Rubik's Square
Dorian Sosa
Rubik’s Square is designed to be more than just a transitional housing community for homeless families. The project is an urban playground meant to be used by the entire surrounding neighborhood.
Seventy-five percent of homeless families in Washington D.C. are single-parent households – mostly mothers with young children. Rubik’s Square is a transitional housing development, designed to provide a safe and uplifting environment for aspiring families within the Shaw neighborhood of Washington D.C. As the project is specifically catered to children and their single mothers, a playful environment is developed, promoting a healthy and active community. Strategically placed voids and extrusions, furthermore, create a gradience of public, private and semi-private spaces empowering its residents with a sense of ownership and a sense of privacy. The design exclaims "residential" over "institutional" space, for although it may be temporary, it aims to be a proper home to its inhabitants. Project Characteristics: Kid-oriented. Vibrant. Play-space. Inviting. Secure. Personal. Dignified. Inspiriting. Empowering. Transitional Housing: “A supportive – yet temporary – type of accommodation that is meant to bridge the gap from homelessness to permanent housing by offering structure, supervision, support, life skills, and in some cases, education and training" – homelesshub.ca
