Thesis document by darron Williams

POST-DISASTER HOUSING- MODULAR RECOVERY by Darron E. Williams

A Comprehensive Architectural Project Submitted to the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture in the College of Architecture Charlotte 2011

Approved by:

Professor Eric Sauda

Professor Greg Snyder

Professor Bryan Shields

Professor Chris Beorkrem

Abstract DARRON E. WILLIAMS post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery (under the direction of Eric Sauda and Greg Snyder)

Presently, there is not an effective, design-based, solution in place to develop post-disaster housing for communities suffering from the effects of natural disasters. A lack of permanent housing forces evacuees to experience extended stays in temporary housing, such as FEMA trailers; subsequently, these trailers often become permanent housing. Architecture plays a pivotal role in reestablishing community and stability during the recovery process for devastated areas. Providing post-disaster communities for displaced families is essential to the recovery process. This thesis seeks to discover a methodology for compiling modular units in a manner that activates and enhances not only private space, but interstitial and communal spaces as well. The subject of modular repeated units has implications in not only post disaster housing, but also conventional housing as a whole. This type of configuration system can be used to enhance public space on both a small and large scale of modular housing

charrette 1 post-disaster Housing

_modular Recovery

post-disaster Housing

modular Recovery

_ thesis document â&#x20AC;˘ darron e. williams

contents

discourse post-disaster housing

monograph assembling and [dis]assembling the module

design proposal module +grouping+site

syllabus 0-4 assignment 1-4assignments + thesis defense

post-disaster Housing

_modular Recovery

i. introduction to discourse Throughout history, countless hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters have greatly impacted human populations and significantly shaped our society. The recent earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and left 1.5 million people displaced. For countries impacted by natural disasters, the recovery and development process has become an increasingly challenging issue. The failed attempt to develop a significant solution in response to the overwhelming effects of natural disasters in Haiti, New Orleans and elsewhere illustrates the complexities and complications of rebuilding in a devastated area. Presently, there is not an effective, design-based, solution in place to develop post-disaster housing for communities suffering from the effects of natural disasters. Architecture plays a pivotal role in reestablishing community and stability during the recovery process for the devastated areas. Providing post-disaster communities for displaced families is essential to the recovery process.

This document will present a theoretical overview of the discourse surrounding postdisaster housing, modular design and its relevance in creating communal spaces. Additionally, this document will provide an in-depth synopsis of one case study along with a design proposal that begins to examine the main issues surrounding temporary modular housing. Finally, this document will conclude with a syllabus that will outline and define a series of assignment that will be carried out next semester

ii. background

Currently, the strategy for providing disaster relief housing under the federal governments in the United States involves the ARMY, U.N., and local agencies deploying emergency shelters that can begin to safeguard the displaced after day zero. “Emergency shelters are intended to provide structurally sound havens of short periods of less than twenty-four hours during and following a disaster.” Following the installation of these units, the Red Cross and local government provide displaced individuals and families with temporary shelters. 1 In the intermediate stages when victims are unable to return to their damaged homes, provisional housing, such as apartments and/or rental homes are made available. Organizations like FEMA provide mobile trailers if rental properties are not available. “Temporary housing can last from several weeks to several years before victims can return to their original repaired or totally rebuilt homes.” 1 The final stage in the housing process is permanent or replacement houses when victims are unable to return to their original homes. 1 There are three time scales in responding to those who are displaced. These are “refugee housing, temporary housing, and permanent housing.” 2 Time scales are divided this way in order to separate the organizations that deal with short-term needs from those that deal with the long. The particular time scale in which houses are implemented has great implications on the type of housing that is required. Refugee housing is generally constructed with lightweight tents or other materials that can be quickly erected during the time frame directly after a disaster. Temporary housing includes trailers, hotels, motel and/or apartments that are provided for a specified amount of time. 2 1

Joanne. M Nigg “Hurricane Katrina and the Flooding of New Orleans: Emergent issues in Sheltering and Temporary Housing,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. vol 604 (march 2006): 11-128 2 Eugine Birch and Susan . Wacher. “Rebuilding Urban Places After Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina” (The City in the Twenty-First Century) Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006 Print.

Disaster relief situations can be divided into three types: natural disasters that are caused by weather or geological phenomenon; wartime or post-war that are by products of human conflict; refugee situations that are the result of wartime or natural disaster. 3

iii. obstacles There are many obstacles to providing proper housing following a disaster. For example, a large amount of the design work done to provide housing solutions for these situations has had little effect on the type of unit actually deployed. 3 Many factors disconnect the problems of disaster relief from the proposed solutions. The biggest problems are “misconceptions between the designers experience of a disaster and that of the victims” Various types of provisional housing units are available for fast deployment; however, they are not built to last for extended periods of time. This results in survivors being displaced for a second time, as in the case of the FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina. According to Huxley’s College of the Environment, “formaldehyde levels in the trailers caused respiratory problems and made many inhabitants sick.”4 Poor site analysis and locations are also issues in the current model. FEMA camps were often located far away from commercial and residential centers making it nearly impossible for inhabitants to find employment or other housing. “Cramped conditions, isolation, and post-disaster depression created a toxic mix.” 4

iv. setting up context Post-disaster housing that calls for the mass distribution of manufactured housing is not the appropriate solution in every disaster scenario. However, it is relevant in those scenarios that

Robert Kronenburg. Houses in Motion: The Genesis, History and Development of the Portable Building. 2 ed. Chichester: Academy press, 2002 Print 4 Rebekah Greene, The Resilence Institute,part of Huxleyʼs College of the Environment. available from http://igcr.blogspot.com/2008/07/post-disaster-housing-woes.html

cause victims to be housed away from their original homes for an extended period of time. Examples of these types of situations are the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires, 1999 earthquake in Columbia and the Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to name a few. With the myriad of building systems that can be used for post-disaster housing, it is important to implement systems where they will be most effective. Prefabrication should be utilized in disaster scenarios because it provides rapid production, maximum variation and expansion at the lowest cost, while still providing optimal design to achieve these results. Density is at the root of the problem, and not just for the United States. Hurricane Katrina exposed FEMA's lack of an urban solution for post-disaster housing. They have solutions for temporary housing in different climates, but not one suited for dense urban environments.

