Thesis Compilation Compressed

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Caroline Corriveau, M. Arch, 2014-2015An Architectural Thesis Proposal

INTENTIONALLIVING

Rethinking Communities & Connections

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Intentional Living: Rethinking Communities & Connections

Of course my dearest gratitude will always extend to those closest to me who have encouraged, pushed, and even shoved me in the direction of my most cherished dreams. They are the ones who have checked in on a weekly basis, for the past eight years, to ensure that I am still trucking along.

To the strong and supportive faculty at Wentworth who have consistently challenged my design strength, creativity, and innovation. An enormous thanks to my patient thesis advisors, Anne-Catrin Schultz, Elizabeth Ghiseline, and Krists Karklins.

Honorable mention must go to the pioneers of the Small House Movement: Lloyd Khan, Sarah Susanka, Jay Shafer, and Dee Williams. The words and actions of Tammy Strobel, Ryan Mitchell, and Andrew Heben, of the movement, have also in-spired me to push further into this thesis and begin to make it a reality. These are the people who have inadvertently encouraged thousands of people to live within their means and tolive intentionally.

SPECIAL THANKS

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Richie Norton, Author“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices

before others’ choices make us.”

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Current-day suburbia, with its mass-produced houses that have little to distin-guish uniqueness, does little to encourage interaction between neighbors, family, and friends. We are disconnected from the land, of which we could not live without. We are separated from the livelihood that surrounds us as suburbia suggests we retreat to our own homes with our children in their own rooms. This track that we Americans are on is not necessarily beneficial to our social development. With community members who do not contribute to the prosperity of the town or village to which they belong, progress in community development cannot continue as businesses and institutions ensue de-velopment on the outskirts of towns. With a new master community plan - one that in-corporates small and customized homes, personal connections, efficient land use, and a close proximity to places of work, play, and commerce - we can collectively achieve a higher quality of life, health, prosperity, and therefore happiness. This thesis exploration proposes an alternative solution to suburban communities on the periphery of the city.

THESIS ABSTRACT

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multi- [muhl-tee]- a space, tool, piece of furniture, or utensil func-tional [fuhngk-shuh-nl] that can be used in several different ways to achieve several different results

customize [kuhs-tuh-mahyz] designing something so that it suits very specific needs of the owner of user

dwelling [dwel-ing] a structure used to live in; a poetic space that is used as a home

intentional [in-ten-shuh-nl] the deliberate method of enjoying one’s life by living [liv-ing] making important lifestyle choices

suburbia [suh-bur-bee-uh] the concentrated ring around cities that is less dense and consists of mostly housing units

peri-urban [peer-ee]-[ur-buh n] a social condition that develops when urban growth disperses and creates patches of rural and uban conditions

community [kuh-myoo-ni-tee] a social group of people who usually have commonalities such as government, history, culture, and especially geographic location

periphery [puh-rif-uh-ree] the boundary, edge, or outskirts of a city or other urban condition

KEY WORDS

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TABLE OFCONTENTS

Thesis Abstract 7.Key Words 9.Table of Contents 11.

PART ONE - OVERVIEW 13. Thesis Statement & Project Description 14. Solving Problems & Project Goals 16. Design Program 18. Public Survey 20. Criteria of Evaluation 26. PART TWO - LITERATURE & PRECEDENT RESEARCH 29. Significant Topics of Research 31. Precedent Studies 39.

PART THREE - DESIGN RESEARCH 51. Thesis Probe 52. Site Analysis 55. Community Instructions 73. Prospective Residents’ Profiles 81. Community Proposal 89. Conclusions & Discoveries 118.

Appendices 121. Timeline 121. Cited Sources 122.

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Anton ClarenceNelessen, Author

“Anyone who wants to plan and build a community must be able to visualize two- and three- dimensional space and the four- dimensional impact on the user. One must under-

stand these relationships at the smallest scale first, in order to apply them to a larger scale.”

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PART ONE OVERVIEW

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This community proposal explores the collection of small, intimate residences that utilize their appropriated land productively, and celebrate the connections between each house, their occupants, and their shared communal spaces. This type of cohousing com-munity retains ideals of the original American Dream in encouraging home ownership pride by requiring the residents to design, plan, and build their own homes. By keeping building footprints minimal and customized, residents will not only keep their own maintenance costs low, but also contribute to an environment-preserving society.

THESIS STATEMENT & PROJECT DESCRIPTION

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Americans have begun to realize that there are alternative methods of achieving a higher quality of life. We have an option to minimize our belongings, simplify our lives, and spend more time focusing on our personal health and interests, as well as relationships with family and friends. A huge contributor to this alternate way of living is to return to a community layout prior to the American sprawl that developed between the 1930s and 1970s.

“People fundamentally want places which are humane and livable—a good place to live, grow up, and die. They know that something is missing in their munici-palities, their subdivisions, their office parks, and their commercial strip zones. Many people want a shared sense of stewardship of the land and water, as well has having a sense of community.” –Anton Clarence Nelessen

With a new master community plan - one that incorporates small and customized homes, personal connections, efficient land use, and a close proximity to places of work, play, and commerce - we can collectively achieve a higher quality of life, health, prosperity, and therefore happiness. This thesis exploration proposes an alternative solution to suburban communities on the periphery of the city.

Current-day suburbia, with its mass-produced houses that have little to distinguish uniqueness, does little to encourage interaction be-tween neighbors, family, and friends. We are disconnected from the land, of which we could not live without. We are separated from the livelihood that surrounds us as suburbia suggests we retreat to our own homes with our children in their own rooms. This track that we Americans are on is not necessarily beneficial to our social development. With community members who do not contribute to the prosperity of the town or village to which they belong, progress in community development cannot continue as businesses and institutions ensue development on the outskirts of towns.

“Sprawl is a pattern of physical development characterized by the decentralization of land uses… Sprawl is the physi-cal/financial image of the American Dream as envisioned in the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Sprawl requires the use of a private vehicle to move from one single-use zone to anoth-er… The sprawl pattern discourages a sense of community. It encourages land speculation. It requires high infrastruc-ture investments. It requires high-energy consumption and is a major source of air and water pollution. Sprawl is the ultimate pattern of secular consumerism.” – Anton Clarence Nelessen

In order to prove our successes to our fellow travelers and wage earners, many of us tend to purchase the biggest and best material products such as high-quality electronics, motor vehicles, and mansions. We aspire to use these material items to display our achievements to the world and this tends to end unfavorably with high debt, longer work hours in order to pay off bills and credit cards, and less time to enjoy. Luckily, however, that view has begun to change.

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SOLVING PROBLEMS& PROJECT GOALS SOLVING PROBLEMS

1. Monotony - lack of individuality, creativity, and uniqueness in today’s housing

2. Low quality of construction when the owner is not involved (energy performance is at risk)

3. Lack of pride in home ownership (usually occurs when owner is not involved)

4. High and/or constant amount of debt the average American holds (people living above their means)

5. Lack of strong social connections within communities (less and less walkable com-munities, higher traffic)

6. Society’s threat of some sort of loss when you deviate from the housing standards (what is socially acceptable)

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PROJECT GOALS

1. To give American homeowners an alternate housing option that is affordable and can help reduce the current reliance on banks, thus helping consumers save money. This will make home ownership more possible (and common) without the fear of high debt and threats of foreclosure.

2. To encourage individuals and families to be proactive about their living situations and to take pride in owning their own home. The proposal is meant to get people involved in the process of designing, in some cases build-ing, and maintaining their homes. 4. To strengthen social connections and relationships within the resi-dential community that could then reach out to the larger community.

5. To encourage the use of quality and recycled materials as well as sustainable features to bring to life unique and creative housing designs.

