The Halfway Home

The Halfway Home is a co-op residence for artists in Massachusetts. The name of this project is derived from the commonly known “halfway house”.

Situated in the center of the historic Somerville, MA neighborhood, this multi-family dwelling builds on the design language of the Boston triple decker to produce a familiar, yet exceptional, formal composition.

Two standard building elements (entry canopy and bay window) are combined to produce a waffled facade on one face of the building and a flat side on the rear. The geometrical pairing of the flat and figural facades draws upon two precedents: The National Bank of the Republic by Frank Furness (demolished) and House in Daita Renovation by Kazunari Sakamoto.

These ordinary elements produce a blurring effect between the interior and exterior. In this case, the street aspires to be felt as an extension of the house while the interior seemingly expands to greet the public.

Project Type :: Environmental Design

Year :: 2020