Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana by Yanci Chen

Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana by Yanci Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Kyautar A' Design Award ta Baƙin Ƙarfe in Zamantakewa Competition Category.

Baƙin ƘarfeZamantakewa· 2025

Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana

by Yanci Chen

Client: Ycj Studio

Kyautar A' Design Award ta Baƙin Ƙarfe Winner in Zamantakewa Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana

Girma Tare wani shiri ne na gina kananan gidaje masu sassauci wanda ke magance matsalar rashin matsuguni a Seattle. Zanen ya ba da damar sanya kananan matsuguni masu zaman kansu daga hanyar samar da wutar lantarki a bayan gidaje na zama, ta yadda za a samar da matsugunin wucin gadi kusa da unguwannin da aka riga aka kafa. Kowace naúra tana da girman milimita 3,000 zuwa 6,000, kuma an gina ta da katakon giciye mai yawa (cross-laminated timber) da karfe da aka sake sarrafawa domin saurin haduwa. Fanel na hasken rana, tsarin tace ruwan sama, da bayan gida masu sarrafa taki suna taimakawa wajen samar da dogaro da kai. Gonakin gilashi na gama gari da wuraren taruwa masu sassauci suna karbar bakuncin ayyukan noma da shirye-shiryen habaka kwarewa. Tsarin ya kiyaye keɓantar mutane yayin da yake karfafa sake shigar da mutane cikin al'umma.

The Recognition

About the Kyautar A' Design Award ta Baƙin Ƙarfe

Zanen Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana ya lashe Kyautar A' Design Award ta Baƙin Ƙarfe, wata karramawa mai daraja da ake bai wa kyawawan zane-zane waɗanda ke cika buƙatun ƙwararru da masana'antu da ake tsammani daga ƙirƙire-ƙirƙire da aka tsara da kyau. Waɗanda suka lashe kyautar Baƙin Ƙarfe suna nuna babban ƙwarewa, ƙwarewa ta musamman, fahimtar ƙwararru da ikon ƙirƙira na masu ƙirƙirar su. Ana sa ran zanen Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana ya zama ƙirƙira da ake girmamawa sosai, ake sha'awa da ƙauna wacce ke da amfani kuma mai sababbin abubuwa. Wannan zane da ya lashe Kyautar A' Design Award ta Baƙin Ƙarfe yana haɗa mafi kyawun ayyukan fannin kuma yana da halayen fasaha masu cancanta da ke da alaƙa da sanin yadda da baiwa. Ana girmama zanen Grow Together Gidajen Zama Kanana saboda cikakkiyar kulawarsa kuma an tsara shi don ba da ingantuwar rayuwa da ke taimakawa wajen mai da duniya wuri mafi kyau.

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