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DESIGN PROGRAM HOMES

The community proposal consists of homes and community spaces. In order to devel-op a specific and thorough prototype, there are six different types of homes designed in order to suit the needs of various residents:

A Single OccupantTwo Occupants (a young couple)Two Occupants + New Baby (addition to the home)Two Occupants (a retired couple)A Small Family of Three (i.e. one child or relative)A Larger Family of Four (i.e. two children or other occupants)

For the purposes of this thesis project, each unit is customized to the specific users’ needs and lifestyles, and do not exceed 800 square feet. Profiles of these habitants were fab-ricated in order to demonstrate the benefits that are to be gained by tailoring the layouts and materials to the users’ tastes.

The consistent features of each housing unit include: kitchen, bathroom, and bed-room. However, not every unit needs an office, dining room, or even a living room. The bed-rooms may or may not be privatized, depending on the specific user. The sizes, number, and types of appliances throughout the home also vary from type to type, based on the number and nature of the occupants.

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COMMUNITY SPACES

One community building will be built by the community for practical and recreational uses. There will be storage spaces for items that will not fit in the individual housing units, such as: tools, bicycles, hiking and camping gear, lawn-mowers, shovels, and rakes. It will also be used for farmers’ markets and other community gatherings. Inside you will find a kitchen and dining area, exercise room, kids’ play area, laundry, and a place for residents to collect their daily mail. It is simple yet maintained by the community, and not by a separate owner.

Other community spaces include gardens, a playground, community recreation courts that double as a parking area at night, and most of the grounds on the site. The site remains open and fluid so that the residents can freely move throughout the site and to the community spaces. It is inviting to anyone coming to visit the community and looking for more information on the way they live.

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PUBLIC SURVEY

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PUBLIC SURVEY ANALYSIS

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CRITERIA OF EVALUATION

The successes of this project can be evaluated using a few different measures. One of the most important aspects of this proposal is evaluating whether or not it is presented in such a way that attracts people of various backgrounds and lifestyles. Without this appealing presentation, it would be difficult to assess whether or not individuals and families would intentionally own a primary residence in such a community. The development project could potentially fall flat if we were unable to find potential buyers.

The unique process that will be used to develop this community proposal will also be used to determine whether or not the community master plan will be successful. The interviews and discussions conducted during the project’s creative process will outline a set of criteria and needs of the people who will theoretically be residing in the new community. This will allow for specific objectives to be met. Objectives such as spatial needs, desired materials, and preferences regarding the layout of the dwellings. In order to evaluate this criteria, I must first understand how to incorporate the needs of the occupants and then I can reflect on the finished project and ask myself:

1 - Does what I achieved increase the quality of life for the community’s inhabi-tants?

2 - Are they able to live intentionally and focus on their health and on their personal relationships?

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A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT WILL ILLUSTRATE THE FOLLOWINGSET OF VALUES:

1 - Connection between occupants encouraged through language of architecture

2 - Sustainable features through integrated systems and use of the land

3 - Sense of a truly connected, social community

4 - Self-sufficient features such as community gardens and farmers’ markets

5 - Close proximity to places of work, play, education, and commerce

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SUBURBAN residential design that is

liberating

multi-functional

INTENTIONAL political

INTERACTIVE

relevant

tailor-made

location-based

Innovative

SpecializedCOMMUNITY-BASED

Unique

anti-materialVISIONARY

Anti-Capitalist

Sustainable

endearing

CLEVER

CUSTOM

Specific

CONNECTING

Relationships

efficient

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PART TWO LITERATURE & PRECEDENT RESEARCH

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Jane Jacobs, Author“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city;

people make it, and it is to them, not buildings that we must fit our plans.”

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SIGNIFICANT TOPICSOF RESEARCH

1. The Tiny House Movement in the United States

2. The American Dream and Suburbia

3. Martin Heidegger’s Building, Dwelling, Thinking

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The Tiny House Movement has been growing since the turn of the century. Key characters such as Dee Williams, pictured above, chose to simplify their lives and researched and tested to see just how small they could live comfortably and happily. People nationwide still have the desire to own their own dwelling and still remain debt-free. By building a tiny house they are able to pay off their debts quickly due to low utility bills and maintenance costs, and no rent or mortgage to consistently pay each month.

Many tiny house owners strive to design and build their own house, which brings a sense of pride. Jay Shafer began to play another leading role in the movement when he popularized the tiny houses on wheels with his companies Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, and later Four Lights Tiny House Company. One might argue that the attraction of do-it-yourself home owners and builders would eliminate the need for architects. Yet if there was a derivative of the tiny house movement, it would be small houses on foundations that incorporated energy efficient elements and worked collaboratively with other units to form a community. This is where master planners and architects would come in to design a well-oiled community machine.

Dee Williams | A Key Figure of the Tiny House MovementThe Tiny House Movementin the United States

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Small homes became a viable housing option during the 2007-2010 financial crisis in America. Building codes, however, require minimum square footages that exceed those of tiny homes, and so many tend to “park” their homes on land owned by family members and friends. Community members are often concerned that the value of their property will decrease if tiny homes become the norm in their com-munity. Although evidence proves that tiny comes can contribute to increased prop-erty values due to density, some continue to oppose this fact because of the increase in property taxes.

Just as any new product or radical idea, there will be encounters with skeptical people. A solution to this is to embrace the overall lifestyle of those who live in tiny homes and create entire communities consisting of only this type of dwelling. To diversify the neighbor-hood and to continue to achieve a high quality of life, each unit would be customized to the specific inhabi-tant.

Samples | Two Possible Layouts of Tiny House Interiors

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The American Dream& Suburbia

The notion of the American Dream began with the Declaration of Independence and the foundation that “all men are created equal.” It laid down a set of standards for Americans to have the access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This mean that all citizens of this national would have the chance to be successful, grow prosper-ous, and move up the social ladder - all things achieved through hard work.

Now, in the twenty-first century, the American Dream has grown to include home ownership and social and financial ladders. There are now competitions between neighbors at the workplace, within a group of friends and families, and in the home-town. This competitive nature has caused bigger companies and businesses to sprout up outside of residential neighborhoods, forcing a wide sprawl of municipalities.

Suburbia began developing on the outskirts of city as a place to reside that would still be convenient for commuting into the city by train or motor vehicle. It quickly became quite monotonous and those who chose to live in suburban neighborhoods have lived a life based on commuting to and from work, stores, healthcare facilities, and educational facilities.

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“The vision of the American Dream that dom-inated from the 1930s to the 1970s faded in an attempt to accommodate sprawl, and the posi-tive quality of the traditional small community deteriorated. No one realized then that the same amount of new construction could have been formed into one more more new hamlets, vil-lages, or traditionally designed neighborhoods” (Nelessen xi).

“Considerable amounts of time are required to use the current pattern of sprawl. Time is at a premium. Time spent with children, the family, with neighbors, and with community is limited. Sometimes parents have little time for themselves. Of-ten both parents, in the shrinking number of nuclear families, must work long hours to make all of the payments to maintain the programmed consumer status; some even hold two jobs to support their large house and two cars. Imagine the new sprawled developments with 3 people living in 3,500 square feet, an attached two- or three-car garage, and several rooms with no furniture. You bought it so your friends and as-sociates will think “you’ve made it.” Have you? Congratulations, you’re now a major contributor to sprawl, the ultimate consumer. “But,” you say, “there are no alternatives that I can afford half way between where we work. Who suffers most in this? I think it is the children first and the community next” (Nelessen xiii).

Tract Housing | Colorado Springs, CO

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Martin Heidegger’sBuilding, Dwelling, Thinking

Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher who would often express his belief that there was much more behind the true nature of things that we experience in life than we had ever believed. His writings on poetic dwelling relate well to the underlying problem that I am striving to solve in this thesis process. Suburbia has taken away creativity, connections, and the poetry of dwelling peacefully. Martin Heidegger argues that the general public believes building and dwell-ing to be two completely different events, when in reality they are one. This describes the ideal notion that architects and planners can encourage poetic dwelling with deeper connections of the inhabitants to their homes by means of more thoughtful planning.

