Filling the Void: From Traumatic Impression to Resilient Expression by Emma Nicholls

FILLING THE VOID From Traumatic Impression to Resilient Expression Emma Nicholls Wentworth Institute of Technology Master of Architecture 2020

Acknowledgments To my parents, thank you for supporting me and always pushing me to be the best person that I can be. Without you, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have ever have been able to be where I am now. To my friends, thank you for being patient through all of my studio-filled weekends! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve supported me through all the sleepless nights and busy days, and have kept me sane! To Antonio, I am so grateful to have spent my last semester at Wentworth with you! You pushed me out of my comfort zone and have allowed me to grow in so many ways as an architect. To Mike Wolfson, thank you for always reminding me to think about what was important to me. You gave me the courage to be confident as a young designer.

Thesis Statement Argument

Chapter 1 Introduction

Setting the Context Framing Narrative Audience Structure of the Book

Wildfires

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Politics House vs. Home

Unused Urban Space The Gymnasium Home in Shelter

Chapter 3 Design as Research

Standards & Programming System Thinking The Human Scale Breaking out of the Grid Analytique System Design Organization Over Time

Chapter 4 Outcomes

Zone 1: Health & Administration Zone 2: Community Living Zone 3: Wellness Zone 4: Personal

Critical Insights

Chapter 5 Critical Reflection

Post-Disaster Design amidst a Disaster For the Future

Chapter 1

Introduction 1

Filling the Void: From Traumatic Impression to Resilient Expression The increasing severity of wildfires in California calls for an increase in the quantity and quality of evacuation centers across the state. The generic high school gymnasium provides a widely accessible infrastructure typology for a modular shelter system to be stored and deployed. This modular system can then adapt to the needs of the population and each individual to create a more resilient and supportive community. As wildfires continue to grow in size and frequency, groups of friends, families, neighbors, and communities are repeatedly forced to drive hours and hours to find available shelter. Even then, these centers are not equipped to provide refugees with the physical and emotional support that they need in the aftermath of their traumatic experiences. These evacuees should not be forced from one traumatizing experience into another one. While the gymnasium typology provides a widely accessible infrastructure for emergency evacuation centers, we must then adapt it with an easily deployable system that addresses refugeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical, psychological, and psycho-social needs. By increasing the quantity of evacuation centers to accommodate the growing population of displaced peoples, we can then focus on increasing the quality of those shelters in order to encourage the externalization of that trauma through acts of making and creating or community support. This increase in psychological and social support strengthens the resiliency of the community by creating a more healing and supportive post-disaster environment.

Figure 001 Map depicting medium and high-risk fire zones of California (yellow and orange), as well as the fire perimeters from 1970-2015 (red).

Setting Context We are living in a dream. A dream full of comforting delusions; that climate change is an isolated and remote event. For most, the climate crisis has been boiled down to melting ice caps and rising sea levels, only taking effect on the poles and coasts. It is going to be worse, much worse. Across the United States, “500-year” floods destroy communities month after month,and floods displace tens of millions people annually. In California, “wildfire season” has lost much of its significance as fires rage year-round. These are all very real and very severe consequences that people are suffering from right now. Five out of twenty of the worst fires in California’s history occurred in the fall of 2017 and burnt through a total of nearly 1,250,000 acres. In 2018, although fewer in number by nearly 2000, wildfires destroyed over 1,650,000 acres and killed over 100 people. The Camp Fire (2018), was the most destructive wildfire that California had ever seen. It caused for evacuations of thousands of people and destroyed over 11,000 houses. Today, evacuations occur several times a month. This immense number of people being

displaced calls for a large amount of resources to be put into emergency evacuation shelters. Typically these shelters, rapidly organized with a utilitarian approach, are less than ideal for the lost and scared who are seeking refuge. Military style cots and stiff blankets are arranged in row after row, spaced a couple feet apart from each other with no sense of boundaries or privacy. These are usually chaotic environments, organized quickly in response to a wildfire. In order to accommodate the maximum amount of people, large areas like school gyms, sports arenas, and recreation centers are the most common building types used for evacuation shelters. The problem with this is that they are not able to provide the comfort necessary in order for these refugees to be able to cope with the trauma of their situation.

