Eco-Block is a concept that imagines a re-densification of the prototypical blighted urban block and is tested on a site in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood. A new generation of urban blocks will establish socially inclusive mixed income housing, sustainable infrastructure, and rezoned parcels to replace an alley with an engaging public space. The studio consulted with members of the community and specialists in sustainable infrastructure before imagining individual concepts for the block. The final design incorporates a courtyard design and a housing concept for several parcels on the site.
master plan | rezoning + public courtyard
THE BLOCK | The existing block in Old North St. Louis has only two remaining buildings, a number of buried foundations, and crumbling utilities. Without removing the existing buildings, the reconfiguration of parcels allows for the creation of a courtyard and the inclusion of rain gardens, a solar microgrid, geothermal wells, and a community garden. The access points are staggered, and gathering spaces are positioned so that the courtyard feels like a destination instead of a thoroughfare.
exterior perspective
housing + courtyard model | 1”=8’ | foam board + basswood
TYPOLOGIES | Modern, site-specific housing preserves the intimate scale of the streetscape and can coexist with historic French Colonial housing in the neighborhood. The mansard row house typology is reimagined, with the mansard roof acting as a wood rainscreen that is carried to the ground.
section
plans
EXPAND + COMPRESS | Three vertically interlocking unit types are repeated and accessed via intimate entryways with winter gardens that connect to both the street and courtyard. The units expand and compress directionally, giving each resident a combination of intimate and lofty spaces. Each unit is segmented into distinct regions with successively higher ceilings in order to create sequential progressions of space. The three unit types adapt to different lifestyles. A flexible retail space faces 14th Street.
housing + collaborative studio site model | 1”=8’ | foam board + basswood
The studio created a site model that situates the block in context and allows for the mixing and matching of different students’ courtyard and housing designs. The model was presented at a community exhibition in Old North St. Louis.