ADU Guide Book & Zoning
Client: City of Boston Planning DepartmentPlanning: Outwith Studio
Graphic Design: Other Tomorrows
Code Consulting: SLS
During an intense 10 month sprint in 2024, we developed the ADU Guidebook for the City of Boston’s Planning Department. We were contracted under Outwith Studio for a larger project involving zoning analysis and zoning recommendations in conjunction with a vision book which could serve as a guide for how to develop ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units, on typical Bostonian 1 - 3-unit residential parcels. We participated in some initial existing conditions analysis, but were primarily tasked with the development of content for the book itself. The guidebook shows homeowners a variety of ADU types and how they may be added to a typical home and also acts as a communication tool to show Boston residents how the addition of new units may look in existing neighborhoods.
Neighbor designed twelve typical ADUs and produced a variety of diagrams and tables for the book. We developed an approachable, but precise, mode of communicating the varied constraints and drivers to consider for ADU production, prioritizing graphics that would be approachable and easy to understand for a broad audience. The designs were developed in relation to existing typical home and parcel types that the team had documented throughout the city. All designs were developed to be compliant with current building and fire codes, to factor in cost and constructability, and to meet state and citywide energy goals.
Learn more on the City of Boston’s ADU website.