Press Release
The Intergenerational Commons Residential by Yi Lu Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Yi Lu honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that The Intergenerational Commons Residential by Yi Lu has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About The Intergenerational Commons Residential
This residential renovation project redefines Stuyvesant Town as a contemporary model for intergenerational housing. Through adaptive reuse, the aging superblock becomes a layered residential ecosystem. A revitalized podium integrates senior learning and daily exchange, while rooftop kindergartens reconnect generations in close proximity. Terraces and gardens soften rigid edges, transforming density into social infrastructure and establishing a resilient paradigm for future urban living.
About Yi Lu
I am Yi (Rachel) Lu, a licensed architect, building scientist, and creative practitioner working at the intersection of architecture, artificial intelligence, and environmental performance. My work focuses on reducing carbon emissions and improving building sustainability by turning complex data into actionable design strategies. I have contributed to AI-driven research, collaborated with international firms, and had my work featured in platforms such as ArchDaily and The Young Archs. What makes me unique is my ability to bridge technical rigor and creative exploration, using both research and speculative 3D visualization to envision more resilient, human-centered built environments.
Award Record
Yi Lu is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182604
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182604
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182604
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/380842
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.rachelyilu.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Intergenerational Commons Residential
- Function
- Residential
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Saddle Brown, Dark Slate Gray, Sienna, Burly Wood and Dark Salmon
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yi Lu
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182604
Credits
- Image Credits
- Architectural Rendering Yi Lu, Memento: The Intergenerational Commons, 2022.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Memento (the Intergenerational Commons) redefines Stuyvesant Town as a contemporary model for intergenerational housing. Through adaptive reuse, the aging superblock becomes a layered residential ecosystem. A revitalized podium integrates senior learning and daily exchange, while rooftop kindergartens reconnect generations in close proximity. Terraces and gardens soften rigid edges, transforming density into social infrastructure and establishing a resilient paradigm for future urban living.
- Inspiration
- The project was inspired by the growing social fragmentation within high-density housing and the increasing generational separation in contemporary cities. Research on social isolation, aging populations, and child development informed the proposal. The design explores adaptive reuse as a strategy to transform postwar housing into a resilient, layered residential ecosystem that integrates care, learning, and daily life within close spatial proximity.
- Research
- Type of Research: Applied design research. Research Objectives: Develop a scalable model for renewing aging residential buildings through limited yet high-impact spatial conversion. Methodology: Adaptive reuse, program layering, and vertical/horizontal commons integration. Data/Tools: Demographic aging data, precedent analysis, BIM coordination, daylight, and circulation simulations. Participants: Multi-generational residential case studies. Results: Increased shared access and daily proximity. Insights/Impacts: Strengthens intergenerational support networks and offers a replicable pathway for affordable urban housing renewal.
- Challenge
- The key challenge was transforming an aging residential structure without undermining its primary housing function. Structural constraints, code compliance, budget limits, and resident continuity required precision. The design had to introduce meaningful public space through minimal intervention—balancing density, safety, affordability, and social impact within an existing steel-and-brick framework.
- Realization and Technology
- The project preserves the majority of the building as housing while surgically converting select zones into shared social infrastructure. Using a low-disruption retrofit strategy—steel reinforcement, reversible insertions, bolt-on terraces, and prefabricated community modules—the design creates continuous vertical and horizontal commons within the existing brick shell. A standardized kit-of-parts system ensures cost control, phased construction, and replicability for aging urban housing stock.
- Operation and Interaction
- Residents continue everyday living in their homes, while new commons support shared routines. A horizontal community spine activates ground-level life; a vertical network of stairs, lifts, and terraces connects floors into one continuous social landscape. Seniors and children occupy overlapping yet flexible zones, enabling natural encounters and informal care. Interaction remains optional, preserving privacy while strengthening mutual support.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project concept was initiated in September 2020 and concluded in January 2022 in New York City, United States. The design proposes a phased, low-cost renewal strategy that maintains residential occupancy while selectively converting underused areas into shared community infrastructure.
- Specifications
- Primary structure: steel frame with brick infill façade; residential use retained for approx. 75–85% of floor area. Public conversion zones: ground-level 1,200 m² community hub + stacked shared terraces (3,600 mm depth). Modular additions: 3,600 mm bays; lightweight steel framing; reversible connections; green roof system 300 mm.
- Keywords
- Affordable housing retrofit, residential transformation, adaptive reuse, vertical commons, community spine, aging-friendly housing, intergenerational support, low-disruption renovation, scalable urban model
