Circuit on the Creek
Chelsea’s Microgrid System
Social housing organized around solar chimneys and a shared microgrid, linking everyday domestic life with a neighborhood strategy for climate resilience.
Context
Chelsea’s post-industrial setting and exposure to climate stress place energy access and community care at the center of this housing proposal. The project asks how shared infrastructure can serve residents in everyday life and support the wider neighborhood during disruption.
Approach
Housing clusters gather around a vertical solar chimney that organizes circulation and a proposed passive ventilation system. Roof photovoltaics connect to a shared battery, bringing energy production and storage into the architectural organization of each cluster.
Aggregation and memory
Compact housing clusters gather around the vertical energy spine. Their repeated bays recall the columnar rhythm of Captain’s Row, the nineteenth-century houses that once lined Marginal Street, using a lost urban pattern as an organizing logic for new collective life.
Seasonal and emergency modes
The environmental strategy proposes stack ventilation in summer and solar heat capture in winter. During blackouts or severe weather, shared storage is intended to support essential services, while ground-floor amenities can accommodate shelter, food preparation, and neighborhood relief.