Portland Courtyard Housing Competition - "Babylon Twelve"

2007 - Portland, OR

The BABYLON TWELVE hanging courtyard prototype provides opportunities for upward mobility of moderate-income families by capturing the architectural embodiment of the transition between an apartment and a single-family detached house. Most middle income families with children are forced into a perpetual state of limbo due to high rent on large apartments, making it impossible to save for a down payment on a home. BABYLON TWELVE is comprised of fee-simple three story semi-detached family homes with a commonly owned courtyard suspended above a parking court. By increasing the density through a compressed and reconfigured version of all the amenities normally associated with single-family detached houses, BABYLON TWELVE offers a hybrid and affordable path towards attaining the “American dream.”