Thesis
The Beacon: A Neighborhood Community
Through understanding and defining the multifaceted idea of home, this thesis explores designing living spaces that connect people to place. In this case, connection to place is established through two methods – enhancing a sense of community and allowing for user autonomy. Focusing on a group of nineteenth-century rowhouses in Philadelphia’s Sharswood neighborhood, this project aims to emphasize the importance of home, community, and belonging in an area where there has been a history of displacement.
Typical Plan and Elevation - Workingman's Style Rowhouse
Site - N 25th Street, encompassing Master, Harlan & Sharswood Streets - Philadelphia, PA
Rowhouses are ubiqutous in Philadelphia -
the modern rowhouse that has become familiar in urban landscapes across the country was first constructed in Philadelphia. They were popular due to their space efficiency and cost-effectiveness; by 1800, rowhouses were the dominant forms of housing in most American cities.
The Workingman’s house is a modest two-story rowhouse, common in Sharswood as well as throughout the city. Preserving most of the facades and main attributes of these structures was fundamental in maintaining the existing vernacular of the neighborhood.
Conceptual Collage
Key Words: Light, Warmth, Permanence
Preliminary Sketches and Diagrams
Axonometric - The Beacon & Sharswood Co-op
First Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Sharswood Co-op Market
Co-op Second Floor Community Space
Master Street Elevation
Apartment Main Entry
Apartment View - South
Apartment Solarium
Finishes
Rowhouse Kitchen
Rowhouse Second Floor Seating Nook
