St. Paul Prize, Competition

Competition Objective:

Design a prototype for a small (1,200 – 1,400 sf) single family residence for a moderate income family on a narrow lot (30′ x 91′) at 637 Oakdale Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Proposed Design Solution:

The proposed design shall be comfortable, healthy, elegant, and facilitate all the necessities a small family desires while providing a sense of pride to the home owners and the neighborhood.

The small, narrow lot size requires an innovative design approach where spaces are proportionately reduced to actual human reaches and comfortable passing.  In addition to these anthropometrics, spatial transparency is achieved through an open floor plan, where experientially shared spaces create a perception of greater volume.  A longitudinal circulation axis through the home and continuing to the back yard via a catwalk terminates with a flowering and fragrant American Plum tree, further extending an occupant’s connection to the outdoors and allowing for a pleasing visual, ofactory, and auditory observation of the changing seasons.

Presentation board