Date of Submission
Spring 5-7-2021
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Professor William Carpenter
Abstract
This thesis is an attempt to question the way in which we understand and create housing. Currently, there is a growing issue with lack of space within our major and developing cities, creating an increase of demand for higher density buildings, which is especially true for housing. Apartments are typically the answer for higher density, smaller square footage needs, leaving large amounts of uniformly small and repetitive housing units, slowly forcing people to abandon their individuality. The question is, are there no available options for creating more expressive and freeing units for people to be able to live in?
It is possible to give the freedom of expression that people would want while still providing smaller square footage through modularity. The ability to pick and choose which programs and designs would benefit the wants of the owner, replacing each aspect at will. Pushing these ideas forward, what would these housing blocks look like? Through a deeper understanding of what happens within apartment blocks, one could see that each unit could be understood as a separate entity, each placed on top of a shelving unit, each connected to utility outlets. With the separation of each unit possible, the need for typical foundations are gone, giving each unit a freedom of placement at any possible location. This then informs the possibility to allow these units to travel along our roadways, expanding in size as needed. This does not mean that each apartment block should be reduced to ground level however. Each unit could come together to create communal spaces that can interact with their neighbors. This gives the opportunity to be able to create community hubs where the owners of these projects could each place their homes, as well as create a point of interest for outside people, hopefully attracting more adopters.
These methods put together could create a unique project where communities are created around the shared interest in these freeing designs. These designs could range from residential to retail depending on the owner, adapting to the environments and neighboring units that these spaces shall be placed. This could be made possible through the systems designed within this project, such as railing systems and utility plugins.