Designed as a modular system, this public space is meant to provide a day shelter and designated community programming area for Dorchester and Roxbury's elderly population. The Senior Village consists of three linking modules with different construction types, materials, and costs, which can be assembled in various ways across varying sites.
This studio project was designed in collaboration with District 7 City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson and many other members of the community in a series of meetings taking place at Boston City Hall. Community input, along with historical research, informed the design of this public space, meant to serve as an example for community use of vacant parcels around Roxbury and Dorchester.
Because the modules are designed with standard dimensions, they can grow or shrink in any number of ways across varying sites.
Site criteria for this project include:
1. Accessible location: Proximity to transit, flat site (no hills or stairs for access)
2. Adjacency to existing parks: Elderly childcare responsibilities, multigenerational spaces
3. Close context: calm, quiet: Residential, not overstimulating, safe transport around the site
4. Near shops and cultural spaces: Activities for elders nearby that can be accessed from center
The Village takes advantage of affordable wood construction and celebrates it as a building material: a prefab truss-roof framing system creates a shaded greenhouse with wire fencing, whereas the more-permanent framed and cladded structure is a canvas for community artists. A gathering point, outdoor stage, or pathway extension, the third module utilizes locally-sourced metal, such as galvanized steel or aluminum, to compliment the wood and provide an alternative price point.
The prototype is located at the vacant lot at 52 Glenway St., near Blue Hill Ave and Franklin Park, chosen for its proximity to amenities such as bus stops, retail and commercial establishments, and the Erie-Ellington Playground.
This project was made in collaboration with my peer, Emma van Geuns, who created the images not featured, including the site section, construction specifications, and site and context plans.
Below are our presentation boards, which were available for comment on display at a community meeting in the Dewitt Center in Lower Roxbury in April.
