Micropolis Monday: Domino Foursquares

In a lot of cities, residential neighborhoods are getting denser. Last week’s house had a luxuriously large lot, but this week I’ve squeezed two houses and an ADU into a single module.

front

Here are two houses that are mirror images of each other, in more ways than one. On the right, we have a house that hasn’t seen much in the way of improvements. The white paint is a bit discolored, but it still has some charm left. The house on the left has been ‘upgraded,’ with an addition in the back, and solar panels on the roof. The dark paint job is set off be a bright front door. The owners have added an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in the back, that they rent out to offset the mortgage.

back

From behind, we can see the fenced yards and the big leafy tree that gives them shade.

plan

In plan, the two houses show their differing land use. The white house still has a spacious back yard and a healthy old tree. The black house, on the other hand, has sacrificed most of their yard to an addition and the ADU.

It was a lot of fun to design these similar, yet very different, houses. There is a tiny story about gentrification in the changing views on residential zoning.

I’ll be back again next week with more houses.

Keep building and enjoy!