King Street Live/Work/Grow

The Live/Work/Grow project re-imagines a deep, narrow site within an eclectic part of the city defined by leftover industrial and start-up commercial space. This project advocates for maintaining and enriching the mosaic of the neighborhood by increasing density and livability.

Simple volumes continue the rhythm and scale of the street while cantilevered boxes provide access to the rear unit. The vernacular side-hall plan is stretched across the lot to form two separate live/work units. They share a central courtyard connected by a glass link. It's this linkage that permits programmatic and spatial flexibility, enabling the commercial and residential spaces within the units to contract or expand to evolve with the lives of the occupants.

Conventional spaces within the house are reconsidered. Children’s bedrooms are conceived as compact private cubbies with sliding doors offering small, cozy spaces for sleep that close up when not occupied. The courtyard functions as a sheltered winter parking space, play area, outdoor workspace, and flower garden.

On a macro level, this project re-imagines the limiting site conditions typically found in Halifax—namely, long and narrow Victorian lots—and creates a new mixed-use urban typology.