Figures 002-005 Maps depicting fire perimeters by decade, starting in 1970 and ending in 2015. Seven out of twenty of the most destructive wildfires have occurred since then. Five of those were caused by power-lines.

1980 - 1989

1990 - 1999

2000 - 2009

2010 - 2015

Figure 006 Red Cross volunteer Barbara Wood, right, hugs an evacuee in a shelter at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, south of the raging Kincade fire. (John Burgess Press Democrat)

to bring elements of each individuals version of home into evacuation shelters? It is important to first determine what the more general factors of home may be. The scale, materiality, and lighting of these buildings was designed for movement and high-energy activities such as sports games, gym class, or other after-school events. Towering ceilings and expansive room dimensions meant to allow for obstacle-free conditions for sports do not provide victims with a more comforting human-scale environment. Materiality is often industrial and raw, unlike the homes in which they are being forced from. It is important to understand that home is a feeling, not a structure. A house is a domestic dwelling, a structure where people live. Our home is linked to our identity, and is a fundamental part of our well-being and comfort. Home does not have any one concrete definition. It is an internalized experience unbound by structure, it can be with us anywhere. It could come in the form of a smell, an image, or even a sound. Because of this, everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definition of home is unique and intricate. Our identity shapes what home means to us. Home is a basic human need, especially in times of crisis and disruption. The question now is, how do we begin 6

First, security and control is important. In a time where these victims may feel powerless and alarmed, being able to control their environment helps mitigate some of these vulnerable emotions. Architecture can satisfy this by being able to adapt to what the user needs, instead of the user needing to conform to the architecture. This also relates to home as an action. What this means is that the feeling of home can be achieved through the actual process of creating it and acting upon oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space. The sense of achievement that follows this personal transformation of their environment is a strong base upon which they can begin to heal. Secondly, home is a reflection of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity, or their personal ideas and values. Due to the frequency of evacuations, most Californians have an emergency suitcase full of necessities such as clothes, electronics, and important documents. However, what they also include are important personal items like photographs of loved ones, family heirlooms, or other items carrying ties to their version of home. These are small things that carry big meanings, and architecture can accommodate these items in small

ways as well by providing proper storage for physical necessities as well as sentimental ones. These personal items can also be used to simulate or create home in an unknown environment. Places to hang blankets or display photographs can be ways that architecture can aid in the process of creating home. Identity is also reflective of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture. Someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal definition of home has a strong basis in their cultural lifestyle. This also has a heavy impact on their definition of home. It is important for architecture to be able to adapt to the cultural needs that evacuees may need. A third factor of home is oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationships with family and friends. Caring relationships offer support during this time of crisis. Family and friends are an integral part of belonging, comfort, as well as familiarity. Architecture can create environments that keep friends and families close through the use of a single family module or the arrangement of modules to create social common spaces between them. The flexibly in aggregation types allows for a variation in levels of community interaction as well as allows for them to fit within a wide range of building types. Figures 007-009 In Jurupa Valley, paramedics battle heavy smoke in order to evacuate residents from the Riverside Heights Healthcare Center on October 30, 2019 as a result of the Hill fire burning alarmingly close to the building. Debris flys through the air, endangering the patients as well as the caretakers. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

‘Home’ is a unique and intricate version of sanctuary or refuge. While architecture may not be able to directly emotionally heal, it can act as the base upon which individuals can begin to rebuild the rest of their lives. The integration of home into shelter allows for not only a physical place of safety, but also an emotional space of sanctuary. This is an integral foundation for the victims of the wildfire evacuations to heal.

people will it impact? Which areas will be effected most drastically? These questions have singular and concrete answers. The question of ‘what is home?’ has infinite ones that involve aspects not easily understandable or tangible. People know what home means to them. If architecture allows for them to create their own home, the question is no longer ‘what is home?’. It is... ‘What does home mean to you?’.

