Joining the conversation about Baltimore’s vacant housing crisis
The coalition between Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration, the Greater Baltimore Committee and BUILD Baltimore has amplified the conversation around Baltimore’s vacant housing crisis. We at Vertical Architecture Enterprises want to contribute to this conversation as we work with potential partners to explore holistic, sustainable, large-scale solutions for the vacants. Let’s talk seriously about utilizing an offsite-built standardized kit-of-parts for renovating whole neighborhoods of vacants while at the same time transforming Baltimore into a global hub of offsite construction planning, design, fabrication and training. Let’s talk about the cultivation of a LOCAL, collaborative, evolving, learning ecosystem supporting offsite construction.
Why save the existing row houses?
Sustainability. The most sustainable building is the one that already exists. Even if a row home’s masonry shell is all that is left, it is worth restoring.
Healthy Walkable Communities. Baltimore’s human-scaled row home blocks - allowing residents to live in compact, walkable communities - is one of its great assets.
Architectural Qualities. Even the most modest row homes are beautifully constructed brick structures.
History. The row homes tell a story of how Baltimore grew to meet the needs of a city that was for a time the third largest city in the country.
Why offsite construction?
Economies of Scale. The offsite construction of repetitive modular components has already made a transformative impact on the commercial hotel, hospital and multi-story housing industry.
Ease of Construction. Offsite construction facilities allow for people to work in controlled indoor settings. Materials and equipment can be assembled while protected from the elements.
Sustainability. Offsite construction reduces construction waste. It reduces transportation time of materials, machines and workers to the jobsite.
Benefits Existing Neighbors. Offsite construction does not disturb a neighbor in an adjacent row home. Existing row home owners could have the option to upgrade portions of their homes with some of the offsite-made kit of parts.
Building on Existing Local Capabilities. Baltimore is already home to Blueprint Robotics. We hope to work with them to build on their capacities as well as other construction companies exploring offsite construction.
How might this take shape?
Some row homes might simply need a new coat of paint. Others might be only a masonry shell into which offsite-built floors, walls, and pods for kitchen and bath elements would be inserted. But the first step would be to foster the relationships for developing and sustaining an offsite construction ecosystem in Baltimore. Such an ecosystem could be cultivated as follows:
Engagement with existing educational institutions could lead to training in new technologies and highlight career pathways. Partnerships with technology companies could establish training programs.
Collaborations with neighborhood organizations, political leaders, city planners, transportation planners, developers (small and large) and investors would help to identify shared project goals. These might include plans for amenities and support services within walking distance to a row home renovation zone.
Assembling assessment teams (surveyors, architects, engineers) would allow for the systematic surveying of the renovation zone. A complete 3D laser scan of the existing conditions would be made for use by the design team.
Assembling design teams to develop standardized building components adhering to universal design principles would allow residents of all abilities to thrive and age in place. These standardized elements could be applied to the design of large swaths of row homes.
Fabrication would utilize Baltimore’s existing offsite construction capabilities and spur growth of additional manufacturing facilities to produce various building components and systems. Eventually their products would be loaded onto the ships in our harbor to projects globally.
Partnerships with existing construction companies would provide onsite prep work for existing structures to receive the offsite-made elements.
Existing programs focused on homeownership pathways would be supported to ensure people can move into restored row homes.
The process is the product
We have the opportunity to make the process for eradicating the vacants just as beneficial to Baltimore as the desired outcome. Vacant homes are symptomatic of economic forces eliminating jobs for people who lived in those row homes. Let’s work not simply to un-vacate the vacancies but also to develop a sustainable, impactful process for building Baltimore into an evolving, learning technology-rich city of makers.
Share your thoughts in this conversation!
Christina D. Long
christina@VERTICALae.com