THE GARDEN COMMUNE - HOUSTON
USA, 2016

The Garden Commune is an investigation of the possibilities for a community in Downtown Houston. There is an opportunity of available land, and the problem of housing deficit. The urban environment its mostly filled with office programs, leaving the place without much activity once the working hours end.

The project proposes a building in a typical Downtown Houston block that meshes with the skyline of the city, however the inside offers the complexity of a self- sufficient building where the people can live work and eat. 

The circular tower emerges as a pure form and takes the height of its surroundings. And a plinth of the size of the block holds a greenhouse and kitchens as communal space. 

The circular void acts as a chimeney effect, which helps to control the temperature inside the greenhouse as well as the inner courtyards for each housing unit. The constant air circulation allows the building to work.

The communal idea of the space is that as a community they work to produce their own food and as an user the idea to isolate from the urban environment and walk to this “island” where you have to experience the “garden” before you arrive the cores of the building.

Communes Studio - Kersten Geers and David Van Severen
Harvard Graduate School of Design