SMALL LOTS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Multifamily Residential Development
Small Lot Developments are simple: you own the land & you own the home. It is a housing solution developed in Los Angeles to combat the California housing crisis. Small Lots are trying to encourage first-time home-buying with this entry-level option.
However, developers quickly discovered economic success with a particular layout and have repetitively pursued that layout. The tired strategies are often critiqued for being bland and monolithic, creating an unfortunate reputation for this well-intended real estate development model.
An Alternate Narrative:
We found a test site and got to work. We maxed out the lower level around the drive aisles to make a plinth. On top, we create a community of small lots. Smaller volumes are scattered atop the plinth to create a porous layout. This allows all units to have distant views through the development, increased access to natural light, and outdoor spaces that feel like yards. To simplify the development and potentially find some cost savings, we developed only 2 layouts for the volumes above the plinth, with the possibility that they could be prefab opportunities.