Location: Denver, CO
Time: 2025
Team: Alfred Xuanyu Wei, Leyuan Li Efklides Tzimapitis
Located at 1039 North Washington Street, Bundle House is a five-story, single-stair apartment building designed to address the housing crisis in Denver. Situated in the Capitol Hill neighborhood—a vibrant residential area characterized by low-rise and mid-rise housing and diverse demographics—this project aims to foster a walkable, sustainable, and inclusive community. It proposes flexible and sustainable solutions for increasing the density of housing units on the site, providing a common ground where new forms of domesticity and collectivity could effectively unfold.
Bundle House exemplifies spatial simplicity and efficiency. In compliance with existing zoning regulations, which include ten-foot front setbacks and five-foot side setbacks for fire safety and natural light, the design initiates with a sheer extrusion that maximizes the building's footprint, thereby increasing unit density and promoting affordability without compromising the quality of living. The modularity underlined in the project, from its Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) structures to its apertures, allows for prefabrication and off-site construction, which could significantly optimize the building process and minimize waste typically generated on-site. This would also allow the housing prototype to be replicated on infill lots throughout the neighborhood, thereby lowering construction costs and creating a "bundle deal" to enhance affordability.
Bundle House is organized through a structural core that spans across the building from west to east. Center to the core is a pressurized fire stair and a six-person elevator, connecting to an open-air corridor on each floor. By centralizing the stairwell and using a pressurization system—drawing lessons from amendments in the Seattle Building Code that challenge the stringent double means of egress requirement—this design increases spatial efficiency by minimizing the distance from each unit to the staircase, ensuring accessibility for individuals of all ages and abilities. In addition, a series of utility spaces in units are bundled within the core to create a more open perimeter, maximizing natural light for both living rooms and bedrooms. This integrated core enables a flexible arrangement of two to four units on each floor, accommodating a variety of unit types and possible expansion for a growing family.
To respect the urban fabric of the predominantly single-house neighborhood, Bundle House proposes a series of smaller-scale volumes, each featuring a gable-roof profile reminiscent of traditional houses. It incorporates a series of design tactics that enhance air circulation. Each unit features two balconies oriented in different directions, promoting cross-ventilation that continuously introduces fresh air into the living space. This approach is further supported by ventilation grills positioned on the side walls along the gaps, facilitating natural airflow at varied scales and intensities. The advocacy for natural ventilation and passive cooling helps maintain a high level of comfort and wellness for residents; it also suggests a sustainable, energy-efficient way of living that is less reliant on conventional HVAC systems: imagine the sliding doors are all open in a sunny, breezy afternoon, where the hustles of activities, the shadows of trees, and the silhouettes of birds and other living beings, all slowly blend into the tranquil background of nature, after the last ray of sunlight.
Bundle House represents a holistic approach to sustainability. Using CLT as the primary structural material, the project aims to offset carbon emissions by using sustainable materials, optimizing construction processes, and ultimately reducing energy consumption within the building. While the exterior is clad with corrugated metal sheets, the interior embraces the pure forms and textures of CLT that offer a warm aesthetic, reducing the need for drywall typically found in residential construction. Taking advantage of the favorable sunlight conditions in Denver, the tilted roof is fully covered with solar panels to sustain the daily power usage throughout the building. Additionally, rainwater is collected through the gap between the slanted roof, which would be used to irrigate the garden and supply uses across the building.
Bundle House strives to create an eco-friendly community that serves the diverse communities of the neighborhood. Placements of trees and native plants on all sides not only create a soft barrier from adjacent buildings, but also provide a proper amount of sunlight and shade optimized for various collective activities on the ground floor, such as outdoor dining and community gardening. Permeable paving materials, such as porous bricks and gravel, are utilized to enhance pedestrian safety by facilitating the drainage of melted snow from the sidewalk. In addition, powered by solar energy to ensure 24/7 accessibility, the community center, gym, and co-working space on the ground floor are open to all residents living in the neighborhood, creating an accessible common ground that fosters a strong sense of community and collectivity.