Cincinnati's BuildReady Competition Draws 92 Middle Housing Designs

Cincinnati officials are evaluating 92 submissions from 29 cities for its BuildReady design competition, which aims to create a catalog of pre-approved middle housing plans. The open call closed last week, and a professional jury and community panel are reviewing anonymized boards, with online voting open for a People's Choice award until September 2. Six winners will be selected across two-, three-, and four-family typologies, judged on affordability, creativity, local context, scalability, sustainability, and accessibility. The initiative, funded by a $2 million HUD grant, seeks to provide six pre-approved plans that developers can use without custom drawings. Notable entries include 'Housing Commons' with a mass-timber frame and translucent polycarbonate, 'Missing Middle Commons' with a straw-bale envelope and rooftop greenhouse, and 'WestLake' with Queen Anne-style detailing. Three-family designs like 'Trillium' and 'Triplex Flex' emphasize multigenerational living, while four-family projects such as 'Queen City Chameleon' and 'Bricks & Beauty' disguise density behind single-family silhouettes. Winners will be announced September 14 at Memorial Hall, with Mayor Aftab Pureval speaking. The winning designs will inform an RFP this fall, leading to construction documents and two demonstration projects planned for 2027. Similar programs exist in Los Angeles, New York City, and Boise, Idaho.