CENTRE VILLAGE

CENTRE VILLAGEMultifamily Affordable HousingWinnipeg, Canada

INTRODUCTIONCentre Village is a housing project that focuses on the issues of maximizing density in an urban site while providing a variety of spaces and forms to bring together the feeling of a micro-community. Composed entirely from compact modular units, the neighbourhood provides 25 housing units in a lot originally intended for 6 single-family detached houses while also providing enough space for a variety of communal gatherings. Serving underprivileged families, Winnipegs Centre Village housing cooperative utilizes design to help revitalize a neglected inner-city neighbourhood and to provide its residents with a unique setting that inspires pride and encourages community-building.

Architects - 5468796 Architecture + Cohlmeyer Architecture LimitedLocation Winnipeg, CanadaYear 2010Unit Count 25 Eight 1-bedroom Seven 2-bedroom Eight 3-bedroom Two 4-bedroomResident Profile Underprivileged familiesTotal SQ. Footage 15,000 sq ft 1,400 sq mFinancing/Cost - $2.5 Million 1.5 Crores

The project is located directly north of one of Winnipegs major housing districts, the typology of which is dominated by row housing.Underprivileged families reside in Centre Village.This particular type of row housing stretches the entire width of the block and thus provides the conditions for long narrow housing with streets alternating between the double front facade and a double back facade of housing program. Another consequence of the resulting form is a series of intimidating alleyways between houses that serve little to no use for residents.Centre Village wishes to go beyond this typology by arranging its units into a dense composition that minimizes the width and depth of these alleys so as to allow for the creation of a common courtyard space and a larger common alleyway that can be used both by pedestrians and vehicles for circulation through the block. CONTEXT & COMMUNITY

SPACE PLANNINGThe lot on which Centre Village was built was at one time an abandoned site in a neglected inner-city neighborhood that was slated to hold just six single-family homes.

Instead, the project established a micro village of 25-dwellings within six, three-storey blocks that would be easy to build and maintain.

Rather than cramming all the housing into one block, the firm created a micro village complete with its own streets and public courtyard. The design encourages community interaction, getting to know your neighbors and multiple uses for space.

SPACE PLANNINGTwo public spaces a through-street and a shared courtyard.

The landscaped courtyard offers a calm and protected place for children to play, and the new street is an informal meeting place.

Each dwelling has its own entrance, either at grade or up an exterior staircase, thus reducing internal circulation and the size of the overall building, and also prompting residents to connect and get to know one another.SITE PLANN

SPACE PLANNINGThe final design is based on simple, 8 x 12 modules organized on a central spine or bar.

The sizes of all ROOMS are based on European standards, compressing the North American norm while still producing livable space and ultimately allowing the site density required by the business plan.

Occasionally, the base module is replaced by a larger 14 x 12 unit that cantilevers off the main spine to expand the master bedroom and living room.

All upper units have their own rooftop patio, and any second-storey units are accessed by exterior staircases.

SPACE PLANNINGSPACE PLANNING

The ground floor footprint was limited to 475 sq.m. to allow for pedestrian and vehicular circulation as well as providing areas for leisure.

The second floor footprint was expanded by almost 30% to 610 sq.m. to provide the required living space for the units. At the same time this expansion provides covered patios and perches scattered throughout the site for informal protection from the elements.

The third floor footprint is reduced again to under 500 sq.m. which is a response to the need for natural light to penetrate the site while providing rooftop terraces for every unit.

SPACE PLANNING

The blocks arrangement both defines and animates two public spaces a through-street and a shared courtyard that weave the city through the project and provide amenities for residents and the surrounding neighborhood. The landscaped courtyard offers a calm and protected place for children to play, and the new street is an informal meeting place.

SPACE PLANNINGEach dwelling has its own entrance, either at grade or up an exterior staircase, thus reducing internal circulation and the size of the overall building, and also prompting residents to connect and get to know one another. With entries and windows positioned on all sides of the blocks, there is no rear side to this project, thus improving the street quality and safety and security in all directions. Further, a typical residence has eight or more windows on at least two sides of the building, providing ample and varied access to views, daylight and cross-ventilation.

Deeply set, vibrant orange cowlings around the windows modulate privacy and views into the units, granting Centre Village a distinct identity in the city. SPACE PLANNING

Designed to make the most of space, material and daylight, the units have rich and playful compositions made from compact 8'x12' modules and cantilevered 14 x 12 modules for larger living areas that offer broader views.

The projects main contribution to the ongoing discussion of sustainability is its innovative approach to an affordable, yet quality standard of living in both public and private realms that can be achieved with densified living.

What was originally six single family house lots were amalgamated to create the site for 25 homes, the number of units required by the client. Quadrupling the density had the potential to fill the entire lot, leaving no shared community space, breathing room for the units, or even enough wall area for windows which would have rendered both the interior and exterior spaces uninhabitable. All these problems had to be carefully tackled be creating a very cleverly designed living space.

Careful mixing of the modules resulted in a range of unit sizes for individuals and families, and proved that less mass could be built on the site and still accommodate the required number of units.

When we live smaller we use less energy, generate less waste and become more intelligent and intentional consumers. - 5468796 ArchitectureSUSTAINABILITY

The exterior material of stucco was used as a blank canvas to allow the complex massing to read without becoming overwhelming with added texture.

The windows then being the dominant feature of both the interior and exterior composition were, highlighted with custom welded aluminium cowlings powder coated white and orange reflecting the transition between the interior and exterior through the glazing threshold.

The materials of the site are a mixture of concrete, paving stone, wood seating, and intentional specific areas of softness through vegetation.MATERIALS