Instead of mass developing houses, building them quickly and cheaply, and selling them separately once the neighborhood has been made “overnight,” individually creating homes with thought, care, and attachment can make a great different in the way we live. This allows for more enjoyment of the home and a satisfaction in spending time there.

“The way in which you are and I am, the manner in which we humans are on earth, is buan, dwelling” (Heidegger 96).

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“We attain to dwelling, so it seems, only by means of building. The latter, building, has the former, dwelling, as its goal. Still, not every building is a dwell-ing. Bridges and hangars, stadiums and power stations are buildings but not dwellings; railway stations and highways, dams and market halls are built, but they are not dwelling places. Even so, these buildings are in the domain of our dwelling. That domain extends over these buildings and yet is not limited to the dwelling place... we take dwelling and building as two separate activities, an idea that has something correct in it. Yet at the same time by the means-end schema we block our view of the essential relations. For building is not merely a means and a way toward dwelling - to build is in itself already to dwell” (Heidegger 95).

Theory Studies Class | Fall 2013 | 3D Art on Canvas

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PRECEDENT STUDIES

1. Boneyard Studies

2. Caravan, Tiny House Hotel

3. Dignity Village

4. Macy Miller

5. Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm

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Boneyard Studios is a unique community of tiny houses that was developed in Washington, D.C. by separate owners. It is a small community of artists that showcase a condition of urban infill. There is only one member who resides in the community full-time; however, these individuals all come here to work and play and explore their interests. Some play instruments and others are visual artists. Included in the community package are four tiny houses, one shipping contain-er for shared storage space, a fire pit, a patio, and a community garden. While designing these homes for their own residence and living elsewhere in apartments, the owners would conduct monthly tests to see if they could live without certain amenities or luxu-ries to which they had previously become accustomed. For example, one of the owners knew she liked to entertain, and so she designed her kitchen to be large and spacious and open to the living room, which she had to make a sacrifice on square footage.

Although sacrifices need to be made in order to live simply, there are many benefits to this lifestyle, according to the inhabitants at Boneyard Studios. The gentle-man who lives in his tiny house on the lot full-time has been able to enter what he calls “part-time retirement” due to the savings he has acquired from low utility and mainte-nance costs, as well as no monthly mortgage or rent payment. He has been able to take

Boneyard StudiosWashington, D.C.

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off for months at a time on cross-country trips and trips overseas to European countries without having to worry about money as much as he would have, had he stayed in his apartment.

Instead of working full weeks and into the weekends, the residents of this community have been able to work part-time, cutting back on strenuous hours of work in order to pursue other passions. Boneyard Studios showcases those pas-sions, as well as holds tiny house events, including hosting Dee Williams, one of the founders of the tiny house movement (top-right) to speak for the public.

One of the tips that comes from two of the four individuals who utilize Boneyard Studios is that “living in a community brings its own complexities, but it also connects you with others who have similar interests and allows you to share storage, common spaces, and utilities” (Mitchell 123). The hard work of building these tiny homes without professional help has certainly seemed to have paid off.

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Caravan, Tiny House HotelPortland, OR

The Caravan, Tiny House Hotel was planned and realized in Portland, Ore-gon by a couple who were intrigued with tiny houses and their efficient use of space. It was created on a commercial lot and seems much like a campground. The couple, Deb Delman and Kol Peterson, went through a rocky road journey attempting to make sure local government officials would be on board with the idea and were finally able to see it through due to those in the government who were excited to see such an unorthodox business take flight. There are usually three houses on the lot in Oregon, each different and de-signed and built by local tiny house owners. This allows Deb and Kol to rotate the houses and provide some exciting variety to their paying visitors, and also allows local builders to showcase the work that they can provide to those who may want to build and live in one in the future. Each house has a different style and square footage rang-ing from 100 to 160 square feet.

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Deb and Kol explain that “outdoor spaces are key to tiny houses. They can increase your usable space and help you build community bonds” (Mitchell 58). This can be seen in photographs of individuals and fam-ilies enjoy the outdoor weather together in the central community space of the tiny house hotel.

Caravan acts as a small-scale prototype of the intentional-living community proposed in this pro-spectus. Even the business aspect of this hotel brings together community members such as local government officials, local builders, and those visiting and staying Portland, Oregon. It also provides a sort of test run for those interested in living a tiny house lifestyle.

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Dignity VillagePortland, OR

Dignity Village is slightly different from the previous two case studies. It is also located in Portland, Oregon; however, Dignity Village is a city-owned village of tiny houses used as a bridge from homelessness to home ownership. It is currently zoned as a transitional campground seven miles outside of the center of the city. It consists of custom built tiny homes that were constructed by the residents and volunteers. The cost to live in this village is $25 per month.

Much like the previous two case studies, Dignity Village embraces a self-governed community lifestyle that operates with the cooperation of every member. Admittance into Dignity Village is based on an application process and there is an overall under-standing that is instilled during this process that members abide by a certain set of rules and they must give back to the community based on person skill sets. Members have taken it upon themselves to form committees based on these skill sets that work toward bettering the community. Examples of these committees’ tasks are sanitation, outreach, and gardening. Each individual member is expected to dedicate only ten hours per week toward the community.

“This model has proven to be an economically efficient method for dealing with the issue of homelessness, with an average daily cost of $4.28 per person per day in 2007.

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This has been compared with other local programs throughout the city - warming centers averaged at $12.59, emergency shelters at $20.92, rental assistance at $24.60, supportive housing at $32.37, and transitional housing at $66.56. This demonstrates that a self-help approach not only provides the unhoused with dignity, but it does so in a way that is very cost-effective” (Heben 136).

The idea of this community is to be transitional, and so a high turnover rate could possibly be expected. Because of this, the village could drastically continue to change and thrive because it is truly an autonomous community.

“A (second) common piece of advice was to have smaller dwellings. We were informed [by the core members of Dignity Village] that larger personal liv-ing spaces encouraged residents to isolate themselves, and lessened the likelihood for social interaction and growth. This was seen to be damaging to the communi-ty as a whole. Consequently, they recommended we use even smaller dwelling units and focus more on creating usable community spaces where the village could gath-er” (Heben 143).

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Macy MillerBoise, ID

Macy Miller was a 27-year-old woman working as an architect in Boise, Idaho when her marriage failed and her house was foreclosed on by the big, bad bank. She decided she did not wish to go through the process of paying a mortgage once again and began building her very own tiny house. This house, because it was designed and built by Macy herself, was customized to her lifestyle and personal needs. She used mostly reclaimed materials and designed the roof to be a green roof. Macy was able to build the house in just slightly over $11,000.

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Intentional Living: Rethinking Communities & Connections Feeling pressured by society into purchasing things to store in her home in order to prove herself as a young professional, Macy realized the unhealthy pattern of buying unnecessary items to keep in her house just as she was noticing that the greatest expense in her life was her home.

She has sacrificed a formal living room space and privatized bedroom in order to have a full kitchen, bathroom with a standard shower, washer / dryer unit, and queen sized bed. Early in the design process she began to weed out the belong-ings she would not be needing in the tiny house and was able to plan the spaces accordingly. She says, “[There is] very little that I need in this world, but I’ve been successful enough and I can afford a lot of excess in this house” (Mitchell 105).

Since Macy has been a very busy professional with an active social life, it was easier than expected to transition into this new lifestyle. Now that she has settled, she would like to focus on possibly work-ing from home and beginning a small on-line business. The reason she is able to do this is because of low living expenses and low maintenance costs. Macy Miller stresses her financial independence by advising: “Living in a tiny house will likely reduce your debt and allow you the financial freedom to pursue your passions. It also allows you to more easily weather financial ups and downs,” (Mitchell 107).

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Nubanusit Neighborhood & FarmPeterborough, NH

Neighborhoods are among the most promising solutions to many of today’s most chal-lenging social and environmental concerns.

Communities balance the traditional advantages of home ownership with the benefits of shared common facilities and ongoing connections with neighbors.

