Sunrise Village

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, USA, 2005

In transforming Sunrise Park to an urban density, we didn't want to forget its origins as a trailer court. Unit design recalls the "double wide" configuration of the mobile home but widens the dimension for greater comfort and pushes and pulls at the envelope to increase room sizes, provide balconies and gardens, and accommodate new uses. This basic unit type serves – whether widened, doubled in height, or reduced – for all of the units on site, including those to be sold at market rates: no visual distinction is attached to income difference. Site organization also reflects this dual urban/suburban sensibility. While we have created what we feel is clearly a village, we have retained the strong relationship between units and cars typical of the trailer park.

Taking advantage of site topography we have oriented each unit so that each living room faces the famous view of Monticello and that all units enjoys good solar orientation and cross ventilation. From a little village plaza at the site's high point – around which are located shops, offi ces, lofts, play space, existing structures converted to community use, and the highest density housing - buildings step down the hill to offer clear vistas over and between neighboring structures. To maximize green space we have both provided continuous landscaping and public areas at grade and displaced the ground plan upwards where buildings occur. Structurally thickened roofs support a system of aerial gardens, to be divided among residents.

Credits: Michael Sorkin, Makoto Okazaki, Britt Degn, Camilla Giotto-Levy