Dense

populations are concentrated in cities warm or cold, yet there are no real solutions in place to deal with post-disaster housing. This issue is important, especially in ethnically diverse cities like New York, to keep people close to their homes in a post disaster situation.

When keeping victims close to their homes is not possible their needs to be an alternative solution in place that allows them to stay within feasible proximity to their property, jobs and community. The ideal scenario would allow the victims to live in housing developments like hotels or apartments until their houses can be repaired or rebuilt. Often, this solution is not possible due to lack of available rooms, proximity to original home, or because the disaster has destroyed/damaged available housing developments. There are major distinctions that need to be made when designing for refugee settlements versus a new construction for a stable population. It will take an extended amount of time for refugee populations to become acclimated to their new environment. For this reason,

Thomas Pollman. Email message to the author. July 28, 2010

development of refugee settlements will require a better understanding of the social and economic needs of population that has been uprooted from their normal surroundings.6 Implementation of sustainable solutions surrounding post-disaster housing is paramount. A disaster event can result in the development and construction of hundreds or thousands of homes that will have a dramatic affect on the future environment of that region. Therefore, it is crucial that this accelerated construction results in forming sustainable communities that have the ability to maintain themselves socially, environmentally and economically over time. 6 This can be done through lowering demands and consumption of operating materials, as well as, utilizing reusable or recyclable building products and material.7

v. precedents Modular housing has been used many times to combat the issue of emergency housing. After the Nazi regime Corbusier used an early form of modular housing to build and revitalize the French housing industry. He intended to address the emergency housing need faced by the displaced populations of towns and cities destroyed by the war. The Unite’ d’ Habitation Marseillas was considered to be Corbusier’s most significant contribution to the post-war European housing crisis. The Unite’ building is framed on a simple rectilinear precast grid, likened to a wine rack, in which the apartments function as bottles.”8 The design for the Unite’ required a skeletal framing plan along with separate modular forms to house the occupants.

Michael Seelig. The Architecture of Self-Help Communities: The First International Competition for Urban Environment of Developing countries. First ed New York. 7 Hakan Arslan. Re-design and recycle of temporary houses. Building and Environment. Vol. 42 (2007). 400-406 8 David Jenkins. Uniteʼ dʼ Habitation: Le Corbusier (architecture in Detail). London: Phaidon Press, 1993. Print.

In contrast to Corbusier’s Unite’, Moshe Safdie‘s Habitat ’67 is a project that focused on the unit rather than the global structure. Habitat 67’ is germane to the dialogue of high-density modular housing, therefore one cannot investigate the concept of unit compilation without first exploring its design. Habitat ’67 contains 185 dwellings that are constructed entirely of interlocking units; therefore, no mega structure is needed. Each unit in the scheme is dependent upon the units adjacent to it, acting as an irreplaceable part of the greater whole. 9 These precast “modules interlock and are woven primarily in a horizontal direction containing an infinite amount of orientations.9 Habitat ’67 provides high-density modular housing complex while still finding a balance between the optimum amount of private, public and interstitial spaces for the occupants. Safdie begun his design process at the most fundamental level, which is that of the unit’s shape, size, material and structural frame. He chose a load bearing framing system, which gave him the greatest flexibility in arranging his units. According to Sadfie, these preliminary building matrix decisions are the most important, having implications on everything from vertical circulation, window placement, stability in placement and angle of façade. Alvaro Siza addressed the process of designing affordable housing using industrialization in a dense urban setting in the construction of the Malagueria housing settlement. Attempts by previous designers ended up being extremely repetitive, while Siza’s scheme allowed for the generation of many different houses. “Over thirty-five different layouts were designed, ranging from one-bedroom to five-bedroom houses.”10 Siza used a specific design scheme and process that allowed him to customize each house to the users needs. “There are two types of houses that can be combined in different ways resulting in different patterns of solid and void. This manipulation of the paired combinations is the key to the rich

Home Delivery. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, new York, 2008 Print Jose Duarte. Towards the mass customaztion of housing: the grammar of Sizaʼs houses at Malagueria. Enviroment and Planning, 2005. vol. 32 p 347-380 10

concatenated rhythm that is achieved with a pallet of only two dwelling types.”11 The houses are designed to be added on to over time by the occupants so that they can begin a core that consists of a simple two room house built on one level that can be transformed into a much larger dwelling with several bedrooms, multiple baths, and roof terraces. 11 The Malagueria houses intelligently utilize the existing aqueducts as infrastructure for water and electric distributions. Lack of Infrastructure is always a challenge in developing post-disaster housing, whether it is being connecting to the existing channels or designed as a self contained unit. Variety in the composition is added by the developments connection to the site. The houses step down with the topography along the street as well as stepping perpendicular to the street. 11 Siza looked at the housing development on every scale and paid attention to how the singular units interacted to form a whole, and the manner in which it transitioned from public to private space. 11

vi. site Historically there have been concerns that increased use of prefabricated construction and modular design will create a barrier between architectural form and the landscape. Anderson and Anderson address this concern by ensuring that all of their “design work draws it’s forms from the particularities of a specific site and it’s inhabitants.” Wes Jones highlights the importance of the interrelationship between unit and ground by asserting that: " As architecture makes no sense outside the reference to embodiment, the topo-logical system/unit must possess three-dimensionality or be represented as a 3-dimensional entity. The gesture for example, is not a system until fleshed out, given a body, embodied"12

http://alvarosizaviera.com/tag/malagueria accessed on Sept 11. 2010 Jones, PArtners: Architecture, and Jones Partner:. El Sugundo. 1 ed. New York. Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. Print. 12

Wes Jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fascination with the ubiquitous shipping container has advanced the possibilities of using this form as a ready-made building block. In contrast to other modular forms, the iso container eliminates the need for framing members because of its inherent structural characteristics. 13

vii. proposal Restoring and enhancing the quality of life, enhancing environmental quality and incorporating disaster resilience/mitigation are the essential goals of this proposal. The proposed concept is to design post-disaster units that will be used for temporary housing. The proposal will analyze and modify the FEMA trailer in an attempt to design a more contemporary, adaptable model that pay closer attention the communal spaces that can be created with post-disaster housing. The existing programs depend on deployment of single-household manufactured homes or trailers. My proposal will provide high-density housing at a capacity level that is substantially greater than what current models provide. This model will utilize single modular units that will compile to form high-density temporary housing. These aggregated units will have the ability to stack and interconnect to form a cohesive group of when put together. The proposed aggregation of units will use ancillary architectural forms to adapt to site conditions, and by doing so make them more connected to the landscape instead of simple an object. These forms can also function as infrastructure or be used to connect to existing groundwork. Flexibility in the unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior and interior form will allow occupants to expand and adapt as they see fit.

