2018

AGING IN THE CITY

Architectural Strategies to Create Multigenerational Urban Communities

Ulrike Heine | Dan Harding | David Franco

FOREWORD

The birth and growth of cities—arguably one of the most impactful inventions for humanity’s cultural history—have consistently been triggered by the coexistence of different types of people. People from diverse ages, cultures, races or incomes together in the collective effort of transforming the built environment. However, for some time we have been witnessing how, in cities all over the world, the intrinsic diversity of high quality dense urban areas progressively reverts towards a flatter demographic of younger and wealthier professionals.

In this context, the objective of the ‘Aging in the City’ studio organized at Clemson during the spring of 2018, was to produce alternative visions of urban architectures in five American cities. Architectures in which the emergence of multigenerational communities would, on one hand, activate strategic dormant areas of the city, like aging garage buildings, degraded in-between spaces or incomplete downtown blocks. And, on the other, would trigger new strategies of environmental specificity for site located in very different climatic zones: from the hot and dry Tucson (AZ), to the temperate and rainy Bremerton (WA), or the cold and wet Minneapolis (MN).

For our Clemson entry studio, in which the nuanced interweaving of environmental, urban and social issues has been the hallmark during the last four years, the work published here constitute a milestone of design quality and thinking. The fact that several studio projects won two of the ten COTE Top Ten awards, a National SARA awards and a AIA Design Merit Award is only an ostensible indicator of how far the whole studio, as a group, went in responding with architectural ideas to some of the most complicated urban and environmental challenges of our time.

Introduction

PROJECT BACKGROUND

There is a widespread assumption about the most typical housing choices for retired and aging populations in the US. Most people believe that, after retirement, this demographic group prefers to move to warmer and more affordable rural or suburban locations, which means that the current core city renaissance spearheaded by the millennial generation almost automatically excludes anyone beyond 50 years old. Such scenario obviously opens a serious diversity gap in the configuration of future cities but, on the other hand, it also gives us, as designers, a unique opportunity to explore alternative ways to approach the creation of healthy neighborhoods.

This studio project pursued that opportunity by imagining new forms of urban multi-generational communities that can emerge in different American cities with a growing demand for housing in dense areas. These communities will not just provide a richer environment with more amenities for aging populations and other underrepresented groups, they will also give them an essential and visible role in the productive heart of the city.

As part of the studio we worked in the preparation of the AIA COTE Students Competition. The conceptual frame of the competition allowed us to approach this problem attending not only to questions related specifically to the role of aging people in cities, but also to climate, health, technology, space and culture. With that end we selected five sites in five growing American cities, specially chosen to put in play the questions proposed by the competition brief, as well as the general theme of the studio.

GENERAL THEME

The general conceptual frame of the studio was provided by the increasingly influential notion of ‘aging in place’. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines aging in place as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level”. If we apply this broad definition to dense urban cores, we will be confronted by several key questions: what type of dense and vibrant urban environments can be attractive equally to millenials and baby-boomers? can we imagine architectural designs whose spatial configurations may facilitate and represent social diversity? which combination of programs and uses, beyond the merely residential, can be economically feasible and not induce social and economic segregation?

In his reflection about how planners and designer can promote a new sense of ethics for the city, Richard Sennett has defended the idea of a modest, diverse and open city, confronting it to the gentrified and commodified city. With that end, Sennett underlines the contrast between the city that we, as architects, imagine, and the city that people experience as part of their live. The idea of a contemporary urban architecture that is socially configured, and therefore, that engages with everyone beyond their age, income or cultural origins, will be in the core of this studio.

“The ethical connection between urbanist and urbanite lies in practising a certain kind of modesty: living one among many, engaged by a world that does not mirror oneself. Living one among many enables, in Robert Venturi’s words, ‘richness of meaning rather than clarity of meaning’. That is the ethics of an open city.”

