Units

Highly adaptable housing units, with full wheelchair access to every unit in the development. This includes all infrastructure required for mechanical and accessibility modifications, should they be required. But we propose to go much farther than this. We are developing new concepts of neighbourhood support and researching alternative living arrangements from the parallel perspectives of the effectiveness of care provision and the personal preferences of the user groups. We are consulting with both doctors and the wider range of care providers, user groups, facility design specialists and government funding agencies.

Live/Work townhouse spaces that provide for a broad range of commercial uses in conjunction with comfortable residential use. This provides both for a substantial reduction in the cost of operating a small business and the elimination of the requirement of any form of commuting between home and work. Live/Work townhouse units also allow for a division of tenancies based on floor level, with a three-floor unit potentially divided into two residential units and one commercial unit, or even three residential units under three separate tenancies.

Live/Work spaces will open possibilities to individuals and families with small businesses. We envision a significant number of IT consultants in this role, enabled by direct connections to the powerful bandwidth and services of the local Data Center.

The Mingle: A double occupancy unit with two full ensuite bedrooms organized around a common kitchen and laundry. The kitchen could include two refrigerators. Suited to both students and older individuals, potentially alone and in need of the social connection and support this type of living arrangement would provide. It is also an excellent way of providing for those who require close residential care.

The Affordable Space: A living unit of 540 ft2 (50m2) or less, providing conventional kitchen, bathroom and sleeping facilities. A refinement of typical small floor plate units common in the City of Vancouver, and probably the most popular and numerous unit type in the city.

The Very Small Space: A living unit of 300 ft2 (28m2) or less, providing acceptable kitchen, bathroom and sleeping facilities, as well as a working space and provision for basic entertainment. The unit design will draw on Le Corbusier's modular, in creating spaces suited to a variety of body positions, and we intend to create functional space that is far more elegant than the traditional very small unit. We believe that the acceptability of these units will be enhanced by the strong social connections created by a fully functional urban village. The individual's sense of home is pulled firmly outside of his or her private space by an attractive, effective and socially vibrant commons.

The Lock Off: A traditional one or two bedroom unit with an attached ensuite bedroom with a separate entrance. The attached unit includes basic cooking provisions and can stand alone as a Very Small Space.

The Support Fan: An array of units organized around a support service core. The centralization of support services can reduce the cost and increase the availability of services for a variety of user groups. These could include social and nursing services, and could potentially provide for group home and other more advanced requirements. We believe that the point tower topology is ideal for this arrangement, which could extend across adjacent floors as required.

The Family Fan: An array of units organized around a common play area easily observed from each unit.

Electronic Augmentation: We are developing systems that allow for natural extension of social networks and community services through ubiquitous communications interfaces that are integrated into building architecture.