A New Middle Landscape: An Urban Neighborhood

Abstract

This thesis is an exploration of a new housing type: a middle ground between a single-family detached house of the suburbs and a high-density apartment building of the city. A block in the Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia is the site for this medium-density living environment. The building is a multi-use complex consisting of forty-six homes, a large central courtyard, and thirteen commercial spaces on its ground floor. The building's massing evolved from a series of studies that took into account interior volumes of space, generous balcony square footage, as well as light and ventilation considerations. These massing studies, along with a strict organization of parts and uses, resulted in a multifaceted orthogonal form.