Put Away House

Advised by Penelope Dean and Grant Gibson

Fall 2022

In response to a brief to re-imagine the Chicago three-flat typology as a micro-collective, this project conceptualizes collectivity through the sharing of objects, not the sharing of space. Clothing, beds, mementos and other personal objects are unshared, but tools, board games, bread makers and other utilitarian objects are shared among the collective.

Twelve living spaces are surrounded by built-in shelving on three walls and glass on the fourth wall, establishing a formal strategy for where objects are placed at rest. The shelving hold all items which can be stored away when not in use, freeing the living spaces between the shelves to exhibit the objects that are never stored away: couches, lamps, beds, and bathtubs. The rigid shelving grid provides a backdrop for one to put their habits, their interests, and their lives into.

A place to put away themselves.

Put Away House Intro
Full Bleed
Top down drawing of the building and its neighbors
The north-facing site is located in the middle of a block on Potomac Ave in Wicker Park
Ground Floor
From north to south : Unit A kitchen, Unit A entry, Unit B entry, Unit A living room
Ground Floor Plan Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed
Second Floor
From north to south: Unit A bath & Unit C entry, Unit A bed & Unit C office, Unit B living room, Unit B kitchen
Second Floor Plan Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed
Third Floor
From north to south: Unit C kitchen, Unit C living room, Unit C bedroom, Unit B bedroom
Third Floor Plan Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed Full Bleed
Access into the building is oriented towards the east, with the three entries positioned along the side of the building. The exterior stairs and doors to the units meet at a shared landing.
Model photo of the front facade of the building
Drawing of the front facade of the building
A 3 foot change in floor height on either side of the shelving produces continuities between the living room floor and the kitchen counter, and allows objects to be shared across the shelving without sharing sight lines.
Interior model photo of a kitchen table
Drawing cutting through the narrow section
Full Bleed
Model photo of the blank west facade
Operable windows punched into the west facade provide fresh air and daylight.
Close-up model photo of one of the windows in the facade
The prototype design of the shelving developed from applied surface to extruded form to grid of voids.
Model photo shelving as an applied surface Model photo of stairs moving within shelving Model photo of shelving as occupiable space Model photo of shelving as a grid of voids
Model photo of the blank west facade
Intro

Next project:

A Longer Now

Advised by Cédric Van Parys

Fall 2023