“Small in scale, each home contributes to a mid-block stepped public space — a true urban fabric project that achieves a sense of timelessness through its landscaped connection to the neighboring blocks and streets. This residential development should be on the radar of urban housing experts.”
— Claire Weisz, FAIA
Location San Antonio
Client Ben Bowman
Architect Cotton Estes Architect
Design Team Cotton Estes, AIA, Ben Bowman
Architect of Record/Contractor Assets & Architects
Structural Engineer 13th Lv Structural Engineers
Civil Engineer Dye Development
Approximately four times more dense than its surroundings, Boston Commons promotes socioeconomic diversity and equity via a range of dwelling types, including coliving rooms, duplexes, and single-family homes. The architecture is designed to encourage human connectedness and relates to the scale of neighboring historical houses by combining small units in various ways. Apartment layouts work in plan and section to support a gradient of private and social spaces, and porches open onto a landscaped spine (the “commons”) that is bookended by large gathering spaces and preserved as a pedestrian zone through the use of embanked parking.