SITE CONSIDERATIONS

Students were able to choose the location for their multigenerational community design within FIVE different sites. These sites are placed in five American cities strongly characterized by their different climate, from wet and cold to dry and hot with, across the country’s geography. All of the sites are in the middle of unfinished and changing urban areas. They also constitute in between spaces, separating very different social and income zones, as well as very different types of urban tissues. Therefore, the projects had to deal with the conflicts intrinsic to their specific location in different scales, responding not only to their immediate surroundings, but acknowledging their role in the wider city. Below is the list of the towns where the sites are located:

1. Minneapolis

2. Tucson

3. Bremerton

4. Colorado Springs

5. Birmingham

ACCLIMATE

CAMERON FOSTER | PHILIPP RIAZZI

Acclimate is a project about the power of taking urban spaces from cars and giving it back to people. Located in downtown Bremerton, Washington, this project is the adaptive reuse of a three story, 500 spot parking garage. Originally built in the 1960s out of reinforced concrete, the structure’s original purpose was a J.C. Penney department store. In the late 20th century, the structure was converted into a parking garage. With a footprint of 80,000 square feet, the opportunity to positively impact the fabric of downtown is tremendous. The project is designed as two distinct phases. The first phase involves creating public programming within the existing 152,000 square foot building. With a floor, structure, and a roof already in place and an open floor plate, these spaces would be able to be built out with relatively low investment. The second phase involves building four residential towers with a footprint of just 280 square feet each, above the existing structure. Once 48,000 square feet of residential programming is added to the project, the total usable square feet adds up to roughly 200,000 square feet. The project pushes the boundaries of what’s possible while remaining rooted in the economics and schedule constraints of developing close to a quarter of a million square feet. The core concept of the project is the strategic and minimal intervention in an existing structure to create something environmentally

sustainable, economically feasible, socially inclusive, and aesthetically beautiful. The intention behind every move is the maximum impact for minimal investment. The primary strategy of course, is the decision to reuse the existing structure. Given the world’s existing building stock and rapid urbanization of cities all over the world, adaptive reuse as a sustainable strategy is as timely as ever. In this project, reusing the concrete alone will save over 1.1 million pounds of CO2, equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of 114 cars. It will save on the pro-duction of new resources and the intensive amount of energy and resources needed to construct new buildings. Fifty residences are elevated in four different towers to provide views of the surrounding context, connecting people to the city of Bremerton. A small footprint cuts down on demolition and provides the unique opportunity for every resident to have an entire floor plate as their residence. The minimal structure of the towers is accomplished through a reinforced concrete core that houses the towers’ elevator, stairs, utility chase, and a bathroom on each floor. LVL beams are fixed to the core and support the 5-ply CLT floor slabs. A topping slab is provided to minimize acoustic transmission between units. By leveraging the Pacific Northwest’s supply of wood, the project cuts down on embodied energy and uses a renewable resource native to the area.

ADAPTABILITY

SOPHIA DELGADO | KAITLYN SALVIA

Our project offers a solution to Colorado Springs’ expensive housing market by providing adaptable architecture and a cohousing community. Cohousing not only brings together different cultures and generations, but extends the unique opportunity of strengthening a community. By sharing resources, meals, and time, residents form a strong community bond that lasts for many generations. Colorado Springs needs an adaptable, affordable, cohousing community to allow the opportunity of aging in place. A neighborhood is often composed of single-family homes each having their own private kitchens, living spaces, and fenced in yards. However, this suburban design generates expensive homes, lacks community connectivity, and can create social isolation between generations. Our project’s cohousing community dissolves these barriers—residents share amenities, communal pods, and outdoor spaces to reduce living costs and encourage sustainable relationships amongst neighbors. Cohousing establishes a community that functions like a village. Every res-ident has the opportunity to take on a contributing role such as maintaining the gardens, cooking in the kitchen, or providing daycare services. Collaborative relationships amongst young professionals, families, and the elderly are vital to the community’s ability to thrive. Communal pods are dispersed throughout the site with

