Mutual Aid Block

Mutual Aid Block is a project that envisions a 530+ user housing complex with a mix of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-bedroom units that share kitchens and living spaces. The ground floor lines the street fronts with retail and amenity space, adding value for the entire community. A significant portion of the ground floor is offered for the storage of bicycles to ensure residents can be connected to the city by affordable and ecologically friendly means. One bike workshop is provided on each street face empowering residents to maintain their bikes and to provide space to teach others to do so. Residential units are organized so that circulation space duals as living space, creating a non-isolated environment for residents. In response to Canada’s housing crisis, this project aims to illustrate a housing typology that reconsiders zoning restrictions as mere guidelines. The objective is to create a building that takes a ‘community approach’ towards planning.