Homes are smaller, attached and/or clustered, taking up less land, reducing the nega-tive environmental impact of development, and preserving more land for natural veg-etation, wildlife, and recreation. The homes, often private residences, have the features of conventional homes (kitchen, living-dining room, bedrooms), but with access to common facilities and space.

Neighbors gather at a Common House for some meals and activities, which helps make houses have a smaller carbon footprint by sharing space, thus using fewer resources to build, maintain, and heat.

W H A T I S C O H O U S I N G ?

Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm is the first eco-friendly cohousing community in New Hampshire and is regionally recognized for its vision.

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Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing that attempts to overcome the alienation of modern subdivisions where few people really get to know their neighbors.

Cohousers are united by a mutual desire to live an environmentally-sound lifestyle and enjoy a cooperative, inter-generational neighborhood.

They value energy-efficient and re-source-conserving design, good architecture, and natural beauty.

Cohousers do not necessarily have a com-mon political or religious philosophy, nor do they share finances.

Governance - how decisions are made - is almost always by consensus. Consensus decision-making is both making community agreements and the process for doing so.

This type of housing began in Denmark in the late 1960s, and spread to North America in the late 1980s. There are now more than a hundred cohousing com-munities completed or in development across the United States and Canada.

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PART THREE DESIGN RESEARCH

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THESIS PROBE CHARETTE

As an exercise to get our thoughts flowing for the very beginning of our individual thesis journeys, we dug our hands into the making part of the process. Certain, vertical-oriented dimensions were given that we were not to exceed. At this leg of the journey, after the completed research and before the creation of the community prototype, I knew that I was to be proposing an alternative condition to the cur-rent options, particularly that of suburbia.

I then quickly developed a way in which to showcase examples of all the current housing options available to single residents and families. I later determined that this thesis had much more to do with home owning than illustrated in the initial probe, which included rentable townhouses and apart-ments along with suburban and rural houses.

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The central box represents the eclectic and creative type of com-munity that would later be proposed. The backdrop of the center wooden box illustrates the type of geographic location on the periphery of a city. The required landscape does not have to be too rural and certainly is not required to be urban. However, it can be either.

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SITE ANALYSIS

1. Proximity to Boston

2. Education, City Amenities, Public Transit

3. Walkability

4. Low Traffic Area

5. Green Space

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PROXIMITY TO BOSTON

SITE PARAMETERS

This community proposal will be a general condition that can be applied in numerous instances throughout the nation. This new community type can take place on the outskirts of a major city or at the edge of a smaller city. The main point is that the site will mark the transition from a dense, urban area, to a more rural or peri-urban area. The following parameters are crucial to a successful creation of this proposal.

- area suitable for a “downtown area” with community buildings- close proximity to businesses, offices, retail stores, educational facilities, and public transportation - soil suitable for growing plants- safe and walkable, public areas- varied topography in order to take advantage of sustainable orientation methods

18 minute drive, 28 minutes on the Haverhill Line

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SEWALL WOODS PARKMelrose, MA

CHOSEN PROJECT SITE

The project site will be on the periphery of a Boston. It is a piece of land in the city of Melrose, Massachusetts, currently known as Sewall Woods Park. Its location suits the parameters and will assist in the success of the proposed community.

With varied topography and close proximity to public transit, educational facil-ities, stores, parks and lakes, the site is also safe and walkable with many neighboring residential communities.

The arbitrariness of the site’s shape will allow for unique connections between the community’s housing units.

Partial Conservation Land and Town-Owned Park

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EDUCATION, CITY AMENITIES,& PUBLIC TRANSIT

The town of Melrose has many incentives for potential home owners. It is only 4.8 square miles and yet it is sprinkled with quiet neighborhoods and high quality city amenities, health care facilities, and schools.

In the city the population is nicely spread out with 23.5% under the age of 20, 4.0% from 20 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years in 2010. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males.

The Melrose School district runs several schools including The Franklin Early Childhood Center, five elementary schools (Roosevelt, Lincoln, Winthrop, Hoover, and Horace Mann), Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School, and Melrose High School. The city also has a private elementary school, St. Mary’s, run by one of the city’s Catholic churches of the same name.

There are many health care facilities, as well. Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, a 234 bed non-profit hospital, was home to the world’s first cochlear implant and laser surgery and it was among the first hospitals in the country to offer same day surgery. In addition to the hospital, there are many pediatricians, specialists, dentists and dermatologists. Also, the city’s Milano Senior Center provides social, recreational, health, and educa-tional programs for Melrose’s senior citizens.

The city of Melrose is located seven miles north of Boston. Although the only highway in Melrose is a tiny part of Route 99, the city has access to many nearby high-ways including Route 1 in Saugus, Interstate 93 in Stoneham, Massachusetts Route 16 in Everett and Route 128/Interstate 95 in Wakefield.

The city is also served by the MBTA. Service includes five bus routes: 106, 131, 132, 136 and 137. There are three commuter rail stations: Wyoming Hill, Melrose/Cedar Park, and Melrose Highlands. Oak Grove, the northern terminus of the MBTA’s Orange Line subway system, is located in Malden on the Melrose city line. Oak Grove is primar-ily a park-and-ride station with 788 parking spaces.

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RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

CHURCHES, BANKS, HOSPITALS

TRANSPORATION, BUS STOPS

EDUCATION BUILDINGS

WATER FEATURES

COMMERCIAL, RETAIL BUILDINGS

CITY PARKS

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WALKABILITY

within walking distance of city amenities, schools, and public transit

Melrose, MA is only 4.8 square miles in area. The diagram on the right shows that the public amenities described on the previous page are not a far walk away from Sewall Woods Park! Although public transportation is not an issue in Melrose, this type of walkability in a town is important to this project’s encouragement of preserving and strengthening the environment.

Within five minutes, a walker can reach a designated public bus stop and numer-ous quiet streets for pleasure walking or exercise. Within a ten minute walk, residents of the proposed community could reach Ell Pond, the high school, two churches, an elementary school, and some retail stores. Within a 15 minute walk, pedestrians could reach the hospital, town hall, most retail stores, and many other parts of the city.

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15 minute walk.75 mile radius



Walking radii determined with an average walking speed of 3mph and consideration of winding roads.

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LOW TRAFFIC AREA

Although the southern-most edge of Sewall Woods Park lies on a main road - Lynn Fells Parkway - the bordering streets are actually quite narrow, thus discouraging heavy and fast traffic through the residential neighborhoods. There are pockets of these conditions throughout Melrose. The exposure of the proposed community by way of the main road with drivers moving through the city could be very beneficial to the attrac-tion of new residents.

narrow streets on the immediate perimeter of the site discourages heavy and rapid traffic

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HEAVY TRAFFIC

AVERAGE TRAFFIC

LIGHT TRAFFIC

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GREEN SPACE

currently 9 acres of vegetation and walking trails

Sewall Woods Park is 9 acres of trees, low vegetation, and a few walking trails. There are rocky conditions, as well; however, that is along the bottom edge of the site, where the land is conserved. Although some trees will have to be removed for the de-velopment of homes and community spaces in the master plan of this thesis, many will actually be preserved.

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MAPLES

OAKS

CONIFEROUS

OTHER VEGETATION

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SITE PHOTOS

These site photos showcase the size and styles of some of the houses that imme-diately surround Sewall Woods Park. They also give a decent sense of the width of the surrounding streets.

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SITE MODEL

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The site model was designed with context around Sewall Woods Park to show some neighboring homes. It was constructed so that the park could be removed and inserts could replace the park so as to test theories and design ideas.

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COMMUNITY INSTRUCTIONS

1. Guidelines

2. Material Palette

3. Assisting in the Construction

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GUIDELINES

“The overall aim must be to create an atmosphere where stakeholders can share the enthu-siasm for design and strive together to create a better quality development. Coding encour-ages this to happen, and, as in Borneo Sporenburg, can play an important role in helping to deliver clearly very contemporary architectural and urban design solutions.”