shared kitchens and family rooms where residents can gather. Additionally, residents can harvest produce from the shared community gardens to prepare for weekly meals with their neighbors. Our architecture provides two adaptable building forms: Type A-Residential & Type B-Mixed Use. Each type is repeated, rotated, and reflected throughout the site to create a variety of in-between spaces. Adaptable balconies can be infilled based on one’s socio economic needs at each residential unit, business, or communal pod. For example, as a family grows, they may infill their balcony to become a nursery. Or, a young professional can transform the balcony into a home office to start their small business venture. Our architecture allows people the opportunity to adapt in reaction to change, and by doing so, our architecture’s form will also change over time. Our project ensures long-term living in Colorado Springs by providing an adaptable, affordable, cohousing community. Adaptable cohousing is ideal for the aging population because it allows the residents, businesses, and community the opportunity to shape their environment based on their needs. This multigenerational approach re-establishes living in a community where social interactions are encouraged, intentional relationships are formed, and residents live happier, more fulfilling lives.

A VERTICAL SOCIAL STREET

JOSH GUERTIN | KELLY UMUTONI

Most people in the US assume that people ages 50+, after retirement, prefer to move to warmer and more affordable suburban locations. As a result, the urban city is not designed to serve retired and aging populations, posing a serious age diversity gap in the fabric of current and future cities. This is especially true for the city of Minneapolis. It is a relatively young city with an average age of 31.9. However, the number of senior and retiring citizens is growing and will continue to grow in the coming years. As the Baby Boomer and Millennial generations age, they will want to remain in their urban homes. This calls for sustainable long term living solutions along with fitting amenities. To provide an appropriate response to the problem, the following question is asked: How can we sustainably design for multi-generational long-term living, in a city prone to extreme weather conditions, while promoting wellness and integration in a multi-generational community? Located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Minneapolis, A Vertical Social Street (VSS) seeks to promote long-term living by proposing a mixed-use project with an integrated social core that moves vertically through the building starting in the lower public areas up to the residential floors through a series of ramps and stairs. Along the social core are programmed spaces that allow for chance encounters between the building occupants. This creates an indoor vertical social street in the building to promote wellness and connectivity within a multi-

generational community. The building is also punctuated with vegetated terraces that provide access to green space for occupants and aid in slowing down the rate of storm-water runoff, which is predicted to augment as Minneapolis is expected to experiencea drastic increase in precipitation and surface flooding as a result of climate change. With a total building area of 280,000 square-feet, the program includes a much needed public market, and outdoor public spaces like a skating rink and family park. The design also features indoor social spaces including a library room, yoga studio, local artist studios, a gym, a basketball court, and co-working spaces, along with seventy housing units of varying sizes.In December 2018, the City Council passed ‘Minneapolis City 2040’, a comprehensive plan to permit triplexes in all the city’s neighborhoods including residential ones and to encourage the development of high-density buildings along transit corridors. Single-family home zoning was a legal way to keep minorities from moving into white neighborhoods, and it still func-tions as a barrier today. By abolishing restrictive zoning, the city begins to put an end to the damage done by segregated zoning and embrace the rich diversity of Minneapolis. VSS further helps support this initiative by bringing this diversity downtown to the Warehouse District.

BELOVED COMMUNITY

MASON BLACKWELL | GRAY DITTENHAUSER

Located south of Downtown Birmingham, Alabama the Beloved Community is situated as a bridge between times, people, and places. The Beloved Com-munity is a mixed-use project including over 150 residential units, a community greenhouse, market space, and a variety of both public and private court-yards. Situated next the rail line that slices through the city of Birmingham the project incorporated the use of the historic Powel Steam Plant tying into the history and role of both the rail line and steel manufacturing in the city. The project site sits at over 167,300 square feet with 1905 square feet devoted to greenhouses, 11420 to market space, 68400 for residential, and the reaming area for the central communal courtyard. The large courtyard functions to bring people from all backgrounds into the site and to link the neighboring Railroad Park and Rotary Trail. This central courtyard draws a connection to the importance of the architectural form in the city’s history. The housing units are one size fits all. The most basic unit is

200 sq ft. Which comes out to about $250/month. The unit can be expanded to accommodate the residents to waste as little money and space as possible. This is accomplished by moving the kitchens outside to be shared by many thus cutting down on cooling the units and space used. During the Civil Rights Movement protestors and prominent Civil Rights Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were not allowed to gather or even stay in many locations around the city with the exception of the A.G. Motel. The A.G. motel featured a central courtyard that allowed prominent figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to give speeches to inspire his brothers and sisters and allowed the protestors to gather and connect with one another in a safe and enclosed space. The courtyards featured in this project seek to bring people together and offer a space accessible to all people and provide a sense of safety and community while reaching back to connect to the history of Birmingham, Alabama.

