Design I

For the final project of the first-year design course, we were tasked with designing a cohousing project for two families at a real location in Ghent, near the Gent-Sint-Pieters station, close to the information center. This location includes a bike parking area, and our challenge was to integrate the cohousing project into this context.

Concept and Families
I designed the cohousing project for two families:

Family 1: The father runs a bike garage located on the ground floor, and the mother is a psychologist.
Family 2: The father is also a psychologist, while the mother works outside the home.
The practices of both psychologists and the bike garage are situated on the ground floor.

Design Features
Access and Layout:
A staircase leads to the first floor, where the entrances to both residences are located side by side. The units are designed to revolve around one another, creating a dynamic spatial relationship.

Living Spaces:
Each living area features a mezzanine, adding verticality and openness to the spaces.

Courtyard:
The design includes a shared courtyard, fostering a sense of community between the two families.

The critiques of this project were that there was architecture in the plans but less in the execution.