The bigger picture in all of this is that the construction of home, whether that is social, emotional, or physical, is messy and complex. This is why responding to it through policy, especially preventative policy, is so difficult to do. There are many unknown variables in crisis situations. Will there be an evacuation? How many

Figure 010 On October 31, 2019, firefighters monitor a back burn as they work to control the Maria fire in Santa Paula. In less than 24 hours, the fire charred more than 9,400 acres and was 0% contained. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Wildfire zones in California surround the majority of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys that run down the middle of the state. The most severe fires occur in either the Coast Ranges of Northern California, or in the Santa Monica Mountains just north of Los Angeles. The majority of the population of California is also concentrated to two main areas; the area surrounding San Francisco and Los Angeles County. When taking a closer look into mapping out population density and the wildfire zones of Los Angeles County, you can see the need for residents to be able to flee quickly from their homes to a shelter. Having to drive long distances can lead to an increased risk of being trapped in the middle of a wildfire. In many cases,

Figure 011-012 Maps of California show overlaps between areas of dense population and extremely high fire risk zones. From this research, I then looked more closely at Los Angeles county and found similar conditions at a smaller scale.

high wind speeds can cause wildfires to spread at a rate of 60 miles per hour, the speed of the average car. An evacuee could be fleeing only to face an unexpected flare up and have to turn around and drive back into the fire that they were originally fleeing. Also, additional comfort is provided to the evacuees knowing that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go far. It is also easier for refugees to deal with trauma if they are in a familiar area and are able to return to their home. 9

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Like explained earlier, current evacuation centers are organized based upon what is best for the administration in terms of control and available resources. Unfortunately, what usually gets discarded are the needs of the refugees themselves. These needs can be accommodated through a variety of program or uses not currently existing in shelters. Physical needs, for example, include food, water, medication or medical attention, and sleep. While most of these are accommodated in current evacuation centers, the design of the program that responds to those needs can be improved. 10

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Psychological needs include personal security, self-respect, and recognition. It is important for people to feel like they belong and that they matter, which is difficult to feel in a place where identity and privacy is erased. Psycho-social needs are things like friendships, family, or a general sense of connection with a person or a group of people. During a time of trauma, a sense of community or connection can help refugees remember that they are not alone. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until all of these needs are met that the refugee could have a chance at being able to cope with their trauma.

Framing Narrative In the summer of 2003, I was 7 years old. Home was relatively simple: the weather was hot, the cicadas were humming, and my neighbors were my best friends. I would wake up to the sun beaming through my window (I have always hated using shades), run across the smooth wood floor to my sisters room to wake her up, and then begin our day full of sun, friends, and nature. The feelings of home at this time were experiential. I can remember swinging on the tire swing in my backyard, looking up through the oak’s mighty branches at the bright blue sky. I can remember the feeling of the air rushing past me, and the nausea in my stomach after spinning a few too many times. I remember falling asleep to the sound of my parents laughter echoing up the stairs into my bedroom, and then waking to the smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen.

In the Fall of 2019, I am 23 years old. Home is confusing. I no longer live with my parents or am best friends with my neighbors. I wake up to the sounds of traffic and I make my own coffee. I go to studio where, after four years, the smell of chipboard and the chatter of my classmates is oddly comforting, a fleeting moment of home. I slowly sip on my coffee and open my laptop. Images of today’s news fill my screen. Another wildfire destroys thousands of acres in California, another flood displacing thousands more people, or another extreme storm pummeling a poor community. Any feeling of home I had disappears. How can I feel at home when the world is suffering and we have the power to change it? How can I feel at home when things wills only get worse?

Growing up I was always told that I could do anything or be anything that I wanted, that the ‘sky was the limit’. I grew up full of hope for a future packed with adventure, excitement, and love. The priority in life was clear: be happy.

Figure 013 Yoshi and I standing at The Bean in Chicago, this was the first day that we met and had a stranger take our photo.

In August of 2019, I took my first solo trip. I traveled to Chicago, where I staying in a hostel for a few nights. During my stay, I met Yoshi. Yoshi was a young woman visiting from Australia, and she told me bizarre and incredible stories about her home. She told me about all of the things the places she’d explore on her winters off, and about all of the amazing people she had in her life back there. However, she also told me stories of the “hell” her home had been that summer. All across Southeast Australia, hundreds of fires had burned that season that eventually grew to destroy over 12 million acres of land by February of 2020. I couldn’t help but think about all of those people losing homes like the one Yoshi described. How could I help? How could I use what four years of education in architecture had given me? How could I make people feel like they mattered in a time where they felt like they had nothing?

