San Francisco Affordable Housing Challenge

Rethinking Row-houses and Apartment Blocks aims to redevelop San Francisco’s housing by means of a modular system that uses space more efficiently and introduces additional greenery to the city. Most strikingly, the stacked units integrate a bridge to allow this new community to transverse main streets. The jury describes the proposal: “Beautiful and elegant. It addresses land constraints and space constraints to develop a design for a lively community.” Such a development would of course require high-quality construction and well-considered design and finishes at the street level to ensure the streetscape does not become a dark space, like those beneath bridges and overpasses.

The goal of this project is to challenge existing development and housing policies, traditional housing typologies, and anti-development culture with the intention to create a fluid, resilient, and equitable housing market in San Francisco. It offers a ‘living room’ - a common space supporting a range of connected living arrangements. The jury states: “This is achievable with the right partners today.” Creative ownership models address key obstacles to affordable housing, and this specific project might enable a culturally rich environment with a diverse interaction among residents. As in all of the winning projects, additional focus on low-income residents would strengthen the proposal. Overall this is an excellent entry. 

Home Sweet Home identifies the interstate highways as precious, underused spaces within San Francisco. It places special focus on materials, recycling, and waste reduction. The jury describes the proposal as, “The most innovative yet practical proposal to solve the crisis.” If this idea were to be further developed, the jury questions: 1) How does this project get brought about vis-a-vis land rights and zoning? 2) What are the construction techniques and details? 3) how to prevent this design from descending over time into a slum-like condition?