Jim Vlock Building Project
Home for the Unhoused
Design and physically construct an ADU house for a member of the underprivileged community in New Haven in partnership with Columbus House
My Role
User Research
Ideation
Prototyping & Rendering
ADU Construction
Timeline
Feb - Jun 2022
Research (1 month)
ADU Design (2 months)
Construction(2 months)
Skills
Rhinoceros, Revit, VRay, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Team
8 Architectural Designers
My Contributions
As the lead architectural designer in our seven-person team, I orchestrated the project timeline, spearheaded research on neighborhood dynamics and ADU policies, facilitated ideation exercises with Columbus House members, led the prototyping process by crafting detailed models to bring our concepts to life, and actively contributed to the construction phase.
Qualitative Interviews & Site Analysis
I led interviews with subject matter experts on ADU policy and neighborhood research, as well as spoke with unhoused members part of Columbus House.
Data Visualization & Contextual Maps
I analyzed neighborhood demographics and contextual data, creating diagrams and maps to illustrate the broader community landscape.
Co-Design Workshops
I facilitated collaborative workshops with members of Columbus House to identify essentials elements that makes a house a home.
3D Physical Prototypes
I was the lead prototyper in crafting the early iterations and the final model for the ADU, detailing the structural elements and interior finishes.
Digital Renders
I co-producedI all of the photorealistic 3D renderings of the ADU's exterior and interior using Vray and Blender, effectively illustrating our team's concept to stakeholders and community residents.
How safe is this neighborhood?
Why did you choose to buy a home in this neighborhood?
What are the constraints to building ADUs?
What is the overall demographic of this neighborhood?
Construction Partner
I served as a junior construction lead, coordinating material deliveries and adherence to project schedule, while assisting in building the overall home and selecting its interior furnishings.
Overview
Problem
Columbus House, a Connecticut-based organization dedicated to affordable housing solutions, is facing a critical challenge in addressing the housing needs of unhoused families in New Haven, Connecticut
Solution
Introduce Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) as a practical approach to addressing housing needs in New Haven's residential areas.
What is an ADU?
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a secondary housing unit typically on a single-family residential lot that can exist both attached or detached from the primary house. For instance, a garage can be converted into a detached ADU.
Impact
We successfully built a home for an unhoused single mother and her child, who moved in within six months following construction completion and continue to reside there. As well, the initiative ignited further community interest, inspiring neighbohood residents to further educate themselves on ADU construction as a sustainable solution to address local housing needs.
Research
East Shore Neighborhood
The goal was to research an existing New Haven neighborhood, East Shore, as a benchmark study in order to assess the feasibility of introducing and constructing ADUs throughout greater New Haven, considering both neighborhood characteristics and policy frameworks.
Problem Statement
Will East Shore benefit from the introduction and use of ADUs?
Thesis
Due to its large lot sizes, ample green space, and existing accessory structures, East Shore is primed to host the addition of free-standing ADUs.
Neighborhood Impact
With a primarily elderly population in East Shore, ADUs can provide a secondary source of income, more accessible living spaces, and affordable housing availabilities.
Subject Matter Expert Interviews
To gain initial impressions of the neighborhood and an introduction on ADU policies, I led the interviews with:
Anika Singh Lemar, Clinical Professor at Yale Law School and Head of The Community and Economic Development Clinic in Connecticut
Salvatore DeCola, Ward Alder of the East Shore neighborhood.
East Shore
Downtown
New Haven
Map of East Shore
Quantitative Research on Neighborhood
To substantiate the interview feedback, we researched the wider demographic trends to gain greater contextual insight by comparing East Shore to other New Haven neighborhoods.
East Shore Demographic Comparison Diagram & Charts
Quantitative Research on Community
We evaluated the community through 3 target user groups and analyzed the existing demographic data to showcase the effects and advantages of ADUs for each group.
Homeowner
East Shore contributes to New Haven's overall large housing supply, which can be further increased through the addition of ADUs.
New Haven has more housing units than any surrounding city in Connecticut: New Haven (2979 units/sq mile), Connecticut (313 units/sq mile), and United States (39 units/sq mile).
Renter
East Shore is an outlier in New Haven by having more homeownership than rentals, revealing greater feasibility in constructing ADUs.
72% of New Haven properties are rentals
The remaining 28% are owner-occupied
Median gross rent is over $1200/month, cheaper than surrounding cities
Columbus House Resident (Unhoused)
Homelessness is a serious problem in New Haven, hence, ADU-implementation can help alleviate part of the issue and East Shore can contribute to this.
