There are so many excesses in society, few perhaps more than the parking garage. We provide better environments for our cars than we do for our homeless. This project therefore appropriates the excesses of an adjacent parking garage to provide housing for the homeless. The structure is a shear braced moment frame which is bracketed to the side of the garage. Additional steel cables to cross-brace the concrete columns of the garage run just below the ceiling on each floor. Water is provided by tapping into the fire sprinkler system, while waste water is removed by the garage’s storm water drains. The electrical system powering the lights is also tapped to provide both lighting and heat.

The shared communal space is placed first and provides a framework for the placement of the housing units, which aggregate around them. A thrift store and café, staffed by the residents, occupy the ground floor along main pedestrian routes into and out of the garage, earning extra income and job experience.