In 1999, a massive fire in Holyoke, MA, destroyed a Catholic church that was home to a French Canadian congregation. The fire, which made national news, also destroyed 60 units of housing that have yet to be replaced. I decided to use the elements of the church’s architecture, along with pictures of the lot in the days after the fire, to inspire and inform the design. The façade of the housing complex uses a simplified, Postmodern brick pattern based on the church’s style. The inner courtyard, providing both recreational space and light for the units, resembles a building hollowed out by fire.

In meetings with Holyoke officials and community leaders, a lack of housing for families and young people aging out of the foster system was consistently cited as the city’s biggest problem. This housing complex aims to solve this issue by creating shared living spaces for families and transitional-age youth. Each housing unit consists of three stories, with four youths living on the top floor and families on the bottom floor. Both the youths and the families enter through a shared space on the second floor. This space encourages interactions between the groups as a way to foster a larger sense of community.