Home Delivery. New YorK: The Museum Of Modern Art, New York, 2008. Print.

Prefabricated construction, using recycled materials, will be implemented so units can be easily transported and assembled on site. Prefabricated construction has been proven to be the most practical option when building post-disaster housing. The idea of organizing provisional housing as a part of a community is a concept that must be well developed. The design will take into account socially acceptable living arrangements to maximize the sense of home and community while paying attention to use of public and private space. It is important to keep in mind that the inhabitants will most likely be traumatized and coping with great loss, requiring the housing units to provide the occupants with a feeling of comfort, safety, and stability while long term recovery process begins. 14 The units will pay proper attention to the concepts of sustainable design in order to decrease the impact on the environment, minimizing cost and waste. There are several key elements to consider when designing sustainable housing. The first element is aimed at reducing energy demands on the home through forming a tightly sealed envelope, integrating structure and services, and using less water. Secondly, utilizing day lighting, passive solar gain, solar panels and photovoltaic’s will maximize the units’ ability to capture and produce energy.15

Caroline Humphreyʼs, “No Place like Home in Anthropology: The Neglect of Arcitecture, “ Anthropolgy Today, vol.4, no.1 (Feb 1988):16-18 15 Thomas Randall. Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach. 1 ed. Washington, DC: Taylor& Francis, 2003 Print

Bibliography Anderson, Mark, and Peter Anderson. Prefab Prototypes: Site-specific Design for Offsite Construction. 1 ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2006. Print. Arslan, Hakan . Redesign and recycle of temporary houses. Building And Environment vol 42. 2007. 400-406 Badanes, Steve, Bryan Bell, Roberta Feldman, Thomas Fisher, Sergio Palleroni, Katie Swenson, and Katie Wakeford. Expanding Architecture: Design as Activism. New York: Metropolis Books, 2008. Print. Blake, Peter. The Master Builders: Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright (The Norton Library). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1996. Print. Birch, Eugene L., and Susan M. Wachter. “Rebuilding Urban Places After Disaster: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina” (The City in the Twenty-First Century). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. Print Brown, Linda, and David Walters. Design First: Design-based Planning for Communities. London: Architectural Press, 2004. Print. Caroline Humphrey, “No Place like Home in Anthropology: The Neglect of Architecture,” Anthropology Today, vol. 4, No.1 (Feb 1988): 16-18 Dietz, Albert G. H.. Industrialized Building Systems for Housing. London: The Mit Press, 1971. Print. Duarte, Jose. Towards a mass customization of housing: the Grammar of Siza’s houses at Malagueria. Environmental Planning and Design. 2005, vol. 32. p 347-380 Gerfen, Katie. “Nest House, Disaster Areas Worldwide/Naylor and Chu Architects.” Architect Design http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/nest-house-disaster-areaworldwide.aspx#related_articles Goldberger, Paul. “Does Architecture Matter? Thoughts on Social Responsibility, Buildings, and the World After September 11th.” http://www.paulgoldberger.com.lecture/14 Greene, Rebekah The Resilience Institute,part of Huxley’s College of the Environment. available from http://igcr.blogspot.com/2008/07/post-disaster-housing-woes.html Home Delivery. New York: The Museum Of Modern Art, New York, 2008. Print Humphrey, Carolina. “No Place like Home in Anthropolgy: The Neglect of Architecture,” Anthropology Today, vol. 4, No.1 (Feb 1988): 16-18 Isaacs, Reginald. "the neighborhood theory: an analysis of its adequacy." Journal of the American Planning Assocation 14.2 (1948): 15-23. Informaworld. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

Jenkins, David. Unite D'Habitation: Le Corbusier (Architecture in Detail). London: Phaidon Press, 1993. Print. Jones, Partners: Architecture, and Jones Partner:. El Segundo. 1 ed. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. Print. Jones, Wes. Instrumental form: designs for words, building, machines. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1998. Print. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture that Responds to Change. London: Laurence King Publishers, 2007. Print. Kronenburg, Robert. Flexible: Architecture that Responds to Change. London: Laurence King Publishers, 2007. Print. Kronenburg, Robert. Portable Architecture (Architectural Press New Technology Series). 2nd ed. London: Architectural Press, 2000. Print. Kronenburg, Robert H.. Houses in Motion: The Genesis, History and Development of the Portable Building. 2 ed. Chichester: Academy Press, 2002. Print. Lizarralde, Gonzalo, Cassidy Johnson, and Colin H. Davidson. Rebuilding after disasters: from emergency to sustainability. London: Spon Press, 2010. Print. Lizarralde, GONZALO. “Reconstruction management and post-disaster low-cost Housing; the case for social reconstruction” Master of Architecture thesis., McGill University, Nov 2000 Mitchell, William J.. The logic of architecture: design, computation and cognition. 6. print. ed. Cambridge, Mass. u.a.: MIT Press, 1998. Print. Monday, Jacqelyn L. "After Disaster...building a sustainable community." JOURNAL OF GREEN BUILDING 1.2 (2006): 86-97. Print. Nigg, Joanne M. “Hurricane Katrina and the Flooding of New Orleans: Emergent issues in Sheltering and Temporary Housing,” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol 604 (March 2006): 111-128. Oshima, Ken Tadashi, and Rasmus Waern. Home Delivery. New York: The Museum Of Modern Art, New York, 2008. Print. Peterman, Dr. William. Neighborhood Planning and Community-Based Development: The Potential and Limits of Grassroots Action (Cities and Planning). 1 ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Pollman, Thomas. email message to the author. July 28, 2010

Seelig, Michael Y. The architecture of self-help communities: The first International competition for the urban environment of developing countries. First ed. New York ; Tokyo: Architectural Record Books, 1978. Print. Stohr, Kate , and Cameron Sinclair. Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises. First ed. New York: Metropolis Books, 2006. Print.

