Popcorn Strategy
Housing Proposal for ‘Mass and Cass’ in Boston, MA
Site: Newmarket, Boston, MA
‘Mass and Cass’ describes the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melina Cass Boulevard. The area has a complicated, often neglected history, as it sits in a seam between city neighborhoods, sliced by transportation infrastructure and populated by homeless encampments.
After site visits, documentation, and analysis, we were prompted to propose at least 50 housing units in Newmarket, Boston. Being a heavily industrial neighborhood, my classmate and I thought it would be productive to create pockets of community through housing. This scattered approach was what we liked to call a ‘popcorn strategy.’ While focusing on a specific area of the site, the model could potentially work for any space if given.
To work with different dimensions of land, we came up with 3 housing types to accommodate different users of the space.
The first floor of types B and C will be set aside for commercial use.
With housing being in place, a combination of wetlands and green space will be utilized to act as sponges in case of heavy rainfall and sea level rise. In addition, the roofs of the buildings were oriented to either collect and store water or quickly shed it off into the wetlands that would be in place. Lastly, a pedestrian walkway would be implemented to act as a connection network and promote a sense of community amongst the different housing units and the public realm.
Project Team: Roger Labib and Jae In (Samuel) Choi
Site: Newmarket, Boston, MA
‘Mass and Cass’ describes the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melina Cass Boulevard. The area has a complicated, often neglected history, as it sits in a seam between city neighborhoods, sliced by transportation infrastructure and populated by homeless encampments.
After site visits, documentation, and analysis, we were prompted to propose at least 50 housing units in Newmarket, Boston. Being a heavily industrial neighborhood, my classmate and I thought it would be productive to create pockets of community through housing. This scattered approach was what we liked to call a ‘popcorn strategy.’ While focusing on a specific area of the site, the model could potentially work for any space if given.
To work with different dimensions of land, we came up with 3 housing types to accommodate different users of the space.
Type A: Single Family
Type B: Multi-family
Type C: Single Studio
The first floor of types B and C will be set aside for commercial use.
With housing being in place, a combination of wetlands and green space will be utilized to act as sponges in case of heavy rainfall and sea level rise. In addition, the roofs of the buildings were oriented to either collect and store water or quickly shed it off into the wetlands that would be in place. Lastly, a pedestrian walkway would be implemented to act as a connection network and promote a sense of community amongst the different housing units and the public realm.
Project Team: Roger Labib and Jae In (Samuel) Choi
Site Plan
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Site Section
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Building Plans Sections & Elevations
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Perspectives
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Diagrams
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