22% of Connecticut residents suffer from food insecurity (2x the national average)
Since 2016, nearly 4000 people identified as homeless in New Haven
1/4 of New Haven people live below the poverty line
Contextual Interviews with the Community
We conducted interviews with East Shore residents and analyzed existing interviews with Columbus House clients. Based on user feedback, I crafted a journey map visualizing the daily routes and touch points for each user group, revealing their movement and interaction patterns within the neighborhood that further highlight the social infrastructure of East Shore.
East Shore Demographic Comparison Diagram & Charts
Neighborhood Target User Profiles
I developed concise user personas for East Shore's homeowners, renters, and unhoused residents, revealing how ADUs could address each group's distinct needs.
Homeowner
Need accessible infrastructure and passive income sources
Primarily elderly (60+ years)
Have localized, consistent daily routines
Desire to maintain current lifestyle and preserve neighborhood character
Renter
Need more affordable rental options
Younger professionals and families (23-35 years)
Have more varied, outward-focused daily routines
Desire to increase the younger population and commercial amenities
Unhoused
Need stable shelter and access to support resources
Varied ages (25-50 years)
Have simple daily routines centered around shelters
Desire greater awareness of homelessness issues and affordable housing
Research Synthesis
Key Insights on East Shore
The aging, predominantly white population and high homeownership rate in East Shore present a unique opportunity for increasing housing density through ADU development, helping address housing needs without significantly altering the neighborhood's character.
01
East Shore's largely white and aging population boasts the highest homeownership percentage in New Haven with low poverty rates, indicating potential for ADU development to support social housing initiatives.
East Shore's poverty rates are at 3% compared to >15% city-wide average
02
East Shore hosts expansive residential lots, providing excess real estate to easily accommodate new ADU construction.
ADU's come in 3 types/phases: basement/attic conversions, garage conversions, and new construction.
03
East Shore features abundant neighborhood amenities and green spaces, establishing it as a safe and well-maintained suburban area with a high quality of life for its residents.
Amenities: numerous local parks, institutional buildings, and a major airport on its eastern border.
04
East Shore's infrastructure emphasizes public transportation and pedestrian travel, with limited commercial presence, highlighting its residential character.
Hosts three major bus routes that navigate through the entire neighborhood.
05
Many East Shore residents express interest in utilizing their excess land, but lack knowledge on ADU construction, presenting an opportunity for education ADUs.
Many East Shore residents find their expansive properties increasingly challenging to maintain due to costs and labor.
ADU-Implementation Examples
With the gathered insights, I took a sample neighborhood block, "Block A," within East Shore and mapped potential ADU placements across its three varieties, demonstrating ADU feasibility for most residences in the area.
Variety 01 & 02
Basement, Attic & Garage ADU-Conversion
Enable the transformation of basements, attics or garages into converted ADUs. Typically the more popular method amongst homeowners with little additional costs and the avoidance of complex housing policies. (Every owner-occupied lot on Block A can implement Variety 01-02).
Diagram of attched ADU-Conversions within Block A of East Shore
Variety 03
Detached & Newly Constructed ADU
Allows for newly constructed ADUs follows a more intricate process that strictly regulates how residents develop a new ADU structure. For instance, the area of the ADU must cover 30% of the overall lot and can be no larger than 1200 sq ft. (Only 7/11 lots have space to build a detached ADU above 900 sq ft).
Diagram of newly-constructed ADUs within Block A of East Shore
Research Synthesis
Design Recommendation
We will prioritize (03) Detached ADUs for East Shore, as these standalone structures best address the neighborhood's needs because…
The aging population need greater accessibility and privacy (basement/attic ADUs are difficult to access due to stairs, lack of ventilation, and narrow/dim spaces)
The large lot sizes have enough space to have newly constructed ADUs
Most residences have existing side-structures that can be renovated into detached ADUs easily
Detached ADUs will encourage inhabitants to take advantage of their green neighborhood, including creating private backyard spaces with the ADUs
ADU-Implementation
To incentivize the aging residents of East Shore to adopt ADU-related policies in phases, we propose these 4 possible measures:
01 Enhance ADU Awareness and Education
Establish a dedicated local ADU program to boost community awareness. This initiative would educate residents about ADU benefits, showcase successful local examples, and provide resources, ultimately fostering greater acceptance and adoption of ADUs in East Shore.
02 Develop Comprehensive ADU Resource Guides
Create government-sponsored ADU help guides tailored to East Shore residents. These guides should highlight accessible design features for aging in place, outline the benefits of detached ADUs, and provide step-by-step assistance for planning, permitting, and constructing ADUs that meet community needs.
03 Highlight Increased Accessibility of Detached ADUs
Emphasize the benefits of detached ADUs as "Visitable Housing Units" for older adults and those with mobility needs. Showcase accessible design features like zero-step entries, wide doorways, and ground-floor accessible bathrooms to demonstrate how these units can enhance independent living and aging in place.
