Greg Upwall was co-designer and project manager of this project while employed at the office of Donald Macdonald, Architect
This project is currently under planning review phases
This is a master plan for over 80 units of affordable housing to be built on a large vacant site near Candlestick Park in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood. Each unit is designed as a townhouse with ground level entrance and private garage. The units are a mix of 2 and 3 bedrooms with variations in balconies and fenestration.
While the vacant lot allowed for a variety of schemes, a conventional layout of townhouse units built side by side was chosen to encourage development patterns and densities similar to those found throughout the city. With minimal frontyard setback, the street is defined by the continuous wall of units which in turn establishes a protective boundary for the development. Within the larger urban pattern found at the street front, the units are arranged in clusters to create smaller groupings and give an increased sense of individuality to the homeowners.
Due to security concerns gates were required at the entrance points leading to the interior of the development. Wishing to avoid large sections of metal fencing, we proposed a scheme in which houses form a bridge over the two major gateway entrances. This solution serves to reinforce the street wall, and creates a presence of surveillance by the home owners to discourage loitering and criminal activity. The townhouses over the gateways are unique in material and massing. The gateways are located at the terminus of adjacent streets in order to respond to the typical street grid and block size.
Special pedestrian breezeways which lead into the inner courtyards and provide visual access from the sidewalk are positioned at several locations in the street wall. The interior driveways are sectioned off by cobblestones and lined with street trees to slow cars and double as safe courtyard-like spaces.
Plazas and open spaces are interspersed throughout to offer a variety of areas which encourage communal outdoor gathering. A community garden is located on the hillside to the rear of the development which can be accessed by the residents. Most units have a private yard either to the front or rear of the unit. With all factors taken into account, no two units are the same.
