HISTORY OF THE HOME

World War 1 (1914-18), World War 11 (1939-45)

9 Million Immigrants arrive in the first decade

Influenza Pandemic (1918-20)

Ford Model T (1908), Wired Electricity in Homes (1910’s), and Radio Broadcasting (1930’s)

19th Amendment (1920), the Prohibition (1919-33), and Treaty of Versailles (1920)

Cities Grow, Incomes Rise, Period of Peace and Prosperity (1900’s), Then the Great Depression (1929-39)

Isolated & Functional 1

Formal Gathering and Display 2

Display Social Status and Class 3

World War 11 (1939-45), Cold War (1947-1991)

Birth Rates Skyrocket & Suburbs Boom (post WW2), and the Civil Rights Movement begins (1954-68)

Television became common in Homes (1950’s) and a Pop Culture Boom (1950’s)

Housewives Peaceful Domain in the Nuclear Family 1

Separation of Family and Living Room 2

Gathering Space for the Nuclear Family 4

1 Giltner, D. (2022, August 30). The history of the modern kitchen: History of the kitchen. BAUFORMAT SEATTLE. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www. bauformatseattle.com/resources/2020/8/17/kitchen-history

2 Magnuson, S. (2020, November 11). The warm and fuzzy history of the American “family room”. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www. apartmenttherapy.com/history-of-american-family-room-36840292

3 Baumgarthuber, C., & Baumgarthuber, C. (2020, July 21). A short history of the dining room (part 1). The New Inquiry. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://thenewinquiry. com/blog/a-short-history-of-the-dining-room-part-1/

Vietnam War (1955-75) and Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Civil Rights March (1963), JFK Assassination (1963), EPA & OSHA Created (1970), Water Gate Scandal (1972-74)

Video Games at Home (1972)

Colorful, Functional, & Becoming the Heart of Domesticitity

4 Griffin, M. (2016, February 16). ‘no place for discontent’: A history of the family dinner in America. NPR. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/sections/ thesalt/2016/02/16/459693979/no-place-for-discontent-a-history-of-the-family-dinnerin-america

5 How The family room went public. Herman Miller. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.hermanmiller.com/stories/why-magazine/how-the-family-roomwent-public/

Gulf War (1990-1991), 9/11 (2001), Iraq War (2003-11)

COVID Pandemic (2020-??)

NAFTA (1994) and The Great Recession (2007-2009)

Email (1980’s), Personal Computer (1980’s), Mobile Phones (1980’s), MTV (1981), Internet (1993), Google (1998), WIFI (2000’s), Smart Home Technology (2010’s), Streaming (2010’s), and Social Media (2010’s)

Open,

CASE STUDY HOUSE #12

1946

The client’s living pattern was a prominent aspect in the design. The lath house provided openness for the plants throughout the space.

Each portion of the home is purposefully zoned for function. 1

CASE STUDY HOUSE #20

1948

CASE STUDY HOUSE #25

1962 - Killingsworth, Brady, Smith + Associates

Light is used as a sculptural element.

The interior contains and enclosed courtyard.

The house was designed to blend in with the surrounding neighbors. 3

CASE STUDY HOUSE #27

1962 - Campbell, Wong + Associates

GREAT GOOD FAIR POOR

VERY POOR

KIT HOUSING (1900-1940)

INNOVATIONS/SUCCESSES:

• Mail order made homes extremely accessible and inexpensive.

• DIY assembly meant homes were relatively customizable with obvious limitations.

• 21% of all confirmed homes sold by Sears between 1908 and 1940 in the US are located in Ohio, higher than any other state.

FAILURES:

• Cost of homes was often inaccurate (price only reflected the cost of materials, and the total sum of purchasing land, building a foundation, gaining access to utilities, and potentially labor costs would nearly double the sum total cost of the house).

• Ultimately failed because of economic instability in the 1930s, and the development of more streamlined models for development (i.e. Levittowns and Tract Housing).

GREAT GOOD FAIR

POOR

VERY POOR

TRACT HOUSING (1945-TODAY)

INNOVATIONS/SUCCESSES:

• Largely in response to the establishment of the FHA to meet the large demand for housing following WWII.

• Developers integrated land acquisition, utilities/access road construction into their business model, eliminating the need for buyers to address these issues individually.

• Popularized by William Levit and Joseph Eichler following the introduction of the Case Study House program. Originally focused on the relationship between the architect and developer.

FAILURES:

• Ultimately sacrifices architectural quality for developer-driven design.

• Contributes negatively to car dependency in America.

• Customizability limited by HOAs and developer’s standards.

• Rising labor costs threaten sustainability of this business model, which relies on many individual trades for construction and materials.

Alternative Housing

FIVE-OVER-ONE (2009-TODAY):

• Densification of residential development from SFH.

• Promotes mixed-use neighborhoods and makes new housing accessible to a wider range of buyers.

• Enabled by IBC updates and greater demand for inexpensive housing during the Great Recession.

MOBILE/MODULAR HOMES (1956-TODAY):

• Constituted approximately 23% of all new construction housing projects in 1973.

• Hyper-simplification of home assembly: pre-constructed modules placed on cement blocks.

• Has fallen off in popularity due to public perception that this type of housing is unsafe, bland, and generally undesirable.

Home Construction In The United States

LOOKING BEYOND THE STATES.

Our intent is to evolve American housing by expanding our idea of American. Due to the diversity of the American people, we believe that there can be no such thing as an “average American”. In this research, we examine the current composition of American households, a cultural analysis of America, the history of cultural influence on American architecture, and housing types found outside of the United States all to allow us to better understand the many narratives of American housing.

timeline of cultural influence on american architectural style.

1600-1720

COLONIAL original immigrant.

1700-1770

1776-1920

1800-1900

GEORGIAN Greece and Rome.

NEOCLASSICAL Greece.

GOTHIC REVIVAL France.

1920-1940

1925-1960

ART DECO Paris.

MODERNIST Britain.

AMERICANS AND THEIR HOMES.

In 1960, family-type households accounted for 85% of all households. Versus, in 2020, family-type households accounted for 65% of all households. The share of family-type households has been decreasing over the past 60 years and is projected to continue decreasing. Many young adults are delaying and/ or foregoing family life, and many project not having children in the future.

In 2021, 25% of young adults (25-34) resided in a multi-generational family-type household, “levels not seen since the Great Depression.” Young adults are being forced to cope with rising student debt and housing costs.

International Housing Digital Collage Series.

1. Casa Estudio by Luis Barragan in Mexico merges geometry with nature by using simple forms, light and shadow, mixed with plants, and outdoor spaces.

2. Narrow shophouses in Vietnam are surrounded by neighboring buildings with only the roof and front facade available for design.

3. Apartment houses in South Korea are inspired by Le Corbusier’s, “Radiant City,” and are an appropriate response for a densely populated nation with mountainous terrain.

In 2011, only 9.8% of homes were an “aging-ready home”. i.e. housing units that have a step-free entryway, a bedroom and full bathroom on the first floor, and at least one bathroom accessibility feature. The US has already started to experience an increase in its elderly population, and that increase is projected to continue.

Roughly 60% of adults claim to prefer living in a community with larger, spaced-out homes that are farther from amenities. i.e. “classic” American-suburban neighborhoods with large homes, lawns, and driveways where residents are unable to rely on public transportation and must own a car. This preference amongst adults has increased atleast 8 percentage points across all groups (political parties, ethnicities, ages, and educations) since prior to the pandemic.