-Graham Paul Smith

(Urban designer and artist who works as an independent consultant and lectures in the Joint Centre for Urban Design at Oxford Brookes University)

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1) Residents MUST be involved in the design AND construction of OWN HOME. (NOTE: This may involved seeking professional assistance from those more knowledgeable in design and construction.)

2) Follow these square footage limits: SINGLE: 70-200sf DOUBLE: 70-400sf TRIPLE: 200-450sf QUADRUPLE: 400-650sf QUINTUPLE: 600-850sf ULTIMATE MAXIMUM: 1000sf

3) Front door directed inward toward community elements.

4) Shed Roof, can have dormers.

5) No more than 2 stories tall.

6) First floor-to-ceiling height must be 8 feet.

7) Must have its own outdoor space (i.e. a patio, deck, garden) that is limited to a 15-foot perimeter.

Patio can be of any NATURAL material and design; however, residents are responsible for their own walkway and must be made of the same material as the patio.

8) Restricted to materials palette.

9) Residents MUST remain involved in the immediate community.

10) Residents MUST be environmentally conscious and, if possible, integrate passive heating/cooling systems in their home.

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MATERIAL PALETTE

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1) Local, recycled timber of light coloring. For the exterior, only employ ONE species of wood.

i.e. white pine, yellow birch, beech, or maple

2) Traditional dark red or brown mixed brick (antique or smooth face texture).

i.e. Waterstruck Brick - Brownstone Blend from Morin Brick Co. in Auburn, Maine OR face stone exterior facade from Spaulding Brick Co. in Wilmington, MA (NOT COMBINED)

3) Curtain wall must be used sparingly and only where completely functional (where it can serve as an agent in passive heating).

4) Energy efficient double or single hung windows. Picture windows must be in proportion to double or single hung windows.

i.e. Andersen’s A-Series Double-Hung Window

5) Robust structural materials to ensure sturdy buildings. If steel is chosen, it must not be exposed.

6) Any rainscreen tiling system must be a dark brown. i.e. NorthClad ACM Series, Aluminum Composite Tile

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ASSISTING IN THE CONSTRUCTION

Because not everyone has design, planning, or construction experience, some simplicities are encouraged in each resident’s home design and realization. These 6 extra guidelines are mere suggestions that will also help keep construction costs low and help ease the confusion and frustrations of first-time builders.

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1. Single wet wall design provided.

2. Slab on grade foundation.

3. Encouragement of single floor homes.

4. When two floors, straight stairs.

5. Strictly orthogonal shapes.

6. Simple shed roofs.

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PROSPECTIVE RESIDENTS’PROFILES

1. Single Resident

2. Young Couple

3. Retired Couple

4. Family of Three

5. Family of Four

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SINGLE RESIDENT

TIM

Tim is a single man who designs and installs signs for different companies. He travels to the graphic design and sign shop, only 6 miles away, each day. Most days he uses his bicycle, but sometimes he’ll take his motorcycle. He is an environmentally conscientious individual, as well as a handy man of sorts. He enjoys turning recycled, reused materials into something that looks brand new and can be used for many more years to come.

Tim’s father owns a vegetable farm that is located about 40 minutes away. Tim doesn’t mind driving to far to tend to the farm because he enjoys the work and looks forward to the fresh vegetables he takes home after helping his father out for a day. There are times when he wished he owned land nearby on which he could garden for himself, but he rents a second-floor apartment with only a small deck, big enough for a few pots. On a more personal level, Tim enjoys entertaining the thought of starting a family in the future but is very focused on his career that is currently blossoming. As he keeps his finances within reach and keeps his bills low, he has been able to save up almost enough money for a down payment on a house.

The only other element he craves is a sense of community. Tim likes to give back and to help out on community projects, yet he is able to find very little opportunity for friendly encounters with his current neighbors who keep themselves secluded from the outer community.

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YOUNG COUPLE

JACKI &ROBERT

Jacki and Robert have been a couple for nearly 3-1/2 years and have always had a strong relationship. However, due to recent circumstances they have been struggling to make ends meet and had to move far outside the city in which they work just to find an apartment they could afford. The long commutes are hard on both of their vehicles and they have found themselves spending more and more money on car repairs and gas.

More than just car troubles - the long commute and loss of quality time together has made both Jacki and Robert tired, frustrated, anxious, and has put a strain on their relationship. They are starting to claim that there is no hope whatsoever for home owner-ship in their future because of how they have to live paycheck to paycheck.

Jacki and Robert are people who understand the importance of their own health. They eat wholesome, organic foods, and love taking walks together. It is becoming more and more difficult to live their lifestyle the way they like because of the price of good, organic food and because they don’t have much time together at home to take walks.

They need to catch a break!

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RETIRED COUPLE

AL &KAREN

Al is 68 years old, retired and looking into the option of traveling throughout his retire-ment. This is his first time being on a fixed income and is tired of paying a mortgage payment that he has been paying steadily for almost 30 years. He wants to see more of the country and also have more time to see his children and grandchildren. Al is a part-time gunsmith and would like to keep a space for his hobbies and indoor projects for when he is home from travel-ing.

Karen has a passion for gardening and loves to participate in any and all community projects. If someone needs help, she will be there to spend the time. She is a lover of the earth, people, education, animals, and renewable energy. Karen does freelance work creating beautiful signs for people and businesses. Her best friend and dog, Lila, will always live and work with her. She likes to visit an off-site farm where she has goats and a horse. Someone else will contin-ue taking care of them while she and Al are off on their adventures.

At this stage in their lives, a house that allows Karen and Al ownership and financial freedom would be perfect and right at the core of their needs. The retired couple would no lon-ger have to worry about mortgages, high utility bills, or thieves breaking into their home while they are traveling across the country.

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FAMILY OF THREE

FABIAN, NANNETTE, & CAMILA

Nannette is an ESL teacher at an elementary school. First and foremost she teaches En-glish as a Second Language to Spanish-speaking children of ages 5 to 10. She also teaches young children the importance of health and the environment while she performs her core duties. Nannette has to eat a Paleo diet because of medical issues and so she eats lots of protein and fresh vegetables, which produce a hefty grocery bill. She lives in an apartment where she has little room to grow her on vegetables, but she does have a few potted tomato and cucumber plants on her third story-deck.

Fabian grew up on a farm in Colombia, growing and raising everything his family used and consumed. He has never had use for a car and uses a bicycle and public transportation now that he’s in the states. He misses the farm and wishes for Camila to grow up understanding the importance of the earth and of growing your own food to eat.

Camila loves gardening at Granny’s house and wonders why her family can’t have a gar-den in their apartment. She will be 6 soon and is learning, in her own kindergarten class, how to grow grass from seeds in a plastic cup with soil and sunlight. She also eats wholesome foods with her mother and loves taking walks to the park with her father. The park near their apartment isn’t always open when the family has a chance to go, and so Camila doesn’t always get to have her outside fix.

It would be nice for the family to be able to live in a place not so close to a busy street so that Camila could have a yard in which to play.

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FAMILY OF FOUR

JAMES, DIANE, GABRIEL &SOPHIA

Diane and James are also always trying to make ends meet and juggling the two kids with one car and help from relatives. They try to work opposite shifts when they can so they don’t have to add daycare to their list of monthly bills. James never had a need for a car and so he never obtained a license and would always utilize public transportation and walk whenever he could. This is now proving to be quite difficult with the kids.

Diane rarely has time to take the kids to the park or have much time for walks or out-door play. Although her intentions are good, the late hours she works doesn’t give her the op-portunity for much energy in the mornings, which is the time that she has allocated for the kids. Gabriel is always asking whoever he can to go outside and play. There are kids that live downstairs that he enjoys playing with, but the front yard (and most accessible to the family) is too close to the road and is dangerous, especially for the 2-year-old, Sophia. The back yard belongs to the downstairs neighbors and it is rarely used.

