Thesis: Element Sustainable Co-Housing

Located on an urban site in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee this project is based on demographics, cooperatives, and political activism. The site is relevant on an analytical level as it is embedded within a typical residential block to catalyze a direct comparison of past and future design standards for housing in the area. The outdoor shared spaces include a plaza and lawn for large social gatherings, a wetland meditation garden for individual reflection, pedestrian paths, and a community vegetable garden.This project takes cues from but also criticizes earlier co-housing strategies. It aims to strike a balance between traditional and progressive, simple and sophisticated, and public and private.