September 11, 2026
Housing shapes more than the way people live. It can strengthen neighborhoods, support a range of needs, and make room for communities to grow without losing the qualities that make them feel like home.
The 2026 HOUSING ETN Design Competition, organized by AIA East Tennessee, invited architects, students, and members of the design community to explore thoughtful, adaptable approaches to small-scale multifamily housing. The resulting designs will become part of a published catalog illustrating how duplexes, townhouses, and other middle housing types can add density, variety, and connection within established neighborhoods.
Johnson Architecture submitted two concepts, each offering a different response to that challenge.
A Modern Interpretation of the American Townhouse
Designed by JD Schumacher, this submission reimagines the traditional townhouse as a flexible system of compact urban housing. Two related unit types can be combined in different arrangements to accommodate varied sites and resident needs, with options ranging from efficient living space to exterior porches and two-car garages.
A unified brick façade and varied rhythm of entries and porches allow the individual homes to feel distinct while reading as a cohesive part of the neighborhood.
A Stacked Duplex Designed to Belong
Designed by Emily Haire, Simone Hashmi, and Gabrielle Howard, this submission explores how a stacked duplex can add housing within the familiar scale of a single-family neighborhood.
Each residence provides single-level living with two to three bedrooms, while traditional residential forms, porches, landscaping, and outdoor space help the building feel comfortably connected to its surroundings.
Together, the two submissions illustrate the breadth of possibility within middle housing. One uses a flexible townhouse system to strengthen the rhythm of an urban block, while the other places two homes within the familiar form and scale of a detached residence. Both explore how good design can create more housing choices while contributing positively to the streets and neighborhoods around them.
All competition entries will be compiled for inclusion in AIA East Tennessee’s forthcoming Middle Housing Catalog. Finalists will be recognized at the 2026 AIA East Tennessee Design Awards Gala on October 1, where their submissions will be displayed for review and voting for a People’s Choice Award.
