Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing) by Yanci Chen

Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing) by Yanci Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award آسنین انعام in سوشل ڈیزائن Competition Category.

آسنسوشل· 2025

Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing)

by Yanci Chen

Client: Ycj Studio

A' Design Award آسنین انعام Winner in سوشل Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing)

گروو تُگدر یک ماڈیولر خرد-مسکن پروژه‌ئے اِنت که سیاتل ءِ بے‌گڑا (بے‌خانگی) ءِ مسئله‌ئے ءِ سرا کار کنت. اے ڈیزائن مکانانی پُشتی حیاطانی مئین کمپیکٹ آف-گرِڈ پناهگاهانی جاگه دنت، که مستحکم محلگانی نزیک ءَ گوستریگ مسکن دیت. هر واحد 3000 گام 6000 ملی‌متر ءِ اندازه دارگ اِنت و کراس-لامینیٹد لکڑی و ری‌سایکل شدگ سٹیل ءَ جتی اِنت که تیز اسمبلی ءِ واستا مناسب اِنت. آفتابی پینل، باران ءِ آپ ءِ فلٹریشن و کمپوستینگ تشناب واستا خودکفایتی ءِ پشتی دنت. شریک گلخانه‌گان و انعطاف‌پذیر گوشتی جاگه باغبانی و ہنر-روچگاری پروگرامانی میزبانی کننت. اے چیدگ راز داری ءِ حفاظت کنت هم گوستریگ سماجی ادغام ءِ حوصله دنت.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award آسنین انعام

Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing) A' Design Award آسنین انعام ءِ ورگ آ انت، معزز اعتراف کہ آ جوانیں ڈیزائناں دیگ بیت کہ جوانیں ڈولا ڈیزائن کنگ بوتگیں تخلیقاں چہ متوقع پیشہ ورانہ ءُ صنعتی ضرورتاں پورا کننت۔ آسن ءِ ورگ آ وتی خالقاں ءِ مزن مہارت، اعلیٰ ماہری، ماہرانہ سمجھ ءُ تخلیقی صلاحیت پیش کننت۔ Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing) چہ امید کنگ بیت کہ آ یک باز قدر کنگ بوتگیں، ساراہگ بوتگیں ءُ پیارکنگ بوتگیں تخلیق بیت کہ عملی ءُ جدت ءِ انت۔ ای ڈیزائن کہ A' Design Award آسنین انعام ءَ برتگ، صنعت ءِ بہترین طریقہ یکجا کنت ءُ علم ءُ صلاحیت گوں جوڑ بوتگیں قابل تکنیکی خصوصیتاں دار انت۔ Grow Together وتی گژن رهبند (Micro Housing) ءِ سنجیدگی ءِ سببا عزت کنگ بیت ءُ آ زندگی ءِ معیار ءَ بہتری آرگ ءِ پہ جوڑ کنگ بوتگ کہ جہان ءَ جوانتر جاگہ جوڑ کنگ ءَ مدد کنت۔

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Grow Together is an intergenerational community hub that integrates adaptive architecture, urban farming, and sustainable living. The design fosters cross-generational exchange through modular housing, shared greenhouses, and flexible communal spaces. Utilizing biophilic principles, passive cooling, and circular material strategies, it enhances resilience and well-being. Its unique strength lies in fostering social cohesion while promoting ecological responsibility and self-sufficiency.
Dimensions & Packaging: Grow Together features modular micro-housing units measuring 3,000mm (W) x 6,000mm (D) x 3,200mm (H), designed for easy deployment in residential backyards. Each unit incorporates off-grid solar panels, a rainwater filtration system, and composting toilets for self-sufficiency. The lightweight CLT and recycled steel structure allows for rapid assembly. Shared community hubs range from 20m² to 50m², integrating urban farming zones and flexible gathering spaces for reintegration programs.
Tags: micro-housing, intergenerational living, homelessness solution, modular architecture, urban farming, off-grid shelter, sustainable design, community reintegration, adaptive reuse, social impact
Production Technology: Grow Together utilizes prefabricated modular construction, integrating cross-laminated timber (CLT), recycled steel frames, and bio-based insulation for sustainability and efficiency. The design employs passive solar strategies, rainwater harvesting, and off-grid energy solutions to ensure self-sufficiency. Digital parametric modeling and AI-assisted spatial optimization guided the form and layout, maximizing adaptability, privacy, and seamless integration within existing urban fabric.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge in Grow Together was balancing privacy and social reintegration while ensuring scalability and feasibility. Socially, resistance to backyard shelters required design solutions that reassured homeowners and preserved neighborhood aesthetics. Legally, zoning restrictions and permitting posed barriers. Technologically, optimizing off-grid utilities in a compact form was complex. Overcoming these required community engagement, modular innovation, and adaptive policy integration.
Research: Grow Together is based on social impact and architectural research addressing homelessness in Seattle. The objective was to explore backyard micro-housing as a transitional solution for reintegration. Using case studies, interviews, and spatial analysis, data was collected from homeowners, social workers, and unhoused individuals. Findings highlight the need for privacy, community engagement, and self-sufficiency. The project fosters scalable, community-driven solutions, influencing urban policy and inclusive design.
Inspiration: Grow Together is inspired by the urgent social challenge of homelessness in Seattle and the growing willingness of residents to share their backyards for micro/off-grid shelters. The project reimagines communal reintegration through modular, self-sustaining dwellings that offer transitional housing for individuals seeking to reconnect with society. By integrating adaptive architecture and urban farming, it fosters dignity, autonomy, and social inclusion.
Project Duration: March 2024 Seattle
Operation Flow: Grow Together operates as a flexible micro-housing solution that reintegrates individuals experiencing homelessness into the community. Homeowners can install modular units in their backyards, providing temporary, self-sustaining shelters. Residents engage in shared gardening, skill-building, and social programs in communal spaces. The adaptable design ensures privacy while fostering interaction, creating a supportive transition toward permanent housing and social reintegration.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Yanci Chen
Team Members: Yanci Chen
Image Credits: Yanci Chen