Archiscape Blog

On The Boards: Housing, Garden Style

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Karin • Filed under: ,

The design of garden apartments harkens back to the late 19th century English Garden City Movement, championed by Ebenezer Howard.  Garden style was first brought to the United States in 1917 when Edward MacDougall developed the Jackson Heights Greystone complex with lavish gardens, decorative fountains, and well-kept lawns.

Although the Greystone development consists of detached buildings, five stories high, today most garden apartment buildings are no more than three stories.  Due to the detached nature and low profile design, the common areas are filled with sunlight and free flowing breezes.

In our project, we are designing single-story attached units, each with front and back windows looking out to green spaces. The layout of the 12 units around a central courtyard and community building minimizes the amount of paved surfaces. Pathways leading to the units are pavers so that wheelchair-bound residents can easily move around the complex, but the pathways in the park are less formal, encouraging children and adults alike to experience the natural rock outcroppings and landscaped areas. In front of the community building, planters of varying sizes will allow residents to plant herbs, flowers or other plants.

For more informative information about Multi-Family Housing Design Elements be sure to check out our blog.