Overton 19 is a carefully curated stand of eight functionally adaptable rental units. The development forms the edge of a formerly industrial parcel. The project formally employs one simple gesture — lifting the two corner units allows the project to respond to its urban condition at the intersection of a major commercial arterial, as well as to articulate the simple volumes for more specific uses. The façade takes the form of a veil of trees to mediate a sense of both openness and privacy. Constructed with a rudimentary kit of parts, the façade allows for an economical glazed screen wall. The screen effectively begins at the curb by multiplying the density of the street tree planting zone and adding a grass planter at the front building plane to achieve the opposing requirements of privacy and natural light. Overton 19 has at its core the idea that elemental simplicity allows for complexity: in use and interpretation. A basic massing strategy can articulate simple forms into a more diverse programmatic assembly, and a reduced structural approach and programmatic efficiency can provide the required flexibility inherent in true hybrid space.
