This project proposes a new typology for a collective community in Settegast, Houston Texas, in opposition to the existing housing typology in the neighborhood which is mostly isolated. The project serves these families with a series of shared resources of varying scales. The concept of sharing is evaluated across three different scales, namely the settlement, community, and cluster. The settlement encompasses 36 living units, whereas the community comprises of 9 units, and the cluster represents a larger entity. At the settlement scale, there are four significant collective energy resources, including solar thermal collectors that cater to 140% of the domestic hot water usage, PV panels that offer 600% of the energy consumption requirements of the settlement, with any surplus energy being channeled towards the public spaces or the adjacent school. Additionally, the greenhouses provide 45% of the food requirements for the settlement, with the remaining provisions catered to other nearby settlements. Hence, the shared energy not only benefits the settlement but also impacts the neighboring communities.

At the cluster scale, three units share a courtyard, which serves as the third level of sharing space. The living rooms face the courtyard, while all bedrooms have individual view decks overlooking the forest. At the community scale, half of the second floor in each unit is allocated for public use, including fully-conditioned co-working rooms, semi-conditioned roof gardens, and non-conditioned outdoor spaces. Additionally, the nine units in the cluster share ten communal cars, which are charged using the power generated from the panels installed above. The catwalks, which lead to the upper level, connect all public spaces, creating a second level of sharing. At the settlement scale, a large canopy, featuring solar thermal collectors, green roofs for water collection and passive cooling, and PV panels, covers all units. This creates an industrial-scale grain that can be further extended and allows for ongoing growth throughout the site. Formally speaking, the roof grid is perpendicular to the street, while the orientation of the units and catwalks are rotated towards the southeast. These two systems interact in multiple moments, which are visible in the section. For instance, the catwalks lead up to viewing decks above the roof, while green roofs and living units allow light to penetrate the lower floors. Furthermore, the roof panels are not all at the same angle. The sloping panels are more efficient in energy generation and allow sunlight to penetrate, while the flatter ones provide shading to protect the unit from the hot Houston sun and keep water away from the building and the unconditioned public spaces on the upper level.