Abstract:

(In)Between Walls addresses the housing affordability crisis in Los Angeles by transforming underutilized backyards and parking lots into modular infill housing. In a context of high land rates and fragmented urban blocks, the project increases density within existing neighborhoods instead of expanding outward.

The vertically layered program includes affordable housing at ground level, compact student dormitories above and adaptable live-work units for artists. Shared amenities, compact layouts, and consolidated service cores reduce per-unit cost while supporting diverse user groups.

The system uses prefabricated Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), lowering embodied carbon, reducing construction time, and enabling phased, replicable implementation across multiple sites.

The proposal directly responds to the award theme through a critical rethinking of density as social infrastructure. It aligns with principles of good architecture by being considerate (infill without displacement), inclusive (mixed-income living), resourceful (modular CLT), durable (adaptable grid), local (responding to Los Angeles land pressures), protective (limiting sprawl), and useful (addressing measurable housing demand). (In)Between Walls converts residual urban voids into resilient, community-oriented housing.