The children need a neighborhood and a safe place to run around and play. It would benefit Diane and James if they could find local, dependable, and inexpensive daycare so that they can work normal hours and spend more quality time as a family.

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COMMUNITY PROPOSAL

1. Master Plan

2. Single Resident Unit

3. Young Couple Unit

4. Possibility of Addition to Unit

5. Retired Couple Unit

6. Family of Three Unit

7. Family of Four Unit

8. Community Building

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MASTER PLAN

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The master plan for the community proposal is a layout that includes all of the predetermined community space and building, as well as 6 different types of layouts. In theory, each and every one of these homes would be completely different and unique; however, for purposes of this thesis and for the sake of time, the 6 different prototypes have been developed and carefully laid out across the 9 acres.

The homes cannot develop any sort of built environment within 15 feet of the edge of the site. This is so that outsiders can feel welcome penetrating the new commu-nity to see what it could potentially offer them, or people they know. Exposure is very important in this type of unorthodox setting.

Additionally, each home is given a 15-foot perimeter to develop their outdoor space, patio, fence, etc. Unlike traditional suburban lots that are divvied up precisely, the placement of the home determines the “lot” orientation and relationship to previ-ously constructed homes nearby on the site. This develops unique relationships among all of the homes while creating pockets of community land that is preserved between the buildings.

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The most prominently noticed element on the southwestern-most corner of the site is the vegetable stand where community members sell fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. There is a car pull-off lane so that visitors won’t be caught dangerously on the edge of the busy through-way. The stand also holds pamphlets with information on cohousing and the experiences had by the community members.

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Intentional Living: Rethinking Communities & Connections The community building is located just above the community gardens, in a central location on the site. This is where the community gathers for events such as flea markets, farmers’ markets, dinners, and play dates for children on rainy days. It is also where members collect their mail, do their laundry, use the weight room, and cook for guests.

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Across the street from the community building are recreational courts that are open during the day and function as parking overnight, since the streets surrounding the site are too narrow for overnight street parking. Along the edge of the courts are storage units for large, outdoor equipment that cannot be stored in the small houses. Items in-clude shovels, rakes, snow blowers, and lawn mowers.

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Intentional Living: Rethinking Communities & Connections North of the basketball and tennis courts is a hilly park with a water fountain where community members and other people of Melrose can come to walk the windy paths or sit on a park bench and look down the hill to the fountain. This is a quiet part of the neighborhood, as some existing homes are located just south, on the southeast-ern-most corner of the site.

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Intentional Living: Rethinking Communities & Connections There is a large portion of the site to the north that is uninterrupted by streets. This is because the centerpiece is the playground for children to enjoy. It is surround-ed by housing to the north and east (see left), and to the south (see below). However, directly to the west is a vernal pool and so that little section of the 9 acres cannot be developed upon. The playground is at one of the highest elevations on the site, and is set in from the main path so that there is some preserved green land surrounding it.

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A more quiet residential portion of the site is located just above the vegetable stand. This is where singles and retired residents may be drawn to live. It is across from the gardens and community building, yet there isn’t any foot traffic winding through to reach the playground, recreational courts, or park, per se. These may be the commuters that need to reach the bus station quickly each morning and so they have a more direct route to Lynn Fells Parkway.

As is noticeable, each housing unit has its own unique outdoor space, patio, fenced in grass, etc. Each material is different, as long as only one, natural material is implement-ed. The patchwork of pathways helps visitors and members to understand what is the main walkway and what is a more private path to a home.

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SINGLE UNIT

182 sq. ft.

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The single unit was designed by Tim, the single man in his later twenties who is a workaholic but thrives with community projects and farming. He planned his home with the smallest square footage that he needed, coming in at 182 square feet, no living room, and an open bedroom and kitchen.

Attempting to save money while living adventurously, Tim figures he will not be in the house for much more than sleeping, eating, and bathing. This is how he determined the very simple layout for his cherished home. Now he spends his days working the job that he loves, bicycling, motorcycling, and working in the gardens and with his father at his father’s off-site farm.

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YOUNG COUPLE UNIT

317 sq. ft.

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This home was designed by Jacki and Robert, the young couple in their later twenties who were struggling to get by. Because of Jacki’s love of fresh foods and cooking healthy dishes, she made sure the kitchen was larger than the one in their previous apart-ment. They also made sure there was a small, designated nook for the two of them to sit and eat at a table, instead of sitting on the couch in front of the television.

Another necessity was to make the bedroom private from the kitchen and living room. Robert works nights while Jacki works days. Since they have opposite sleeping schedules, it was important to them to keep each others’ noise shut off from the other’s slumber.

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POSSIBILITY OF ADDITION TO UNIT

404 sq. ft.

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Down the road a few years, Jacki and Robert’s work schedule begin to regularize and they decide to start a family. They decide to add on a separate bedroom for the nurs-ery while still keeping the square footage of their overall home at a minimum.

As you can see on page 88, just right of the playground, if there is room around the footprint of the home then an addition is possible. The lot will then extend its boundaries to 15 feet around the new perimeter. However, if another home is built closer to the exist-ing lot, then the growing home cannot infringe upon that house’s lot.

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RETIRED COUPLE UNIT

368 sq. ft.

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This home, designed by Al and Karen, has a fluid floor plan between the bedroom, kitchen, and living room areas. As mentioned in their profile, Al and Karen plan on doing some traveling in their retirement and won’t be doing much entertaining at home any-more. They don’t mind having their sleeping quarters open and visible from the kitchen. Lila, Karen’s dog, also enjoys moving freely throughout the house without having to get after her humans to open doors for her.

When Al is home, however, he has many projects that he enjoys tinkering on and Karen does not like to see the clutter than he creates for himself. They agreed to designate a private room for his hobbies, in order to keep the mess contained!

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FAMILY OF THREE UNIT

422 sq. ft.

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Nannette, Fabian, and even Camila worked together to design this home. The family of three enjoys cooking together and dancing to musical videos on the television. The kitchen and living room are open to each other, but the bedrooms are closed off so that Camila can get her 9+ hours of sleep each night before Kindergarten.

Another strategy was keeping Camila’s room fairly tight and small in size so as to control the number of toys she has. Nannette and Fabian have taught her that when one new toy is gifted to her, one old toy must be donated to less fortunate children. In order to assist in this mentality, the parents are also teaching her to keep her toys and art supplies tidy and contained within the confines of her room. It certainly helps to have well-kept green grass and a playground full of kids that entice her to be outside instead of inside playing with toys, alone.

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FAMILY OF FOUR UNIT

624 sq. ft.

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This two-story home was designed by Diane, James, andGabriel (Sophia is only 2 years old). With confusing and ever-changing work schedules, the family of four tends to rely on babysitters and rarely have a chance to cook together. This could eventually change,due to the money they will be saving with this new house, but for now they agreedon a smaller kitchen layout and a larger living room for the kids to play.

Because of the high demands of work and having baby Sophia in the house, Diane desperately needed a washer/dryer in her home. She tucked it under the stairs. Although they kept their house footprint as low as they could, the family recognizes the importance of having separate rooms for the kids, and went up another floor in height. This was important to them, since Gabriel and Sophia will grow older needing their separate spaces.

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COMMUNITY BUILDING

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One community building will be built by the community for practical and recreational uses. There will be storage spaces for items that will not fit in the individual housing units, such as: tools, bicycles, hiking and camping gear, lawnmowers, shovels, and rakes. It will also be used for farmers’ markets and other community gatherings. Inside you will find a kitchen and dining area, exercise room, kids’ play area, laun-dry, and a place for residents to collect their daily mail. It is simple yet maintained by the community, and not by a separate owner.

Other community spaces include gardens, a playground, community recreation courts that double as a parking area at night, and most of the grounds on the site. The site remains open and fluid so that the residents can freely move throughout the site and to the community spaces. It is inviting to anyone coming to visit the community and looking for more information on the way they live.

