Hem House
A single-family house that deployed design strategies to reduce construction cost while elevating spaces for living and coming together.
Hem House is a 1,300-sf single-family home in East Garfield Park designed by Future Firm as a contemporary, compact, and replicable model for Chicago’s narrow residential lots. The home reimagines the typical 25 x 125-foot parcel by shifting the building to one side, creating a 16-foot-wide footprint and a generous 6-foot side yard that brings natural light deep into the interiors while maintaining privacy.
The two-story structure is defined by two stacked, black metal-clad volumes and a single-sloped roof built from prefabricated trusses—an approach that reduces cost and simplifies construction. A central side entrance opens into a combined mudroom and laundry, anchoring a floor plan that places bedrooms at the front and living spaces toward the rear. Large casement and picture windows line the long façade, and sliding glass doors connect the living room to a rear patio and garden, blurring indoor and outdoor space. A mezzanine above adds a third bedroom and bath overlooking the double-height living area. Durable, minimal materials—like polished concrete floors and gypsum board walls—enhance light and longevity.
Hem House was developed by Hem Development, a joint venture between Future Firm’s Craig Reschke and Joseph Root, with the goal of providing well-designed housing options at attainable price points using vacant lots acquired through the Cook County Land Bank Authority.
Hem House offers an easily replicable model for a spacious, two-bedroom home that fits seamlessly on the majority of Chicago’s many vacant residential lots.
News & Recognition
Dwell
“Here’s How We Fix the Hole in the Middle of the Housing Market”
Fast Company
“The middle class is being crushed by the housing crisis—and a solution is hiding in plain sight”
Wallpaper*
“Hem House proposes new Chicago housing solution”
Info
Location: Garfield Park, Chicago
Client: Hem Development
Progress/Year: Completed, 2021
Team
Builder: CoHab Construction
Photography: Daniel Kelleghan Photography
312-598-1567
info@future-firm.org
226 S. Wabash Ave. Ste 500
Chicago, IL 60604
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