Thoman, Randall. Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach. 1 ed. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis, 2003. Print. UCLA Newsroom. available from:http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/professor-students-createfloating-111023.aspx Vale, Lawrence , and Thomas Campanella. The Resilient City: How Modern Cities Recover from Disaster. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2005. Print.

glossary emergency shelters: Tents and easily erected temporary structures are given to provide structurally sound havens of short periods of less than twenty-four hours during and following a disaster. provisional/ temporary housing: In the intermediate stages when victims are unable to return to their damaged homes, apartments and/or rental homes are made available permanent / replacement housing: The final stage in the housing process when victims are given replacement houses because they are unable to return to their original homes. disaster situations -natural disasters that are caused by weather or geological phenomenon -war-time or post-war that are by products of human conflict --refugee situations that are the result of wartime or natural disaster Nigg, Joanne M. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hurricane Katrina and the Flooding of New Orleans: Emergent issues in Sheltering and Temporary Housing,â&#x20AC;? Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol 604 (March 2006): 111-128.

FEMA: Federal Emergency Management Agency grouping: aggregation of units within a composition natural hazard mitigation: reducing the risks before disasters occur. Mitigations works to reduce or eliminate the vulnerability of people and property from natural hazards and their effects. Denver Regional Council od Governments (DRCOG) Handbook: Planning and Growing Safer Communities: Why is it important

prefabricated construction: Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factor or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is used to distinguish this process from the more conventional construction practice of transporting the basic materials to the construction site where all assembly is carried out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefabrication

module: A standard or unit of measurement. The dimensions of a structural component, such as the base of a column, used as a unit. answers.com

post disaster housing: housing that is provided for victims or natural or manmade disasters. refugee housing: used when disaster victims are unable to rebuild on or near them previous home and must resettle in a new area. stable population: those groups of people who are able to to remain in their on or near the site of their original homes. squatter communities: Definition of a squatter settlement varies widely from country to country and depends on a variety of defining parameters. In general, it is considered as a residential area in an urban locality inhabited by the very poor who have no access to tenured land of their own, and hence "squat" on vacant land, either private or public. These settlements comprise nearly half of the population of 3rd world cities. http://www.gdrc.org/uem/define-squatter.html

sustainable: A building, project, or philosophy that is based upon allowing this generation to meet its needs without impeding the ability of future generation to meet their needs; in essence a project with no negative environmental impacts. recycled material www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustainability

charrette 1 post-disaster Housing

_modular Recovery

post-disaster Housing

modular Recovery

_ thesis document â&#x20AC;˘ darron e. williams

contents

discourse post-disaster housing

monograph assembling and [dis]assembling the module

design proposal module +grouping+site

syllabus assignments 0 - 4

post-disaster Housing

_modular Recovery

ii. background

Dense

Thomas Pollman. Email message to the author. July 28, 2010

http://alvarosizaviera.com/tag/malagueria accessed on Sept 11. 2010 Jones, PArtners: Architecture, and Jones Partner:. El Sugundo. 1 ed. New York. Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. Print. 12

Home Delivery. New YorK: The Museum Of Modern Art, New York, 2008. Print.

module: A standard or unit of measurement. The dimensions of a structural component, such as the base of a column, used as a unit. answers.com

post-disaster housing

_modular

Recovery

charrette 1 _case Study

darron e. williams

intent examination and investigation of 2 instances of the module. A critical assessment to extract the logical and conceptual methods of assembling and [dis]assembling the module.

habitat ‘67 Moshe Safdie

scope habitat ‘67 lobolloy house method habitat ‘67 module investigation _grid, _shape _size, _material _structure (load bearing system) module influence on building matrix _vertical shafts _window placement _angle of façade _stability in placement diagramming _public _private _interstitial spaces _circulation loblolly House module _component based approach to prefabricated housing. _composed of a set highly individualized “elements not parts.” _ Bosch system framework allowed for quick assemble and even faster disassembly of elements diagramming _assemble of elements: pile, scaffold, cartridge, block process _offsite vs. onsite design _length of construction _chain of supply

loblolly house

Keiran Timberlake Architects

HABITAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67 Moshie Safdie Montreal Canada 1962-67

Original Systems

Single Repetitive Module with Supporting Frame

Bearing Wall Construction â&#x20AC;&#x153;floors and walls form space frameâ&#x20AC;?

HABITAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67 Construction Details

Module

Shape

Sizes

HABITAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67

Module

House Grouping

Cluster

Modules influence on building matrix

vertical shafts

window placement

HABITAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67 Modules influence on building matrix

stability in placement

angle of facade

Modules influence on building matrix vertical shafts

window placement

stability in placement

Circulation/ Public vs. Private Space

public private circulation

HABITAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;67 Building Circulation public circulation pedestrian walkways

first level circulation

public space on each level

Public vs Private Space

public

LOBLOLLY HOUSE

Keiran Timberlake Architects Taylors Island, Maryland Completed 2006

Projects

“Make-it-Right” House

Cellophane House

LOBLOLLY HOUSE Process Off site

On site

“It’s not a new house the architects were after, but

rather a new production process for architecture, a transformation of the architect into something akin to a process engineer. “

Elements, not Parts Traditional Home Construction

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We propose to establish fewer, highly individualized partsâ&#x20AC;?