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Axonometric sections showing spatial qualities within the community building. Some of the main spaces, such as dining and living, are large, but each space is sim-ple so as to assist in the construction of the building by the community members.

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PROCESS MODELS

The process models were created throughout the design process, as a way of testing different connections made through the new community from the existing neighborhoods. The inserts were substituted into the initial site model in order to be tested.

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FINDINGS & DISCOVERIES

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Throughout this process I learned to receive flack from individuals coming from many different angles. There were those who thought that this was a hippie-commune approach to suburban living; there were developers who couldn’t understand who was profiting from such an outrageous idea; and there were average Americans who simply couldn’t fathom living with such little space for their belongings.

It has been obvious that this thesis proposal is not suited for everyone. The people who are drawn to this proposal are those who have a similar goal of preserving the environment and living minimally in order to better enjoy their life experiences rather than material items.

Some critics have mentioned that by spreading out the lots in my master plan, I have merely reproduced suburbia in smaller packages. However, I would disagree simply because of the strategies of orientation, the liberty taken in creating boundaries, and the connections made within the community, rather than just to the adjacent street.

There are drastic changes that need to be made in the way that we live so that we are not forever reliant on banks and the current real estate system. In order to regain our financial free-dom, as well as conserve our natural, unbuilt environment, we must begin with ourlargest finance and impact: our home.

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APPENDICES RESEARCH SOURCES

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Archer, John. Architecture and Suburbia: From English Villa to American Dream House, 1690-2000. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.

Archer argues that “the ideal suburban house is rooted in notions of privacy, property, and selfhood that are the foundation of identity in America.” This book helps to illustrate the chronological process housing underwent to arrive where it has today. Archer defines the current “dream house ideal and the suburban landscape.”

Architects’ Small House Service Bureau of the United States. Your Future Home: Architect-Designed Houses of the 1920s. Washington, D.C.: American Institute of Architects Press, 1992.

The Architect’s Small House Service Bureau of the United States composed this book of small house de-signs and plans of the 1920s. Seeing how small houses have long been considered as a housing option, as well as understanding the benefits of living simply throughout this nation’s history has been crucial to this thesis.

Ausick, Paul. “Home Foreclosures Still Double Rate before Housing Bust.” 24/7 Wall St. (2014): <http://247wallst.com/housing/2014/04/03/home-foreclosures-still-double-rate-before-housing- bust/>.

In this online newsletter article, Paul Ausick lists prominent and jolting statistics about the numbers and percentages of foreclosures across the United States. This article, written on April 3, 2014, quotes CoreLog-ic’s CEO as he compares the state of the housing industry today to that of 2008, during the recession.

BD&L. The Big Book of Small House Designs: 75 Award-Winning Plans for Your Dream House, All 1,250 Square Feet Or Less. New York, New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2004.

The Black Dog & Leventhal composed this book of mostly designs and plans – illustrating “dream houses” of 1,250 square feet or smaller. This includes houses built across the world in many different types of cli-mates and landscape settings.

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Blauvelt, Andrew. “Some Assembly Required: Contemporary Prefabricated Houses.” Journal of Architectural Education 60, No. 2 (2006): 68-69.

Blauvelt describes prefab houses as commonly considered to be “cheap, cookie cutter structures of last resort.” In his book he refutes these misconceptions and advocates for houses designed by architects. Some advantages to prefab houses that are discussed in the book are: time savings, money savings, reduction of construction waste, and sturdier house structures. The constant factor of reinstating the importance of ar-chitects in housing remains throughout the book.

Buttimer, Anne. “Social Space and the Planning of Residential Areas.” Environment and Behavior September 1972, (1972): 279-318.

In 1972 Anne wrote an article about planning residential areas according to the “livability of residential environments.” She references Jane Jacobs, the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities and discusses studies that suggest there may be strong relationships between actual architectural housing design and social behavior.

Calthorpe, Peter. Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change. Washington DC, USA: Island Press, 2010. Calthorpe has a long history of working with sustainable community design, regional planning, land use policy, and transit-oriented design. This book is comprised of many hard facts and statistics presented with very clear graphs and charts. Calthorpe bluntly presents this information and combines new energy source alternatives into national growth scenarios for forty years from then (2050). He shows us the possible (and positive) impacts of living with these energy-saving design strategies.

“Coil, Tokyo, Japan: Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 104-105. The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The Coil House was designed by Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office and is located in Tokyo, Japan. Plans and photographs and a brief description are included.

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Crookston, Martin. Garden Suburbs of Tomorrow?: A New Future for the Cottage Estates. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2013.

This book allows for an understanding of housing policies, city planning, and suburban homes in another country (Great Britain), rather than the United States. Crookston describes how, in the twentieth century, the UK planning agenda was focused on garden suburbs with estate homes that housed working-class fami-lies. However, council housing, as he labels it, is changing and alternative solutions must be discovered.

“Daylight House, Kanagawa, Japan: Takeshi Hosaka Architects.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 102- 103.

The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The Daylight House was designed by Takeshi Hosaka Architects and is located in Kanagawa, Japan. Plans and photographs and a brief description are included.

Del Valle, Cristina. Compact Houses, edited by Asensio, Nacho. New York, New York: Universe Publishing, 2005.

Compact Houses offers beautiful photos of practical and innovative small houses around the world.However, it acts more as a survey than as an informational book. Del Valle compiled international homes that are simple, environmentally sensitive, and yet fundamentally beautiful. Provided here are profiles of the homes and history on any case-specific design challenges and their solutions.

Gorgolewski, Mark, June Komisar, and Joe Nasr. Carrot City: Creating Places for Urban Agriculture, edited by Lawrence, Stacee Gravelle. NYC: Monacelli Press, 2011.

Carrot City is a compilation of different international sites that have taken advantage of their unique con-ditions to create centers of urban agriculture. This ranges from simple greenhouses, community and rooftop gardens, to livestock shelters and hydroponic systems. One constant factor throughout each profile is the sense of community that comes from working together on each site.

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Group, Harold E. Small Houses of the Forties: With Illustrations and Floor Plans. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 2007, 1946.

Harold E. Group composed this book of small house designs and plans of the 1940s. Understanding the benefits of living simply (and small) throughout different periods of this nation’s history has been crucial to this thesis. This book covers specific topics such as economy in plumbing, heating systems, prices, reasons why to purchase a house, distribution of construction costs, and many more.

Heben, Andrew. Tent City Urbanism. Eugene, Oregon: The Village Collaborative, 2014. Andrew Heben began writing Tent City Urbanism as a thesis and completed the book after his educational career had properly ended. This book presents the importance of communities of small houses as a bridge from homelessness to “home ownership.” Heben covers legal policies that prohibit unhoused individuals to congregate together on state-owned land. Heben displays hope as he profiles certain sanctioned camps that are no longer bothered by police and state officials.

Heidegger, Martin. Building, Dwelling, Thinking. Translated by Hofstadter, Albert. Vol. Poetry, Language, Thought. New York, New York: Harper Colophon Books, 1971.

Martin Heidegger clearly advocates for the connection between building and dwelling. He argues that our modern world has relinquished the relations between these two actions, and building is no longer perceived as crucial to the state of our existence.

Hildner, Claudia. Small Houses : Contemporary Japanese Dwellings. Basel, CHE: Birkhäuser, 2012. This book is a well-balanced composition of house profiles and text explaining the roots of Japanese dwell-ings, privacy and publicness, a culture shaped by wood, steps and layers, space without space, dealing with the existing fabric, beauty and ephemerality, and the garden as part of the architecture. These elements are all very important to the Japanese culture when designing their homes.

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“House in Rokko, Hyogo, Japan: Yo Shimada.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 100-101. The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The House in Rokko was designed by Yo Shimada and is located in Hyogo, Japan. Plans and photo-graphs and a brief description are included.

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York City, NY: Modern Library, 1993.

