Passive Solar Accessible Housing
Stoneham Housing Authority

Stoneham, MA

[ THE CHALLENGE ] Design accessible housing that provides natural light to all rooms and passive solar heating in north facing and south facing versions that can be built on a variety of urban/suburban infill sites. Provide layouts and amenities that meet a variety of Universal Design requirements.

[ THE RESPONSE ] Interlocking volumes and material and color changes animate the duplex buildings. Pitched roofs are folded up to fit in wrap-around windows that track the winter sun through the sky, and reach out with broad overhangs for summer shading. Open interiors use projecting bays, ceiling height changes and carefully placed windows to define smaller scaled spaces.