Star House Columbus, Ohio
Services Provided
Site and Public Space Planning
Landscape Architecture
People Involved
Darren Meyer
Jane Jordan
Typology
Nonprofit
Community Facility
Housing
Role
Landscape Architecture / Planning
Collaborators
Star House
Project Timeline
2021 - 2022
Awards
2016 Making Your Place Award, Cincinnati Neighborhood Summit
Neighborhood life emerges at the confluence of five urban alleys.
Founded in Columbus in 2006, Star House provides a safe, supportive pathway forward for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Through a trauma-informed approach, the organization offers emergency shelter, housing assistance, counseling, workforce development, educational support, and access to critical health and social services. By addressing immediate needs while fostering long-term stability, Star House helps young people build the foundation for healthy, independent futures.
To expand its impact within the South Side community, Star House acquired a former Catholic church and elementary school campus along Reeb Avenue in Columbus' Reeb-Hosack neighborhood. The facility is being thoughtfully transformed into Star House South, a secure residential campus that provides living and sleeping accommodations, community gathering spaces, dining facilities, administrative offices, counseling areas, and quiet spaces for reflection and recovery. Designed to support residents throughout their journey, the campus creates an environment centered on safety, dignity, and belonging.
MKSK's Community Impact Studio partnered with Star House to develop a comprehensive vision for the site's exterior environment. Working alongside project stakeholders, the team provided site planning, circulation and parking design, and the development of outdoor spaces that support the daily needs of residents and staff. The landscape design establishes a clear and welcoming arrival sequence, improves pedestrian accessibility and visibility from the street, and creates a secure outdoor courtyard that serves as an extension of the facility's interior support spaces.
The project demonstrates how thoughtful site design can contribute to healing-centered environments and strengthen neighborhood connections. By creating a safe, welcoming, and attractive setting within an established residential community, Star House South will support residents as they work toward stability, independence, and successful reintegration into society.
Conceptual site plan illustrating a new outdoor sanctuary and gathering spaces throughout.
Aerial view of the proposed courtyard demonstrating how landscape interventions transform an underutilized service area into a secure and welcoming outdoor environment. A sculptural privacy wall and layered planting also helps establish a sense of safety, enclosure, and identity for the new facility.