Audience It is important for policy makers to understand that as these wildfire evacuations increase in severity, there must also be an increase in the amount of planning done for places of refuge. These go beyond just places of shelter, but also places of sanctuary. The quality and comfort of shelter must be addressed. Architects, especially students, should understand the importance of the quality of a space. With the increasing use of computer programs and tools, more attention is being paid to form when it should be on the user experience. Comfort and experience should be the top priority in design. I would also encourage architects to find a way to use their design abilities to help others. There are an infinite number of ways that design can improve the lives of the people who need it the most. To all, I propose that it is time to panic. The climate crisis is here, people are suffering on a daily basis as a result of our misuse of nature’s resources. Find a way to make a change.

Figure 014-015 In September of 2019, I traveled to Baxter State Park as a part of the M.Arch travel studio. This gave me an inside look into sustainable tree farming, forests, and a deeper education of climate change and how it’s impacting the build world.

Chapter Structure The structure of this book currently consists of three main parts: the introduction, a literature review, and design research. Chapter 2 consists of a literature review: outlining some of the research and evidence for the climate crisis with a focus on the wildfires in California. This chapter also explores some of the architectural theories regarding identity and ‘home’, including how residential planning can be changed to accommodate ‘home’. Then the idea of architectural autonomy in housing and community planning is discussed, identifying the pros to increased community involvement in planning. Following this is a brief collection and study of architectural precedents regarding evacuation center designs. Chapter 3 contains a progression of design tests, from some initial designs

testing ‘un-used’ space to the idea of an easily deployable module that explores the human need for identity, community, and comfort. This chapter finishes with an interactive design test where participants that the opportunity to create a space that meant ‘home’ to them. Chapter 4 is the most final design as a result of all of the research and testing done this year. It focuses on ideas of agency and resiliency on an individual level, a community level, and on an administrative level. Chapter 5 is a reflection on the work that was produced this year. It explores how I can take some of the ideas and lessons that I have developed and learned from through this thesis and apply them to my professional career as an architect, and also as a global citizen. 13

Chapter 2

Literature Review 14

Wildfires & Politics Climate change, a terrifying and rapidly intensifying event that is widely backed by scientific foundations and organizations across the globe, is also one of the most politically sensitive topics of our time. While some would argue that it isn’t occurring, most researchers and scientists agree that we don’t have long to act before it is too late. However, for many of the residents of California, is it already too late. Their property and homes are charred and left barren by terrifying and uncontrollable wildfires that climate change has continued to instigate. These deadly and damaging fires are not unprecedented, as climate scientists have been warning policy makers of the looming danger of worsening and more frequent wildfires for over a decade. We also have been warned of a continuing escalation of wildfires if nothing is done to respond to the climate crisis.1 This year, David Wallace-Wells released a book titled, “The Uninhabitable Earth – Life After Warming”. Each chapter within outlines a different climate Figures 016 A wind-driven wildfire forced evacuations in Sonoma County in October, 2019. Winds around the county were blowing at speeds of up to 70mph. (Guardian News).

change impact on our earth and society; Heat Death, Hunger, Drowning, Wildfire, Disasters No Longer Natural, Freshwater Drain, Dying Oceans, Unbreathable Air, Plagues of Warming, Economic Collapse, Climate Conflict, and Systems. It is worse, much worse, than you think. If your anxiety about global warming is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible. In California, wildfires now rage year-round, destroying thousands of homes. Across the United States, “500-year” storms pummel communities month after month, and floods displace tens of millions annually. This is only a preview of the changes to come. And they are coming fast. 2

The year 2017 for California’s wildfires was a particularly horrific one. The worst fire that year, The Thomas Fire, grew 50,000 acres in one day, the equivalent of around 37,878 football fields, and eventually burning over 440 square miles and forcing the evacuations of more than 100,000 Californians. Wallace-Wells uses the combination of factual information and satire in an attempt to rouse people to wake up. He states factual information,

and satire in an attempt to rouse people to wake up. He states factual information, such as the fact that five out of twenty of the worst fires in California’s history hit the state in the year 2017, and then follows it with aggressively directed comments. The Uninhabitable Earth explains in detail the history and projected rise of California’s wildfires, mostly in terms of the numbers, facts and opinions. The LA Times, while including similar and more current information, also explores the personal and individual stories regarding people’s experiences with the wildfires. This is something that allows those who are not directly impacted by these terrifying situations to understand and sympathize with those who are. By adding this more personal layer on to something that would otherwise seem unconceivable, the LA Times holds significant power in its ability to emotionally reach and influence their readers.

