the house, creating openings that connect to the surroundings and bring in light and air. The CLT structure defines the porches, the living spaces, and a tall light-well that naturally illuminates the building. CLT also clearly defines each unit as its own, fostering a sense of privacy that is particularly important to clients based on interviews and shelter visits.

All drawings shown are self drawn using co-created model and building design.