Piles

Scaffold

Wall Cartridge

Floor Cartridge

Block

LOBLOLLY HOUSE Piles

Scaffold

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unlike most structural frames, it is readily reversible and can be disassembled as quickly, or more quickly, than it can be assembledâ&#x20AC;?

Connection detail

LOBLOLLY HOUSE Cartridge: Wall and Floors

Rain Screen

Smart Cartridge

Block

Mechanical Block

Bathroom Block

LOBLOLLY HOUSE Layout

public private circulation

aggregate

MODULE

disaggregate

post-disaster housing

_modular

charrette 1 _design Project I

Recovery

[project] The proposed concept is to design a post-disaster housing that will be used for high density temporary housing. The ability to design high-density housing is strongly dependent on the design of the unit itself. Equally important is the larger structure that is formed through the compilation of the individual module. [intent] The intent is to focus on several ideas throughout this investigation: proportion, public/ private space, circulation, grain and path. These elements will acts as driver and help determine the formal articulation of the three-dimensional structure that is designed. [objectives] To investigate to possible formal qualities that can be articulated through the manipulation of the individual unit within a larger structure. -The first charrette explored all the possible group formations that can be made with a 24 hours time span systems based on the ideas above along with a set of spatial and numerical constraints: -size parameter -stacking options -exterior sq. footage -defined minimum square footage -cantilever (1/3 rule in both x and y axis)

Modules fema trailer 38’x12’x12’

module dimension 3’6”

38’6”

14’

Cantilever Constraint

Cantilever

Vertical Space

Module_2

Grouping/Stacking

Modules_3

Grouping/Stacking

Module_4

Grouping/Stacking

Modules_5

Grouping/Stacking

1 _design Project II

-The second design project evaluated the groups based on: -form -density -sq. footage -pub/private space -communal space The most appropriate systems was then be chosen and interpreted across 3 different sites: 1. urban in fill: grouping with highest density 2. court yard condition: grouping with largest amount of public space: 3. floating flood plane: grouping that can be most easily equipped with flood plane piles.

Habitable Space

Protected Space

Private Space

14’

38’6”

Shared Space

168 sq ft

133 sq ft

168 sq ft

133 sq ft

Site NYC

Urban In fill

Court Yard

er im rk He

Eri

Fourteenth

lle

eid

e bri

Felix

Dea

arr W

On en

rr Wa

Ninth

r Ty

en Av

nu Ave

te Ya

ntal

Cha

ue A

Eighth

ell

Barry

ndt

rtla

Aven

17'-4"

Van

Lawren

rva

e Av

Av e

rea

And

Nicholls

B SW AY

Fifteenth

nu Ave

RE O SH T EC SP

are

Delaw

lvd

hte

ad B

Eleventh

Eig

tehe

Ninth

Fifth

Whi

Bayard

n rfro

te Wa

Flood Zone

Urban In fill

Communal Space

Court Yard

Flood Zone Telescoping Piles

Proximity to Site

Siting

Louvers

South Sun

Horizontal

East/West Sun

Vertical

Siting

Panels

post-disaster housing

_modular syllabus

Recovery

[premise] Presently, there is not an effective, design-based, solution in place to develop post-disaster housing for communities suffering from the effects of natural disasters. A lack of permanent housing forces evacuees to experience extended stays in temporary housing, such as FEMA trailers; subsequently, these trailers often become permanent housing. “Temporary housing sites have been designed very rudimentary, usually in rows of trailers angled along roadways to allow quick delivery and removal.” There is no attempt to design them as “living communities. Density is another issue at the root of the problem, and not just for the United States. Hurricane Katrina exposed FEMA’s lack of an urban solution for post-disaster housing. There are solutions for temporary housing in different climates, but not one suited for dense urban environments Architecture plays a pivotal role in reestablishing community and stability during the recovery process for the devastated areas. Providing postdisaster communities for displaced families is essential to the recovery process. Restoring and enhancing the quality of life, enhancing environmental quality and incorporating disaster resilience/mitigation should be essential goals of any who endeavor to improve the current state of post-disaster housing. This model will utilize a system of singular modular units that will compile to conform to various types housing conditions. These aggregated units will have the ability to stack and interconnect to form a cohesive group. These grouping will be design to activate and enhance not only private space, but interstitial and communal spaces as well. The subject of modular repeated units has implications in not only post disaster housing, but also conventional housing as a whole. This type of configuration system can be used to enhance public space on both a small and large scale of modular housing.

[objectives] The goal of this semester will be to development of a set of design guidelines and systems that can be deployed across different site conditions that will provide optimum quality of life. These guidelines are based on quantitative and qualitative information. Quantitative elements include: -density: units per acre, units per floor -amount of: private, semi-public or public space within the site. Qualitative refers to the intangible characteristics that each configuration creates. The design should be mindful of the articulation of the individual module within the larger configuration. Students should be mindful of the configuration’s ability to create communal spaces through its engagement with the site. Typically, modular projects lack a sense of place due to the “once sized fits all” nature of the components, therefore students should be mindful of the characteristics that are unique to each site in order to respond thoughtfully. [content] This course seeks to examine the current model of post-disaster housing an attempt to modify the FEMA trailer in order to design a more contemporary, sustainable, adaptable model that can be used for post-disaster housing. This course will consist of five cumulative assignments for the coming semester. Each assignment will build upon the preceding one leading up to the final comprehensive assignment. Assignments 0 will focus on the development of a set of design guidelines that will allow students to identify the optimum configuration of units within a grouping. Assignment 1 will take a detailed look at design of the individual building block or unit. Assignment 2 focuses on the development of unit configuration onto three different site. Assignment 3 focuses on the full development of groupings into communal spaces. Assignment 4 involves the interpretation on units into 3 distinctly different sites. The focus of the final assignments is the in depth implementation and deployment of a unit configuration on a site that has been devastated by a natural disaster. [method] This course will consist of four cumulative assignments that will require rigorous research and understanding of: A] the individual unit as a module B] it’s function as a building block within a larger composition C] The spatial conditions created through the manipulation of “the block” on a specific site [evaluation] Success in the assignment will be based on the student’s thoroughness in the development of multiple configurations of temporary units that pay attention to: site flexibility, rapid deployment, density and communal space.

