Autonomia Housing

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A live‑work‑learn residence in Washington, DC supporting single young women ages 18–25 at risk of experiencing homelessness. The program houses fourteen residents while connecting them to essential resources, life‑skills development, and pathways toward stable, dignified futures. Rooted in the historic Shaw neighborhood, it honors the area’s Black cultural legacy and responds to disproportionate homelessness among Black women.

Its architecture expresses transformative contrast through orthogonal structure and organic, biophilic forms, shifting from grounded materials to airy, light‑filled spaces. Blending Mexican modern influences with human‑centered design, Autonomia Housing fosters healing, growth, and independence.

SPECIFICATIONS

CONCEPT

Transformative Contrast

Women at risk of experiencing homelessness require a careful balance of structure and stability paired with freedom, autonomy, and room for self‑discovery. Transformative contrast embodies that duality through the use of static and rich rectilinear forms that act as a grounding and supporting element for biophilic-inspired, moving and organic forms.