To provide affordable housing, the proposal introduces a midrise, mixed use building type. The project is part of a longer study by the authors to improve the economic and spatial models for affordable housing. The adaptable timber panelized construction allows for versatility in unit layouts and the building mass, creating a variegated expression. The project achieves net zero energy through a high insulation value together with geothermal heating and cooling. Through flexibility, the proposed system empowers residents to invent their own future. 

The jury was impressed by the comprehensive, construction-based approach. By focusing on streamlining the building process, the proposal is able to merge sustainability with affordability. The question it addresses is a crucial one in many cities across the region: how to provide sustainable, affordable housing in high-value urban areas. It does so through a careful examination of housing’s basics: aggregation, modularity, and scalability. This approach is further strengthened by its focus not just on components but systems and its concentrated effort to strive for net zero energy. The project’s methodology that makes high quality, affordable housing a question of both engineering and spatial quality is a powerful claim.