FEMA Camp Sites

Site Obstacles • Designs paid little attention to the practical implications of close quarter housing. • Temporary housing sites were designed very rudimentary, usually in rows of trailers angled along roadways to allow quick delivery and removal. • Sites were located far away from original homes, commercial and residential centers, making it nearly impossible for inhabitants to find employment or other housing. • There is no attempt to design them as “living communities. • Cramped conditions, isolation, and post-disaster depression created a toxic mix. • Ubiquitous Design of site and Units

Disaster Relief Housing Strategies

• Emergency Shelter (Red Cross, local government)

• Provisional Housing (generally up to 18 months) up to 3 years in Katrina -apartments -rental Homes -mobile homes, park models • Permanent/Replacement Housing

Strategy

EMERGENCY HOUSING

1-8 DAYS

TIME

PROVISIONAL HOUSING

1-18 MONTHS

PERMANENT/ REPLACEMENT HOUSING

1-3 YEARS

PROPOSED INTERVENTION Strategy

TIME

EMERGENCY HOUSING

1-8 DAYS

PROVISIONAL HOUSING

1-36 MONTHS

PERMANENT/ REPLACEMENT HOUSING

1-3 YEARS

There are three time scales in responding to those who are displaced. These are “refugee housing, temporary housing, and permanent housing.”2 Time scales are divided this way in order to separate the organizations that deal with short-term needs from those that deal with the long. The particular time scale in which houses are implemented has great implications on the type of housing that is required. Emergency housing is generally constructed with lightweight tents or other materials that can be quickly erected during the time frame directly after a disaster. Provisional housing includes trailers, hotels, motel and/or apartments that 2 are provided for a specified amount of time. The Provisional housing period in the US has become longer with the most recent disasters.

Central Concept

FEMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s implementation of homogeneity has greatly detracted from the communal aspects of the camp sites. This type of deployment has led to ubiquitous, identity-less comminutes. The unit as a repeated object speaks to a larger question of modularity, which is the ideal of Non-Communal Modularity vs Communal Modularity. This idea advocates the expansion of public/social space through the re-configuration of units on the site. Density and clustering creates a condition in which the use of same site and number of units allows for different and more dynamic conditions of communal gathering, threshold and the gradient between public and private space.

Non-Communal Modularity

Communal Modularity Thresholds Gradient Larger Public Space

Pre-Assignment: Physical Model

[premise] Production of physical model. [objective] Development of physical model in order to evaluate the system in a 1:1 relationship constraints: -Structural: span, cantilever, bridging -communal space -Numerical: min square footage needed for private, semi-private and public spaces. -Circulation -Plumbing, Mechanical [method] -Using 1x1x3 module to form a 6x6x6 cube -Manipulate the position, arrangement and orientation of the module using the ideas of proportion, figure & field, grain and path [evaluations] Success in the assignment will be based on the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoroughness in the development of a physical model that can be used to test and evaluate proposed configurations.

pre-assignment: physical model

charrette 1 Assignmnent 1

_unit Compilation

[premise] The development of a set of design guidelines that will allow students to identify the optimum shape and configuration of units within a grouping. This class will help the student develop a systematic method to configuring units. [objective] The focus of the assignment is to produce as many combinations of units as possible, while adhering to a set of constraints and priorities. Production of these combinations will then allow students evaluate and determine the which sets are the most effective in maximizing density and communal space. [Method] Rhinoceros will allow students to produce the maximum amount of unit shapes and configurations within an established set of design constraints. Students will produce a diagrammatic matrix of the relationship between each group configuration and its numerical data in order to chose the most optimum set of groups. Constraints: -Structural: span, cantilever, bridging -communal space -Numerical: min square footage needed for private, semi-private and public spaces. -Circulation -Plumbing, Mechanical Matrix of unit sets Success in this assignment will be based exhaustive enumeration of all

MODULE LOGIC 15’

30’

MODULE ATTACHMENT FLUSH

1/2

FULL

N/A

PATTERN FORMATIONS Translations

Reflections

Rotations

Modules_2

Modules_3

Modules_4

Modules_3

Modules_4

PATTERN FORMATIONS

CONFIGURATION CRITERIA FEMA Layout

1 1

Avg. exposure

1 1

4.5 2

density

43%

Y1 Y2

variety

X1 X2 X3

courtyard

circulation

charrette 1 Assignment 2

_group Design

[premise] Typical post-disaster housing is not designed to provide nor enhance to quality of communal spaces. Post-disaster housing units should be designed to form a cohesive community; therefore, it is important to fully investigate and analyze the spaces that they will produce. Similar to conventional housing, post-disaster housing should also be stitched into the urban fabric while also providing walk-able space and open areas for recreation [objective] Students are expected to categories and prioritize the optimum sets that were identified in Assignment 1. The criteria from the previous assignment will be used to narrow the configurations down to 8. At that point 3 generic unit types will be introduced in order to established rules and parameters for stacking. These 8 configuration will then put through Christopher Alexander’s “Properties of Space” in order to select those that have the potential to create the most dynamic and highest quality of public spaces qualitative elements: -interstitial space -communal space - engagement with ground plane. formal elements: -proportion -shape -rhythm -symmetry [method] Diagramming -circulation -program -figure and field comparisons Modeling -physical -3D [evaluation] Success in the assignment will be based on the student’s ability to produce schemes that pay attention to circulation, communal space, density and interstitial spaces.

