2025 | Professional
Entrant
Category
Client's Name
Country / Region
Parts to Whole
Collective Social Housing Tower, Houston Midtown
Parts to Whole reimagines affordable housing as an adaptable framework for diverse contemporary households. Responding to the U.S. housing shortage and the need for inclusive living models, the project proposes a collective tower in Houston’s Midtown—an area long divided by highway infrastructure. The design transforms this corridor into a connected, transit-oriented community anchored by a public park.
Alternating residential and collective floors create flexible zones for co-living, supporting not only nuclear families but also single parents, multigenerational households, and individuals living independently. Shared kitchens, adaptable partitions, and communal amenities reduce costs while promoting social support networks.
By reframing density as cooperation rather than compression, Parts to Whole proposes a replicable model of urban housing that acknowledges evolving family structures, strengthens community resilience, and contributes to addressing systemic housing inequities across American cities.
Credits
Entrant
Horizontal Design London Ltd
Category
Cultural Architecture - Cultural Centers and Community Halls
Entrant
Yi Lu
Category
Urban Design and Planning - Urban Regeneration and Redevelopment
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Studio of Zaiyang Tian and Lixue Cheng
Category
Innovative Architecture - Biomimicry and Nature-Inspired Design
Entrant
Ling Sha
Category
Residential Architecture - Urban Residential Design