Previous Designed to reflect neighborhood aesthetics rather than impose factory uniformity, the model allows for multiple configurations around the core, adapting to household types that now outnumber the traditional nuclear family. As zoning reform accelerates across the U.S., the team’s approach offers a realistic path to attainable housing that communities can actually welcome, and policymakers can quickly green-light.
#HousingInnovation #AffordableHousing #Harvard #HackAHouse”>
A 24-hour hackathon shouldn’t produce a nationally scalable, affordable housing model, but this year’s Hack-A-House with Ivory Innovations did. Allison LaForgia speaks with Harvard’s One Block Away team about the solution that came together so quickly, it felt “too good to be true,” and why its elegance lies in policy alignment, not wishful thinking. Their solution consolidates unit construction, enabling fast approvals and hybrid on-site/off-site construction that reduces costs without cutting out local trade.
Designed to reflect neighborhood aesthetics rather than impose factory uniformity, the model allows for multiple configurations around the core, adapting to household types that now outnumber the traditional nuclear family. As zoning reform accelerates across the U.S., the team’s approach offers a realistic path to attainable housing that communities can actually welcome, and policymakers can quickly green-light.
The team:
Marko Velazquez
MRE ‘26 Developer Harvard GSD
Pranav Subramanian
MDes‘27 Architect Harvard GSD
Justin Joel Tan
MRE ‘26 Architect Harvard GSD
Noah Garcia
MRE ‘26 Architect / Data Scientist Harvard GSD
Tejas Sampath
MRE ‘26 Consultant Harvard GSD
The One Block Away team is the 2025 Grand Prize Winner of the Ivory Innovations 2025 Hack-A-House competition.
