This project hinges on the notion that any effective densification of Telegraph Hill’s residential fabric requires study at the scale of the block. Poor access to light and air are the typically the result of capitalistic development which typically maximizes lot capacity at the expense of neighbors. The myopic focus on the individual lot is rejected in favor of an approach which prioritizes the connections between lots, houses, and the people within them. The goal is an enhanced social fabric which brings people into contact with one another to develop relationships and support networks.

The methodology dissolves the fences separating lots and connects neighbors  with a communal living neighborhood. The internal portion of the block is all residential, the units are linked via a ground level ring path which loops between existing buildings and new buildings. Commercial program is located above the existing buildings.

All new buildings, both in the garden and above the existing buildings, are distributed in a checker board pattern. The spaces in between them are utilized as green space (pleasure gardens, playgrounds, vegetable gardens, etc) which carry light and air through the neighborhood. Typologies are sculpted using a sky exposure envelope generated using an angle of 52 degrees, this provides 20 foot-candles to all of the units 85% of the year (9am - 5pm).

The commercial typologies above the existing buildings are linked with a landscaped circulation loop.