Cadavre Exquis
Austin, Texas, 2025
SINGLE STAIR COMPETITION 2025
1ST PLACE WINNER PROJECT
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The Design Challenge
Innovate multifamily building designs using single-stair configurations that fit on typical parcels across the U.S.
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The proposal
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In the image of the famous surrealist game ‘cadavre exquis’, where the only rule is to follow the syntactic order to give life to an authentic work created by several hands, the proposal here is, rather than a finished project, a system as a basic syntactic rule, which allows for versatility with a number of variants equal to that imagined by the different actors involved in the project. (users, municipal organizations, investors, architects, builders, etc.). Thus, the constitution of the project on a base that relates to the ground, a body, and a finish that relates to the sky, allows the building to have its own expression in each of these strata. On the other hand, the principle of the cadavre exquis project system is that it can be repeated on different sites, adapting to their particular context and needs, and in turn creating its own identity for its users, encouraging the community to take ownership of the operation.​​​
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As urban strategies, the project proposes to enhance the bifrontal nature of this type of plot. On the street side, it proposes widening sidewalks in certain sections, where trees will be planted. These spaces enhance the quality of the relationship with the ground floors of buildings, where shops, offices, and other establishments are located, while softening the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians. On the other side, towards the alley, it is proposed to convert this service road into a natural, slow-paced corridor for walking, which encourages pedestrian traffic, exercise, and recreation for people of all ages, as well as the use of alternative transportation such as bicycles, scooters, etc. Likewise, this new corridor aims to develop as an urban axis of green and blue infrastructure that, on the one hand, connects different parts of the city through a vegetalized environment and, on the other, captures, conducts, appreciates, and permeates rainwater. Over time, the conversion of several alleys into slow axes could become an ecological and social strength at the city level, contributing to the city’s long-term development​
PROJECT INFORMATION
location: Austin, Texas, USA / year:2025 / client: Single Stairs Competition 2025 / authors: Taller Alexis Schulman + Christian Calle / collaborators: Carla Bermeo, Camila Vera / mission: competition / status: finished