Residential Land Planning & Development

The Junior Studio, Land Planning for Residential Design and Planning, had a busy semester. With multiple considerations and a great deal of help from students and staff, we were able to work together in the studio for presentations, discussions, model-making, and design reviews. The studio was busy with teams working on bioclimatic typologies, passive solar design strategies, and housing concept design proposals.

Following a senior project from last year, the Junior Studio’s final project focused on making housing design proposals for the City of Helper. This small town of two thousand people, located in central Utah, has a strong character shaped by its railroad and mining past. Inserted in a powerful landscape, Helper has re-emerged as an art hub, and many artists have made this place their home and studio. Helper is also visited by many who attend festivals and exhibits.

The city recently remodeled Main Street, and now it was the Junior’s turn to develop housing alternatives for them. The project focused on creating single-family residential developments on the eastern edge of town. The design required careful consideration of site conditions, connectivity to the existing community, views, recreation opportunities, and a mix of densities and housing types for a diverse community. The design teams adopted different design concepts and produced various approaches to maintain the character of the place, create meaningful public space, and connect the new site with the existing town and the surrounding landscape.

The project ideas will be shared with the City of Helper.