Multistudio has broken ground on a noteworthy new four-residence supportive housing project in Lawrence, Kansas, which they say is evocative of their goal of pushing the limits of what’s possible within their community and the industry as a whole.

The project involved collaborating with clients of the nonprofit Tenants to Homeowners and two classes of local elementary school students from the Limestone Community School who sourced materials for the construction with help from the Parsons School of Design. 

The project was enacted to create infill housing on a lot connected to an adjacent bike loop. The first home design features two bedrooms and an open-concept kitchen and living area in addition to a covered patio and bathroom that can be used as an emergency shelter in the event of a tornado. A solution involving a pair of donated solar panels that helped to make the home’s functioning all-electric is likely to be enacted later. Further donations to the project can be made here.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to work on a project like this and watch the impact of project-based learning unfold in real-time,” says Associate Principal Steve Vukelich. “The students went from brainstorming an idea to a groundbreaking in an impressive amount of time. At Multistudio, we believe in design collaboration in the pursuit of possibility, and these students have shown us what can happen when you find collaborators to imagine the future. It’s part of our role to help build interest in design’s impact on our communities, and to lessen the barriers of entry into architecture and urban planning as career paths in even the youngest generation.”

Other recent K-12 projects from the firm include the new Michelle Obama School in Richmond, CA; the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in San Francisco; and the renovation and addition to Free State High School, also in Lawrence. 

The firm says the aim is to have the first home readied for move-in by early 2024.