MICRO/MACRO

MEGAN GOTSCH | CHLOE VOLTAIRE

In Micro / Macro we’ve asked, how do we integrate individual, community, and environmental lifecycles, at various scales, into architecture? Housing communities are complex ecosystems existing within the city fabric. They should offer solutions to issues at various scales - personal, community and the greater environment. Lifecycles such as aging, water and material use exist within these scales. Micro/Macro proposes a design that lives at the intersection of these vastly broad yet deeply personal cycles. You hang your bike on the shared rack of the first floor, as you’ve just gotten off the half hour ferry ride from Seattle and are about to walk up the stairs. The move from Seattle to Bremerton, Washington was beneficial, your family enjoys the lower cost of living and the strong sense of community around you. You and your partner reside in a three-unit communal living apartment-that has plenty of room to grow. The patio you sit on to watch the stars can one day become a nursery for your child. In the future, with the help of your neighbor, prefabricated panels will be placed to expand your home. Re-used from the empty nesters across the courtyard who were downsizing, they’re constructed from regional fir timber and cedar siding. In the apartment, the kitchen is what it has always been, a place for friends, family and neighbors. The elderly man, residing in the second unit sits in his usual chair and the family down the hall fills in the rest of the table. After dinner, the couples clean up their plates in the communal

kitchen. Leftover food never goes to waste, compost bins are located outside and will be used to fertilize the garden’s soil. As the night ends, the elderly man takes the eager children to the raised pathway where he shares stories of the constellations over the Sinclair Inlet. During your morning stroll, you walk past the community gardens and wave to your elderly neighbor who is harvesting zucchinis. The gardens flourish using grey water collected in the cisterns and compost produced from com-munity waste. The crops stock the shelves of the farmers market and grocery on the ground level, where you will go after work to pick up tomatoes for the potluck lasagna. As it begins to drizzle, you pull the hood up on your rain jacket and look down to see the water being absorbed into the pavers and greenery, reducing the amount of polluted water runoff flowing into the Puget Sound. The ground level is the heart of the community, busy with early morn-ing bustle. You grab coffee at the coffee shop and see neighbors on their way to painting class and group exercises at the gym. Amenities such as the day-care, clinic and wood shop are open to the Bremerton community. You grab your bike and soon are on your way to the 8:15 ferry to Seattle. Micro / Macro answers how the micro, the site, positively impacts the macro, the greater community and the environment.

TRANSFUSION

MICHAEL HORAN | COLE ROBINSON

Along the major artery of Tucson, Arizona, “Historic 4th Avenue”, we see a 2 year turnover rate as well as a significant age dependency ratio. However, not only should an Architecture project address societal issues but also the issue pertaining to climate, and in this case specifically Tucson’s climate. With a low sun angle and dry-heat, Tucson holds two of the most significant thermal comfort issues.

A proposed development to this unique site needs to provide comfortable outdoor spaces for its users to remain socially active, as is a need for the elderly (refer to the age dependency). It must also provide opportunities for its occupants to engage with the ecologies and daylight of Tucson. This will improve the psychological state of its occupants and encourage them to stay in this city for a longer period of time.

By integrating the Architecture with Tucson’s climate through the tapering form, and by introducing site-specific ecologies as well as the implementation of public courtyards, the user’s health and wellness will be improved through the promotion of social interaction in the community. The architectural proposal contains 6 college housing units, 3 single family housing units, a grocery store, a coffee shop, and a book store totaling at 18,500 sq. ft.