Jackson Commons
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Architect/Designer | Prellwitz Chilinski Associates
Builder | NEI General Contracting
Developer | Urban Edge Housing Corp.
Landscape Architect/Designer | Catherine Oranchak
Interior Designer | Prellwitz Chilinski Associates
Photographer | John Horner
Situated within a dense urban setting, with a limited site area, this community makes an ideal laboratory for reinventing the fundamentals of shelter. Departing from the characteristics of conventional 3-story residences, these living spaces are configured to maximize outdoor-living opportunities while protecting sight lines and maintaining privacy. The challenge was to design homes that provide useable outdoor areas on efficient, high-density, detached lots that are largely consumed by the building footprint. The design includes useable patio spaces at the ground level, a cantilever at the second floor master suite, and an expansive roof deck at the third floor. The home provides casual, outdoor family living opportunities within a planned-community setting that feels metropolitan.