Academic Work03 / 05

Casa de Barro

Homes around shared gardens.

Project brief

A housing proposal for Visalia, California, developed for the Architecture at Zero competition.

Location: Visalia, California
Project: Competition · 2021–22
Programme: Housing · Community spaces

Casa de Barro: the community hall opens onto a planted shared court between housing blocks. — 01Community hall · Shared courtOriginal render ↗

01 / Housing types

Five types, one neighbourhood

Design notes

Five housing modules bring different dwelling sizes together on the site. Shared paths and gardens connect them to a community hall at the centre of daily life.

Original diagram pairing five colour-coded housing modules and their floor plans with the site model and community hall. — 02Housing modules and their distribution

02 / Section & site

From the house to the shared ground

Design notes

The sectional study brings the roof garden, balconies and material choices into one drawing. The site diagrams extend these ideas across the cluster: planted roofs, ground cover, water, access and circulation.

Annotated sectional study of a Casa de Barro housing module, with roof garden, balconies and proposed material strategies. — 03Housing section · Material and spatial studies

Six original site axonometrics exploring water, roof gardens, wind, green cover, vertical access and roads. — 04Site planning studies

03 / Everyday spaces

Streets, rooms and roof gardens

Pedestrian-scale render between the housing blocks with planted edges, balconies and shaded walkways. — 05A street between the housing blocksOriginal render ↗

Rendered interior of a Casa de Barro dwelling. — 06Inside a homeOriginal render ↗

Rendered roof terrace with planting, shaded areas and space for residents. — 07The roof as a shared outdoor spaceOriginal render ↗

Selected drawings & views · Academic portfolio · 2024Back to top ↑