UNIT TYPES PROPERTIES OF SPACE

UNIT_A

SINGLE UNIT

UNIT_ B

DOUBLE VOLUME

UNIT_C

STACKED UNITS

LEVELS OF SCALE (SECTION)

AMOUNT OF SECTIONAL VARIATION WITHIN THE GROUP

STRUCTURE:

ADDITIONAL STRUCTURE NEEDED FOR UNIT AND/OR CIRCULATION

GRADIENT:

AMOUNT OF VARIATION WITHIN THE GROUP FROM PUBLIC, SEMI-PUBLIC TO PRIVATE SPACE

LIGHT EXPOSURE:

AMOUNT OF SHADOW WITHIN THE INNER CORE OF CONFIGURATION

BOUNDARY:

# OF SIDES THE ARE ENCLOSED

LEVELS OF SCALE: (PLAN)

AMOUNT OF SPACIAL VARIATION IN PLAN

ASSEMBLY TIME:

AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED FOR ASSEMBLY

HUMAN PROPORTION

HEIGHT AND WIDTH OF COURTYARDS ARE IN PROPORTION, RELATIVE TO HUMAN BODY

LOCAL SYMMETRY

SYMMETRY OF EXTERIOR BUILDINGS SURROUNDING THE PUBLIC SPACE

GRADIENT:

public

semi-public

private

public semi-public private

LOGIC OF PROPERTIES

1. 2. 3.

LEVELS OF SCALE: (PLAN)

LEVELS OF SCALE (SECTION)

HUMAN PROPORTION

2:1

LEVELS OF SCALE: (PLAN)

# of scales

LEVELS OF SCALE (SECTION)

1 1

2 1

3 1

5 1

post-disaster housing

HUMAN PROPORTION

_modular Recovery 5:1

3:1

2 3:1

1:1

6:1

3:1

4:1

5:1

1:1

6:1

3:1

GROUP CRITERIA

UNIT - A

UNIT - B

UNIT - C

0= NONE 1= LOW 2= MEDIUM 3=HIGHEST

PROPERTIES OF SPACE

LEVELS OF SCALE (SECTION)

STRUCTURE

<10%

GRADIENT

LIGHT EXPOSURE

BOUNDARY

ASSEMBLY TIME

120’-22’

HUMAN PROPORTION

LOCAL SYMMETRICS

LEVELS OF SCALE (PLAN)

PROPORTION

PUBLIC

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION UNIT

2:1

100

BIG/JDS

MOUNTAIN DWELLINGS

PAUL RUDOLPH

ORIENTAL MASONIC GARDENS

FEMA TRAILERS GULF STREAM COACH FOREST RIVER (MAJOR MANUFACTURER)

PRECEDENT STUDY post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

2:1

3:1

PROPORTION

PUBLIC

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION

UNIT

100

2:1 MACCREANOR LAVINGTON

SINGELS 2

WATERWIJK WATERHOEVE BOSCH

100K CASA MARIO CUCINELLA

PRECEDENT STUDY post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

2:1

3:1

PUBLIC

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION

UNIT

NESTED CIRCULATION

EXTENDED CIRCULATION

GROUP STUDY

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

100

PUBLIC

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION

UNIT

NESTED CIRCULATION

EXTENDED CIRCULATION

GROUP STUDY

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

100

post-disaster housing

GROUP STUDY

PUBLIC

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION

UNIT

NESTED CIRCULATION

_modular Recovery

100

charrette 1 Assignment 3

_unit Design

[premise] The focus of this assignment will be a detailed investigation into the design of the individual unit to uncover ways that it can enhance and enrich public space.

[objective] The goal of this assignment is to design the unit in a manner that adds to the overall public space. The will entail investigations into the formal, spatial, structural, and material qualities of the unit. Development of addition elements such as: awning, porches, decks and partitions should also be included. In addition, students should define the manner in which units would be dismantled and subsequently recycled or re-used once they are no longer occupied. [method] Student will focus on the use of existing systems and technologies in development of floor plans, structural systems, panels and materiality. -Matrix -Drawings - plan, section, axonometric, and perspective views -Diagramming -Models - conceptual, sectional, diagrammatic or any other variation [evaluation] Success in the assignment will be based on the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development the unitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s layout, structure and materiality qualities and ultimately how it impacts public space.

FEMA UNITS

28’x8’x11’

30’x15’x11’ PUBLIC

PRIVATE

MIDDLE ENTRY

END ENTRY

L-SHAPE 10'

7'-6"

10'

15'

10'

30'

10'

bedroom

kitchen

10'

COURT YARD kitchen

living room

bedroom 10'

COURT YARD

7'-6"

bathroom

10'

bathroom

bedroom

7'-6"

10'

kitchen

dining

living room

10'

EDOCTSE

bedroom

COURT YARD

10'

bedroom

bathroom

bedroom dining

dining

ESTCODE

UNIT TYPES

ESTCODE

living room

7'-6"

_modular Recovery CORRUGATED METAL PANELS

LOUVERS/ WINDOW FRAME

UNIT COMPONENTS

RIGID FOAM INSULATION PANEL

WELDED STEEL FRAME

ENCLOSURE PANEL

C-CLAMP

PTAC UNIT

FOOTINGS

PANEL SYSTEM

Customizable Panels

COVERED SPACE

AWNING

Light Weight Fabric

SOLAR MATRIX

N-S

S-N

E-W

W-E

post-disaster housing

Symmetrical Cross Axis

Symmetrical 1 Circulation Path

Asymmetric

_modular Recovery

post-disaster housing

UNIT

10,800 sq ft

CIRCULATION

825 sq ft

SEMI-PUBLIC

825 sq ft

PUBLIC

23,300 sq ft

1/8”=1’

