Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi by Yanci Chen

Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi by Yanci Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe in Nhazi Mmekọrịta Ọha Competition Category.

IgweMmekọrịta Ọha· 2025

Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi

by Yanci Chen

Client: Ycj Studio

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe Winner in Mmekọrịta Ọha Category

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The Design

About Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi

Ederede Akwụkwọ: Grow Together bụ ọrụ obere ụlọbi a na-emeghe emeghe nke na-elekọta ndị na-enweghị ebe obibi na Seattle. Nhazi a na-edobe obere ebe nchekwa na-adabere na onwe ya n'azụ ụlọ obibi, na-enye ụlọ nnwale dị nso n'obodo ndị guzosiri ike. Otu ụlọ ọ bụla dị 3,000 site na 6,000 milimita ma jiri osisi a chịkọtara ọnụ na igwe a mepụtaghachiri wuo ya maka ngwa ngwa nhazi. Ihe mgbochi anwụ, nzacha mmiri ozuzo na ụlọ mposi na-emepụta abụba na-akwado inwe onwe onye. Ebe imepụta osisi nkekọ na ebe nzukọ nwere ohere na-akwado mmemme ịkọ ubi na mmụta nka. Nhazi ahụ na-echedo nzuzo ma na-akwalite mmelite mmadụ n'ọha.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Igwe

Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi meriri A' Design Award nke Igwe, nnabata dị ugwu e nyere design ndị dị mma nke na-emezu ihe ndị a chọrọ n'ọrụ na ụlọ ọrụ nke a na-atụ anya n'ihe e kere eke ndị e mere nke ọma. Ndị meriri na Igwe na-egosi nka buru ibu, ọkachamara dị elu, nghọta ọkachamara na ikike imepụta nke ndị kere ha. A na-atụ anya na Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi ga-abụ ihe e kere eke a na-asọpụrụ nke ukwuu, a na-eto na a hụrụ n'anya nke bụ ihe bara uru ma dị ọhụrụ. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Igwe na-ejikọta ụzọ kacha mma nke ụlọ ọrụ ma nwee àgwà teknụzụ kwesịrị ekwesị jikọtara na ihe ọmụma na talent. A na-asọpụrụ Grow Together Ọrụ Bụ Isi: Obere Ụlọbi maka nlezianya ya ma e mere ya ka ọ nye mmeziwanye ndụ nke na-enyere aka ime ka ụwa bụrụ ebe ka mma.

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