The outages gave some residents a false sense of security. Madonna Tavares, 70, and her husband went to sleep in their Geyserville home around midnight and woke to a banging on their door at 5:30 a.m. “ Get out!” their landlord yelled. With the power out, Tavares and her husband scrambled in the dark to get dressed, find their two small dogs and jump in their car. Tavares said the smoke outside was so thick she could barely see a foot in front of her. “They shut off the power and we still had a fire,” she said. “I don’t understand it.” 3

This personal look into what the evacuations are like reduces a readers ability to emotionally separate themselves from the reality of what is currently happening in California. These are the people who are suffering and the people who are dying. The LA Times is an advocate for the people of California as a response to the political and environmental factors behind the wildfires. The majority of the articles published by the newspaper regarding wildfires fall into several categories; actual information regarding the locations and extremity of the wildfires, the locations and status of evacuation zones and evacuation centers, as well as the politics and causes behind the fires. The political topics that they cover are especially interesting and relevant to the group of policy makers and

Figures 017 A firefighter sprays water on a burning home as the Kincade Fire burns through Sonoma County in October of 2019. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Figures 018 Firefighters mop up hot spots at two homes in Geyserville that burned in the Kincade fire in October 2019. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

politicians that Wallace-Wells is also targeting. All of these authors and activists agree that the people who are suffering are not the ones that are responsible for the chaos that they are being put through. Instead, those who are responsible are ones who are typically economically benefiting from what is causing people to hurt. 4 In the case of the wildfires in California, the LA Times repeatedly calls for officials and policy makers to prepare rather than respond. With hotel rooms filling up nearly immediately during an evacuation, many are forced to drive hours in order to find a vacant room or an evacuation center that has

“With crisis comes change,” McCallum adds. “We’re safer because of all the investments that have been made, even if climate change conditions are getting worse.” But as evidenced by the weekend’s windswept fires, a lot more will need to be invested. And there’s one thing that hardly anyone — least of all politicians — is talking about publicly. That’s the inevitability of customers’ monthly bills rising to pay for so-called hardening of the electrical grid to make it less likely to ignite wildfires. Updates such as metal poles, insulated wires and underground lines — plus a lot more aggressive tree trimming and brush thinning. “This isn’t rocket science,” McCallum says, referring to the needs. No, but it is costly. The legislators’ mantra is that ratepayers should be protected from being forced to dig deeper each month. Ratepayers vote. 5

cots available. With evacuations only projected to become more extreme, the LA Times argues that not enough is being done by the state to help. Instead, organizations like the American Red Cross are typical responders to the evacuation crisis, opening up shelters typically found in high school gyms or recreation centers. AirBnb has even stepped forward to help by allowing property owners to post their listings as “Open Homes” for families to stay in for free during the duration of the evacuation. State-level help comes in the form of first responders, going door to door making sure that people have left for safety as well as battling the spread of the fires. While still acknowledging the importance of this, the LA Times still questions why the help stops there?6 By bringing attention to the issue, it gives the citizens of California a voice. Dozens of organizations working towards a safer and more stable future for California’s residents sent a letter

to Governor Gavin Newsom demanding that he “facilitate a public takeover of PG&E to protect ratepayers, California communities, and our climate.” 7 Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Daniela Jacob, and Michael Taylor. Chapter 3: Impacts of 1.5° of Global Warming on Natural and Human Systems. 2 David Wallace-Wells, “Wildfire”, The Uninhabitable Earth : Life After Warming, (First edition, 2019), ed. Tim Duggan Books. 3 Phil Willon, Taryn Luna, Hannah Fry, and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, “Wildfires Burn Across the State.”, The LA Times, (October 25, 2019). 4 Greta Thunberg, “You did Not Act in Time”, Vital Speeches of the Day 85, (no. 6, 2019): 174-175. 5 Maria L. La Ganga, “Shelters Fill to the Brim.” The LA Times, (October 30, 2019). 6 George Skelton, “Ratepayers Will See Higher Bills.” The LA Times, (October 28, 2019). 7 Skelton, “Ratepayers”. 1

