Architecture
Columbia GSAPP — NYC

Beanigons — mixed-income housing.

How can architecture respond to the affordable housing shortage?

Designer ● 4 months

Spatial Design ● Design Research ● Urban Design

Overview

Beanigons is a housing proposal for the Bronx that caters to a spectrum of low and middle income, supplying the market with affordable housing. The project focused on inventing a geometry that enabled for building density while maximizing access to sunlight and private exterior space.

I worked with Aga Janusz under the mentorship of Galia Solomonoff over the course of 16 weeks.

Visual summary — 1 minute
OverviewProject DescriptionUnit DetailPrecedent Study
Bean shaped massings broken up into polygons = beanigons.
Project Description

AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHORTAGE

The affordable housing shortage is a growing problem in many parts of the United States, but particularly in New York City as private developers have been over-supplying the market with luxury housing that provide high return on investment. Our team sought to break with this pattern. We proposed an iconic building designed to appeal to high income folks while being entirely catered to low and middle income New Yorkers.

Income Map of New York City (2015)
Floor Plan with Balconies in Axo
Axonometric Section
Unit Detail
One Bedroom Axon
Project Axon
Precedent Study

Three buildings were studied to inform the massing, circulation, and relative unit layout. The details of this study are shown below.

THE END
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Drop me a note at v.lechene@columbia.edu.

Beanigons
Project DescriptionUnit DetailPrecedent Study