Viacello Columbia

Two rows of homes face a shared courtyard, tied together by a common house and a shop.

A 1.33-acre wedge where two streets meet. One row of homes lines the residential street, the other the back of the site, and both face in on the courtyard. The common house sits on Park Street; the shop is in the back corner. Tap a number to see that spot.

Explore the interactive 3D model

Illustrated bird's-eye view of Viacello: two rows of colorful two-story duplexes facing a courtyard with a big live oak, the green common house on the street corner, and the shop in the far corner

What it's like to live at Viacello

The empty gym in early light, the barn doors open to the lawn: rack, rowers, mats and a mirror — 6:15 am
The gym is across the lawn
Behind the shop's barn doors: a rack, weights, rowers and mats, a minute's walk from home.

Early morning from a back-row porch: a coffee mug on the rail, the lawn and the colorful porches across it — 7:00 am
Coffee on the porch
Every home has a deep covered porch facing the courtyard.

The bike room: bikes of every size hung on the walls, a repair stand, the door open to the drive — 8:00 am
Bikes live in the shop
A dedicated bike room holds everyone's bikes, helmets and a repair stand, so no porch has to be a bike rack.

A man working at a desk in a small office under a window — 9:30 am
A private office on site
Three small offices upstairs in the common house are rentable for remote workers.

Two girls running up the courtyard past the shop and the porches — 5:15 pm
After school, the courtyard fills up
Kids and adults alike have a green space to relax in and a garden to tend to.

At the common house kitchen sink, looking out the window to the courtyard and the live oak — 5:30 pm
The sink looks out on the common space
It's easy to keep an eye on the kids while working in the kitchen, and it's easy to see who is around, too.

Neighbors sitting down to dinner at the long table under the double-height space — 6:45 pm
Weekly dinner, together
The common house has room for everyone to eat a quick dinner together, once or twice per week.

A father and daughter playing ping-pong in the shop — 7:30 pm
Ping-pong after dinner
The shop has a ping-pong room with a shared workbench for small fixes.

Neighbors at dinner on the deck under the pergola and string lights — 7:45 pm
On the deck
The deck looks straight across the courtyard to everyone's porch.

Blue hour from the deck: porch lights on around the courtyard, the live oak softly lit — 8:40 pm
Porch lights on
You can stay out on the lawn, or go inside and close your door.

Homes are privately owned

Your house, your kitchen, your front door. Each duplex holds two homes that share a wall, each with its own entrance, porch and kitchen, from about 700 to 1,800 sq ft.

Inside a larger home: a sunny living room looking past the dining table to the kitchen — Everything you're used to
From 700–1,800 sq ft, these homes are fully equipped with kitchen, laundry, living room, and a private door.

A two-story duplex with a deep covered porch facing the courtyard — Your own porch
A deep covered porch on the courtyard; the street-row homes also have a front door on the street.

The homes along the residential street, each with its own front door, stoop and walk — Normal financing
Each lot is purchased as an individual home, and can be re-sold when the time comes, just like any other house.

Creating space – and a little structure – for community

A 2,800 sq ft common house, a shop with a gym and bike room, and a central green provide the foundation for a safe space for kids to play and adults to relax.

Neighbors sitting down to dinner at the long table in the common house — Dinner once or twice a week
Cook about once a month; eat whenever you like.

Neighbors gathered in a circle in the common house for the monthly meeting — One meeting a month
Decisions about shared things are made together. A little communication goes a long way.

Neighbors tending the raised garden beds by the shop on a Saturday morning — Shared upkeep
The courtyard, common house and shop are kept up by everyone, with work days.

The whole city, beyond the gate

Viacello sits in Elmwood Park, just north of downtown and a short bike ride to the entire city.

Rendering of a slender walking and biking bridge over the Broad River shoals at golden hour — A bridge from Elmwood Park to the river
A walking and biking bridge is planned from Elmwood Park across the river. It opens a car-free route to the greenway, the zoo and the rest of the city.

A Columbia Fireflies game at Segra Park, with the scoreboard over the outfield — Bull Street District
Gather COLA, the open-air food hall, plus Fireflies games at Segra Park and green space.

The fountain at Finlay Park with the downtown Columbia skyline — Finlay Park
Downtown's big park, with lawns, a playground and the fountain.

Saturday crowds at Soda City Market on Main Street, with the State House dome at the end of the street — Soda City Market
Saturday mornings on Main Street: farmers, food stalls and makers, straight down Main.

An Amur tiger at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden — Riverbanks Zoo
Over the new bridge and down the greenway to the zoo and its botanical garden.

Hey friend,

Most of us spent our early years surrounded by community—at college, someone was always around—only to spend the rest of our lives separated by fence lines, sharing nothing more than a sidewalk. In my essay "Tiny Neighborhoods," I explored how chronic social isolation has quietly become one of our biggest public health crises, and how we can bring back the role of "neighbor" without giving up private homeownership.

Viacello is that idea brought to life.

Designed as 16 privately owned homes around a central common green, Viacello shifts cars to the perimeter to create a quiet, safe core. Inward-facing porches and kitchens make it easy to catch up with a neighbor or keep an eye on playing kids. The shared spaces—a common house, coworking offices, a gym, and a bike room—give you room to gather, work, and stay active without needing a massive footprint of your own.

If this kind of living sounds interesting to you, I'd love to talk.

Stephen Bateman

Stephen Bateman · Columbia, SC

Two rows of homes face a shared courtyard, tied together by a common house and a shop.

The courtyard

What it's like to live at Viacello

The gym is across the lawn

Coffee on the porch

Bikes live in the shop

A private office on site

After school, the courtyard fills up

The sink looks out on the common space

Weekly dinner, together

Ping-pong after dinner

On the deck

Porch lights on

Homes are privately owned

Everything you're used to

Your own porch

Normal financing

Creating space – and a little structure – for community

Dinner once or twice a week

One meeting a month

Shared upkeep

The whole city, beyond the gate

A bridge from Elmwood Park to the river

Bull Street District

Finlay Park

Soda City Market

Riverbanks Zoo