Design / Build
Since 1967, the Yale School of Architecture has offered its students the opportunity to design and build a home in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services, a local nonprofit affordable housing developer.
My year, the project called for a 2,500 square foot home on a narrow lot at 456 Orchard Street. Our design took seriously the notion of affordability and created spaces that were both intimate and luxurious within a small building footprint and tight envelope.
The experience of first designing then building a home was both edifying and rewarding. There were many bumps along the road from our initial vision to handing the keys to the new owner. The arduous process of sketching out an idea, then bringing it into the world taught me the necessity of on-the-fly problem solving and the value of staying nimble.
Millwork
Gary Leggett and I designed and built custom millwork for the Building Project house. We designed the cabinetry as simple carcasses that incorporate both closed storage and open shelves. Constructed of with Red Oak-veneered plywood, they were fabricated entirely in Yale’s shop. Gary and I donated time over the summer to see the project through and were assisted in construction by Daisy Ames, Mike Mills, and Chris Parkinson.