Middle-End Unit

_modular Recovery

post-disaster housing

UNIT

7,200 sq ft

CIRCULATION

600 sq ft

SEMI-PUBLIC

1800 sq ft

PUBLIC

14,100 sq ft

Middle-L-Shape Unit

_modular Recovery

post-disaster housing

Middle-End Unit

_modular Recovery

UNIT

5,400 sq ft

CIRCULATION

1200 sq ft

SEMI-PUBLIC

1200 sq ft

PUBLIC

21,800 sq ft

1/8”=1’

post-disaster housing CIRCULATION

MAJOR PUBLIC SPACE

MINOR PUBLIC SPACE

_modular Recovery

Unit Criteria

post-disaster housing

Covered Space

Visibiltiy

_modular Recovery

Privacy

Individual Unit Space

Privacy

Covered Space

Visibiltiy

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

charrette 1 Assignmnent 4

_siting / Layout

Assignment 3: Siting/Layout

â&#x20AC;&#x153; As architecture makes no sense outside the reference to embodiment, the topo-logical system/unit must possess threedimensionality or be represented as a 3-dimensional entity. The gesture for example, is not a system until fleshed out, given a body, embodiedâ&#x20AC;? Wes Jones [premise] The assignment focuses on the development of unit configurations into 3 distinctly different site conditions. This assignment will display the way in each unit configuration adapts and adhere to the site. This assignments also contains a in depth implementation and deployement of a unit configuration on a site that has been devastated by a natural disaster. [objective] This assignment will involve the investigation of the three sites. Each will require a different design response, based on the disaster scenario assigned to each location. In addition, students will be challenged to respond to changes in: shape, proportion, size and density requirements. Site analysis will inform the students of the specific needs of each location. This will inform the student of the specific adaptations and integrations needed to each configuration in order to appropriately assimilate to each site and create a sense of place. [method] Investigate site in order to identify the significant formal and spatial elements of each site. -Mapping -Siting -Diagramming [evaluation] The assignment is focused on the integration of unit configurations into three different site conditions. These integrations should concentrate on the site-specific conditions of each location and respond accordingly. Success in the assignment will be determined by the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to interpret and deploy the appropriate unit grouping across the chosen sites.

Walmart Site: New Orleans, LA Hurricane

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery 72 units

250 Â feet

HORIZONTAL SECTION

VERTICAL SECTION

Walmart Site: Bellingham, WA

Earth Quake

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

48 units

250 feet 250

feet

AL SECTION

SECTION

VERTICAL SECTION

Renaissance Village Baker, La -Camp opened in 2005 with 600 units on site -August 2007: 500 trailers that still had occupants -Class rooms and play grounds were donated by outside sources and a housing services office were set up. - Feb of 2007 CDC asks that remaining occupants seek alternative housing because of high formaldehyde levels -March of 2007 there were still 200 occupied trailers on the site

FEMA SITE PLAN

600 units on 62 acres

13.0842

250 feet

Renaissance Village Baker, LA PROPOSED SITE PLAN

Renaissance Village Baker, LA

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery Proposed Site Plan

626 units on 62 acres

250 feet

NTS

_modular Recovery

VERTICAL SECTION

HORIZONTAL SECTION

Individual Spaces

NTS

Playground Space

NTS

Proposed Site Plan

FEMA Site Plan

13.0842

250 feet

post-disaster housing PROPOSED

_modular Recovery

UNIT

FEMA

VERTICAL SECTION

SEMI-PUBLIC

CIRCULATION

14,400 sq ft

sq ft

PUBLIC

1770

40,120 sq ft

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

Levels of Scale: Plan

Properties of Space

Gradient

private

post-disaster housing

Human Proportion

_modular Recovery

3:1

5:1

2 3

Levels of Scale: Section

Method Module Logic Module Attachment • Developed a systematic method that produced all module combinations of 1 , 2 and 3

15’

30’

MODULE ATTACHMENT FLUSH

1/2

FULL

• Developed rules to determine how the modules can be attached to each other. (flush, ½ point, whole, at the corner) • Modules can also be rotated as long as the corners are touching

N/A

*found a flaw in the attachment rules during this phase, that proved the ineffectiveness of the corner connections. Moving the corner connection out from the unit allowed for a finer grain of circulation within my configurations. Pattern Formations • Module attachments were the starting point for creating larger patterns. • Patterns were created with a series of transformations: (Reflections, Translation and Rotations

PATTERN FORMATIONS Translations

Rotations

Reflections

Pattern Criteria FEMA Layout

1 1

Avg. exposure

1 1

4.5 2

• Density: Measure of built area vs unbuilt area for each pattern

density

• Variety: amount of variation between the patterns

43%

Y1 Y2

variety

• Circulation: Ease of navigation and access within patterns

circulation

• Court Yard: Identifying the major and minor courtyard spaces inherent in the pattern

X1 X2

courtyard

• Average exposure: ( the amount of light that each side receives with in a particular configuration.

post-disaster housing

_modular Recovery

Group Criteria GROUP CRITERIA

UNIT - A

UNIT - B

UNIT - C

0= NONE 1= LOW 2= MEDIUM 3=HIGHEST

3 generic unit types were chosen as the base units for the stacking parameters ( single volume, double volume, and stacked units)

PROPERTIES OF SPACE

LEVELS OF SCALE (SECTION)

STRUCTURE

<10%

GRADIENT

LIGHT EXPOSURE

BOUNDARY

120’-22’

HUMAN PROPORTION

LOCAL SYMMETRICS

ASSEMBLY TIME

LEVELS OF SCALE (PLAN)

Unit Criteria

Redefined Christopher Alexander’s Properties of Space : • Levels of Scale (section), • Structure: amount of additional circulation added • Gradient • Light Exposure • Boundary • Levels of Scale (plan) • Assembly Time • Human Proportion ( height of and width of court yard relative to human scale • Local Symmetries

• Individual Space

Individual Unit Space

• Visibility, line of sight, Panel Sizes • Covered Space: position of covered space in relation to major and minor courtyards • Privacy: overlap of circulation path and unit positions.

Privacy

Covered Space Visibility

Pattern criteria narrowed the scope to 8 configurations. The Group Criteria begins to evaluate the stacking of units and its effect on the quality of the public space.

Conclusion: The core focal point of this thesis was to develop the methodolgy and criteria that allows for a repeated module to create community. There are an almost infinite number of paths that can be taken in tyring to solve an issue with such a wide scope as post-disaster housing. The options and solutions change exponentially with the addition of modules, configurations, stacking arrangements and unit types. This proposal was not focused on identifying a singular solution for the unit and/or configuration in order to declare it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the best.â&#x20AC;? Instead, this proposal is an investigation into developing a systematic method of thinking about the problems of non-communal modularity in order to implement the criteria that will lead to the creation of quality communal spaces through the use of a repeated unit.

post-disaster Housing

_modular Recovery thesis document | darron e. williams