Come Home Chicago

The best stories of a neighborhood come from the people that have lived on the block for generations. They know the trees, give the local, gossip, and understand the politics of place. Increasingly, the opportunity to live in Chicago and thrive in place with chosen family and friends is unavailable. Generation Next is a rowhome concept that imagines a future of shared wealth and space using three unique dwelling types: split level rowhomes, aging in place rowhomes, and coach house ADUs. Each home offers a unique type of private outdoor space raging from roof decks, sunken courts or at grade patios.  This frees the remainder of the rear yard for shared community use that can expand over time.

Made possible by the recently revised building code, six rowhomes have been arranged on the site to create a central pathway to access the aging-in-place units and ADUs. This pathway connects a series of outdoor spaces that range from still, formal, and neatly presented front yards to a communal, active, and social backyard. Each Rowhome + ADU is designed as an all-electric home with heat pump heating & cooling + balanced ventilation using ERV's. The building massing and roof line shifts and creates variation over several blocks without changing the floor plan. In this future of community wealth, a resilient block employs sustainable practices to protect environmental, financial, and social equity for generations.