XS House
2019 / Philadelphia, PA
EXPANDED ENVELOPE
Philadelphia’s urban renewal era left behind an east-west cut through the city’s urban fabric in the form of the sunken Vine Street Expressway. The highway construction bisected the Chinatown neighborhood, creating many small lots that are difficult to occupy and remain underutilized, often as surface parking. This extremely narrow multifamily building places seven apartments on one such leftover site, adding urban density and street life while encouraging walkable lifestyles.
SURPRISING DENSITY
Originally used for informal surface parking for two cars, the existing lot was barely noticeable as a development parcel. Despite the tiny scale of the site, the building’s 11-foot-wide profile was strategically expanded through bays, mezzanines and bi-level upper units. Facade projections permitted by the city zoning code were utilized to add up to 3 feet of width to the horizontal dimension of the building and mezzanine levels expanded many units by an additional 30 percent, with interior stairs positioned to create dramatic volume spaces.
VERTICAL LIVING
The building’s 63-foot-tall section connects seven levels of occupied space, despite being a four-story building per the building code. Its expanded envelope emphasizes vertical living, with open, loft-style layouts tuned to the requirements of contemporary lifestyles. Galley kitchens with simple, clean layouts, ample storage and breakfast bars situated with city views decrease unnecessary circulation space within units, maximizing open floor area for flexible layouts in double-height living rooms. Lofted bedrooms with strategically placed overlook openings allow for privacy and create drama. Large, operable windows provide natural light, air and expansive views to the east, north and west across the adjacent Vine Street Expressway.
STREET LIFE
Three of the units are directly accessed from the main frontage along Vine Street, with the remaining four accessed from a single shared egress stair extending from the ground to the third floor. The central stair was designed to incorporate building amenities wiithin a small footprint, including a mail area accessible to all residents at street level and a car-share waiting area with built-in bench seating and a view of the street on the level above.
