The Community Housing project is a communal residential development located in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven. The proposal treats circulation not as residual space but as the primary social armature of the building. Hallways, stairs, and landings are deliberately oversized and thickened to accommodate seating, planting, and informal play, allowing daily movement through the building to double as a shared civic interior rather than a purely functional passage.

These communal spaces are concentrated along the south side of the building to capitalize on winter daylight and prevailing southern breezes in summer, with adjustable shading and operable openings modulating light and ventilation seasonally. The plan organizes housing units around a three-sided courtyard oriented toward the river, establishing a protected outdoor space for residents while maintaining visual and spatial continuity with the surrounding landscape. Along the street, the building negotiates a shift in urban typology through a sweeping public stair and a corner café, extending the project’s communal logic outward and establishing a clear threshold between neighborhood, building, and shared life within.