Isaac Tu spike

Housing · TBC

Terraced Living

Two three-storey blocks with lit interiors and a footbridge between them, seen across the street under a starry sky

Stepped housing where every home gets a terrace, built around a shared landscaped court above a glazed street front.

Stepped homes, each with a terrace, climbing around a shared court above a glazed street front.

The same pale blocks in daylight, with rooftop pergolas, a footbridge over a narrow passage, brick neighbours either side and a car on the street
Street elevation by day

Form

The massing starts from the site and its neighbours, then steps back floor by floor so every home reaches the sky.

How the form develops, in five steps: step 1, Mass

Mass · 1 of 5

The block

A cutaway of the stepped terraces, and the same building as a model you can turn.

Stepped terraces of homes climbing around a central court with trees, rooftop planters, stairs and shop fronts along the street edge
Cutaway axonometric

Roof plan

Terraced Living in Downtown Urbana re-imagines urban living through a shared, community-driven intention. The design features a series of terraced residential units that slope upward, creating a form that has the purpose of connecting people through unintentional yet natural encounters with one another. These terraces are interwoven and clustered with a network of stairs and walkways, encouraging natural movement and interaction between neighbors while offering overlooking views of the central courtyard and the rest of Race Street.

Roof Plan - Commute Routes Threaded Together
  • The street front at night: lit homes glow behind a perforated metal screen, a man in a yellow jacket wheels a bike past, and people sit on a bench by a street lamp, with a brick neighbour on the left

    Community1

  • A shared walkway between two stepped blocks in strong sun, with trees on the left, a footbridge in the distance and a perforated screen on the right

    Terraced2

  • Neighbours and children gather around a long curved bench in the brick-paved court, under young trees, with the stepped front of the block rising behind

    Connection3

  • Looking across the court from a stair landing: a young man sits on the stair, children play on the brick paving, a man in an orange shirt gestures, and stairs and terraces cluster behind a tree

    Clustered4

  • The court seen from the footbridge: terraced homes with open stairs step down on both sides to a brick-paved court with trees and people, with a perforated metal rail across the foreground

    Overlooking5

The five views marked on the plan

Section and light

The section shows how the homes stack and meet the court; the sun study shows how light reaches between the blocks.

Two stepped blocks in section, with fans of sunlight rays crossing the space between them
Section sun study

Homes

Four unit types, from compact to large, all with access to a terrace.

Floor plans, one floor at a time: 2F

2F · 1 of 4

Context

A white physical model of the stepped block among simplified neighbouring buildings on a contour base, with a hand pointing at it
Site model
The same pale blocks in daylight, with rooftop pergolas, a footbridge over a narrow passage, brick neighbours either side and a car on the street
Two three-storey blocks with lit interiors and a footbridge between them, seen across the street under a starry sky