Jane Jacobs is considered a matriarchal figure in topic of urban studies. She was also an activist in pushing for urban renewal to respect the needs of city residents. This book is chock full of information on the histo-ry of urban planning, methods of city planning, diversity, visual order, certain facilities, population instabil-ity, city life cycles, and much more. The authors of several of the listed sources here reference Jane Jacobs’ influential book.

MacBurnie, Ian. “The Periphery and the American Dream.” Journal of Architectural Education 48, No. 3 (1995): 134-143.

In this article, MacBurnie discusses the differences between an urb, suburb, exurb, and suburban metropo-lis. He describes the shift of the “periphery” from the outskirts of the city toward the center, and out again. He argues that, in the American city, the periphery can be considered as a state of mind.

Mitchell, Ryan. Tiny House Living, edited by Owen, Amy, Jacqueline Musser. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Home Books, 2014.

Tiny House Living seems to be a motivational book that outlines the benefits and struggles to joining the Tiny House Movement and living in a house under 100 square feet (usually built on a flatbed trailer). After each section’s topic is discussed, there are case studies displaying individuals, couples, and families that have already made the jump into simplifying their lifestyles and homes.

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Nelessen, Anton Clarence. Visions for a New American Dream: Process, Principles, and an Ordinance to Plan and Design Small Communities. Second Edition ed. Chicago, IL: The American Planning Association, 1994.

Nelessen describes the process of designing small communities with the intentions of improving the concept of the American Dream. There is a full analysis of the suburbs in the past, how to use that information for future communities, and how to redevelop. The most valuable information to this thesis is Chapter Seven: Designing a Small Community Using the Ten Design Principles- Human Scale, Ecological Responsibility, Pedestrianism, Open Spaces, Core, Streetscapes, Variation, Mixed and Multiple Uses, Design Vocabulary, and Maintenance.

Oliver, Paul. Dwellings. New York, New York: Phaidon Press Limited, 2003. This book is a compilation of many different types of houses across the world. It contains photos, drawings, and comparisons of unique building types and uses. Oliver explains the needs of the occupants in relation to the types of dwellings in which they reside. It is an overall survey of housing types and their purposes, decorations, uses, and ways they deal with the particular regional climate.

Pearson, David. The House that Jack Built: Freewheeling Homes. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2002.

David Pearson displays a collection of unique, customized homes that are mobile; they were either built on flatbed trailers or were created from previous ambulances, trucks, buses, old rail wagons and airstream trailers. There are stories from those who live in these homes, and then Pearson goes on to explain how the reader can go about making his or her own customized home on wheels.

Pera, Lee and Jay Austin. Boneyard Studios. Washington, D.C.: 2012. <http://www.boneyardstudios.com>.This is a website that showcases the fundamental ideas of Boneyard Studios, one of the case studies outlined in this thesis project. It has ideas for multi-functional furniture and spaces, ideas for growing vegetables and fruits and preserving them, and a blog that keeps track of all the events they host at Boneyard Studios.

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Pople, Nicolas. Small Houses: Contemporary Residential Architecture. New York, New York: Universe Publishing, 2003.

Nicolas Pople makes the claim that “small houses are no longer synonymous with cheap houses and lack of privilege.” This book showcases thirty-seven homes that have been designed between 75-1600 square feet, each with a unique design approach. What makes this book different than most of the literature containing case studies is that Pople focuses on houses designed by well-known architects such as Toyo Ito, Herzog and de Meuron, Simon Ungers, Enric Miralles, LOT/EK, and Kazuyo Sejima.

Salomon, Shay. Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press, 2006.

With three parts titled Reduce, Rethink, Relax, Salomon documents actual people in their home setting of their cozy, energy efficient, minimalized house. Salomon asks the question, “what fills a home when the excess is cut away, and how do we get there from here?” Included in the book are plenty of photographs, plans, and tips on how to live simply and happily.

Schittich, Christian, Florian Musso, and Catherine Anderle-Neill. Building Simply. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser, Publishers for Architecture, 2005.

Building Simply is a Birkhauser’s In Detail series book that focuses on how to build structures that are sim-ple and pure in structure. The international examples that are shown in the book range from warehouses, residential buildings, pavilions, and workshops, to simple wood bridges. The authors stress the methods that can be used in order to do justice to the quality and nature of the materials being used.

“SHAREyaraicho, Tokyo, Japan: Satoko Shinohara + Ayano Uchimura / Spatial Design Studio.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 96-97.

The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The SHAREyaraicho house was designed by Satoko Shinohara + Ayano Uchimura / Spatial Design Studio and is located in Tokyo, Japan. ¬-Plans and photographs and a brief description are included.

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Snyder, Christina. “Redesigning the American Dream.” Master of Architecture, Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2009.

In 2009, Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Master of Architecture student Christina Snyder developed a thesis called “Redesigning the American Dream” that has many similar ideas as this thesis process. It was used to understand the intended extent of this current project.

“Sugoroku Office, Gifu, Japan: Met Architects.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 98-99. The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The Sugoroku Office was designed by Met Architects and is located in Gifu, Japan. ¬¬Plans and photographs and a brief description are included.

Sweeting, Adam. Reading Houses and Building Books: Andrew Jackson Downing and the Architecture of Popular Antebellum Literature, 1835-1855. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1996.

Adam Sweeting wrote about Andrew Jackson Downing and his reputation as an architect, landscape design-er, and author. It focuses on his fascination with the comprehensive study of literature, architecture, and horticulture and advocates for “the widely held belief that efforts to reform the world began at home, that beautiful and clean houses produced morally beautiful and spiritually clean people.”

Tamborini, Susanne. Living in a Small Space: Experimental Projects from Four Continents. Summers, London: Edition Axel Menges, 1999.

“Architects in Europe, the Far East, the U.S., and Australia illustrate that a positive sense of space is more dependent on light and sun, air and warmth than on a defined minimum number of square feet.” This thesis exploration benefits form the exposure to international views on living in small spaces and the other qualities that can make those spaces enjoyable and comfortable.

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TINY: A Story about Living Small. Film. Directed by Mueller, Merete and Christopher Smith. 2013. This is a film that documents a young couple as they build, with limited time and funds, a tiny house on a trailer. It is interesting to see the transition of Merete’s outlook on the tiny house move from skeptical to inspired throughout the film. Between shots of the house being built, short interviews were conducted with other individuals, couples, and families that had been living in tiny houses. One of them is Dee Williams who is considered one of the founding members of the Tiny House Movement in the United States.

Trulove, James Grayson. 25 Houses Under 2500 Square Feet. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012.

Trulove showcases twenty-five houses that effectively utilize their carefully designed spaces. Included are photographs, plans, drawings, and information about the architects who designed each home. Some of them include Obie G. Bowman, Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, Wheeler Kearns, Turner Brooks & Russel Katz, Stan Allen, PUBLIC, Olsin Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, Lorcan O’Herlihy, Dry Design, Fred-erick Philips, and many more.

“Tsuchihashi House, Tokyo, Japan: Kazuyo Sejima & Associates.” Japan Architect No. 88 (2013): 106-109.The Japan Architect No. 88 magazine has a collection of small houses that are useful for the study of poetic spaces. The Tsuchihashi House was designed by Kazuyo Sejima & Associates and is located in Tokyo, Japan. Plans and photographs and a brief description are included.

Whitaker, Craig. Architecture and the American Dream. 1st ed. New York City, NY: Clarkson N. Potter, 1996.

Craig Whitaker analyzes the way Americans think, live, and refuse to acknowledge certain aspects of our housing industry. There are problems regarding public display versus privacy and how most people have a convinced notion that they need to be viewed as equal to those within in their proximity. Whitaker asserts that “the built environment is shaped largely by cultural values” and he “dissects American architecture by revealing its archetypes and analyzing their origins in the national psyche.” This is a very thought-provoking book.

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Documents

Thesis Compilation Compressed