04 Optimize ADU Zoning Regulations
Leverage East Shore's large spacious lots to expand ADU policies, allowing for more flexible maximum size standards. This would enable the construction of both larger and smaller ADUs while maintaining harmony with the neighborhood's character and open spaces.
Ideation
Field Investigations
Sited at 164 Plymouth St, New Haven, our proposed ADU will sit within the backyard of an existing three-story house that is home to two other single-parent families that are associated with Columbus House.
We visited the residential location, where we observed limitations due to zoning regulations and the existing site conditions that would need to be factored into our ADU design.
Constraint 01
Zoning Limitations
ADU must be constructed at a min. 10 ft away from edges of lot
Shared driveway must be preserved
4 new parking spots must be created for the main house and ADU residents
Avoid constructing directly on top of the underground water tank
Constraint 02
Observed Site Limitations
Noise disturbance by trains next to lot
Neighbor's shed with spillage sits at the boundary of site
Existing tree in the backyard that may need to be removed
Backyard site is naturally sloped downwards
Site Map of 164 Plymouth St with Project Constraints
Columbus House Residents' Feedback
I collaborated with Columbus House to gather feedback from 12 unhoused individual and families on their ideal ADU features:
Coziness - "a house that feels like a home"
A bathroom with a warm shower
Room to host family & others
Windows that have lots of natural sunlight
Accessibility
Simplicity and openness in design
Columbus House Residents' Quotes
Design Discovery
We chose a diagonal rectangular placement that is parallel to the northern boundary of our site because:
Satisfies the 10 ft setback restriction
Avoids underground water tank
Offers room to create noise buffers through thick vegetation
Can build a taller building foundation to offset slope, optimize sunlight and avoid building shadows
Diagonal placement of ADU on site
Insight
The diagonal ADU placement maximizes natural light, integrates greenery for noise reduction from nearby trains, and enhances privacy from neighboring properties.
Low Fidelity Rapid Prototypes
As the team's lead physical prototyper, I crafted 6 paper and plywood models exploring various ADU interior layouts. These prototypes helped us refine the overall layout, optimizing space efficiency, safety features, and overall comfort.
Insight
An L-shaped layout proved more effective than a rectangular layout, maximizing the interior space and clearer public-private separation.
Participatory Design Exercise
I designed an interactive visual interior mapping exercise to fine-tune our interior layout using paper furniture cut-outs. Collaborating with Columbus House members, we arranged miniature spaces, sparking ideas about how future residents would interact with their home.
Visual Interior Mapping Exercise
Insight
Users prioritize a clear private-public space division within a spacious interior, while valuing a shared outdoor area to foster community between the ADU and main house residents.
Interior Layout Iterations
Final Design
Proposed ADU Home
What we maintained:
Maintains a private backyard garden that satisfies the setback and allows for a vegetation noise barrier
Preserves a shared front yard patio with the existing house
What we updated:
An L-shaped orientation that is parallel, not diagonal, to the overall site and faces the back yard for greater privacy
Balanced interior organization between private quarters in the West and common areas in the East, with convenient exposure to front and back yard
Replace existing tree with smaller trees in the back yard to create the experience of residing under a peaceful canopy of greenery
3 parking spaces near the front with an extra 4th spot next to the ADU for separation
Straight pathway from ADU's front entrance to the existing house's front porch for a linear path from the street side
Interior & Exterior View of the ADU
Front Entrance of ADU
Interior Private Bedroom
Interior Living & Dining Room Common Space
Private Back Yard & Patio of ADU
Conclusion
ADU-Home Construction
We broke ground 3 weeks after finalizing our designs and developing construction documentation for our plans. As a group of 40 students and 1 developer, we collectively built from the ground up the ADU home. The journey culminated in September 2022 when the formerly unhoused mother and child stepped into their new home, marking a transformative moment for all involved.
Reflection
The construction process became an immersive learning experience for me, where I learned to pour concrete, honed my drywall installation skills, and developed an eye for selecting material finishes and furniture. This hands-on involvement revealed the intricate challenges of translating design into reality, instilling in me a profound appreciation for the meticulous work of contractors and developers.
I would have wanted to conduct more extensive interviews with the unhoused community. The limited user feedback we obtained was insightful, but more comprehensive engagement could have allowed our design to better address the authentic needs and experiences of the Columbus House community.
Due to the versatility of the L-shaped footprint, use of simple wood finishes, and the clear delineation between the communal and the personal, I envision that our design can be used as a template for future ADUs on virtually any lot: scaled, duplicated, or rotated as needed.
ADU Prototype Photos
