Valentine Houses

Cambridge, MA | 2003
[BSA/AIA NY Housing Design Award 2004, BSA Honor Award 2003, Dwell Magazine Feature Oct 2009 ]

The 3 new townhouses transform Cambridgeport’s woodframe type, dynamically addressing boundaries between inside and outside, private and community. A critique of the inward looking ‘winterized box,’ the project incorporates double height interior/exterior spaces, cantilevered garden-balconies, and occupiable shared roof-planes – all of which become an architectural language for further urban developments.

Zoning constraints are leveraged into a design response.

Section through three townhouses (left) and cross-section (right). Double height spaces maximize natural light and allow for cross ventilation throughout the townhouses.

Different window types negotiate interior and exterior: Window walls present direct views to the outside and blank walls allow for the projection of virtual views (left). High apertures (above) track the time of day.

A shared roof garden extends the interior space of the units.

Living and dining spaces are combined to enlarge each space and allow for flexible use.

A light and air ‘snorkel’ (above) brings natural stack ventilation and light into the middle townhouse. Highly permeable sideyards mitigate runoff to adjacent sites (right).

The compactness of the townhouses is offset by the ample double height light-filled spaces.

Architect
John Hong AIA (principal in charge), Andy Hong, Jinhee Park AIA, Erik Carlson, Min Yang AIA

Structural Engineer
Sarkis Zerounian & Associates

Construction
Azzam Development and Design

Custom Fabrication
Jake Forster, Letterbox Productions

Landscape
Boston Landscape Company

Photography
Erik Gould Photography

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