House vs. Home As evacuations become more and more frequent and widespread, conditions at shelters decline. The current and very utilitarian approach to this crisis is to fit as many people into one space as possible. While this is necessary to address, it can not be the only variable in the design of these centers. Joanna Richardson, a professor of housing and social research at De Montfort University, strongly advocates for housing that goes beyond just being a house. She stresses that there is a significant and inherent difference between a “house” and “home”. Richardson defines “house” as a residential swelling or structure, while “home” is a feeling. To feel ‘at home’ is an integral part of our human desire to belong and to feel safe. 8 As Abraham Maslow determined, shelter is one of the primary needs that needs to be met before progressing towards safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. If our basic needs are not met, then we cannot move forward to fulfill our aspirations and become our best selves.9 This theory is also valid in terms of the emergency center conditions. During these evacuations, the foundation upon which people’s definition of home is based on collapses and they are left scrambling to pick up the pieces. Each individual’s meaning of home is intimately tied to their identity and can be derived from a variety of principles that differ from person to person. Richardson breaks these determinants down into categories, identifying elements that contribute to the feeling of ‘home’.

- Home as security and control - Home as a reflection of one’s ideas and values - Home as acting upon and modifying one’s dwelling (achievement and control) - Home as permanence and continuity - Home as relationships with family and friends - Home as center of activities - Home as a refuge from the outside world - Home as indicator of personal status - Home as material structure - Home as a place to own

According to these principles and to both Maslow and Richardson, home is not any one singular entity or structure but rather something that can be within us wherever we are. The difference between the two theorists is that while Maslow believes that shelter must be accommodated before the feeling of being ‘at home’ occurs, Richardson believes that ‘home’ is a feeling that can occur regardless of shelter or structure. A home goes beyond ‘house’. Sometimes, home goes beyond physical construction of any kind – a sound, smell, or an image in memory can be ‘home’ when we need it to be. Close our eyes in an anonymous space – for a moment on a train perhaps – and a piece of music can bring home to mind, a day dream, a photo on our increasingly smart phones. We can look forward to being at home, and for a moment feel at home, even when we’re not there – yet. Home is about us, the connections between people and their space.10

Figures 019 Family members look on as firefighters mop up a burned down home destroyed by the Hillside fire in October, 2019 (Marcus Yam)

Due to the idea that everyone’s version of home are different, there cannot be any one definite architectural solution. This is where John F.C. Turner’s ideas surrounding autonomous architecture begins to explore how design ‘by people’ can achieve feelings of home. Autonomy is defined as self-governing, while heteronomy is defined as being subject to the governing of another. In the chapter “Who Decides?”, Turner explains that there are three sets of operations in the process of decision making in terms of housing; planning, or operations that generally precede construction, construction or building operations, and then the management and maintenance of what is built. There are then three different groups of people, or “sectors”, that participate within these building operations; the popular sector (the users), the private commercial sector (the suppliers), and the public sector or government 22

(the regulators). Turner believes that the modern organization of responsibilities relies too heavily on the public and private sectors but not enough on the actual users of these projects.11 Both Richardson and Turner believe that the solution to this is to designate the actual users or housing residents and the leaders in planning, construction, and management of the building process, and then receive support from the private and public sector as needed. The intentions and values of all three of these groups vary immensely, and to both Turner and Richardson it makes sense that it would be the actual users determining the design and quality of what they will be using. The private sector exists to maximize the design and quality of what they will be using. The private sector exists to maximize profits regardless of who is impacted by their decisions, while the public sector is primarily motivated by maintaining their authority over the popular sector. Frequently, the public body is distorted by commercial motives and obscures the needs of the users.12 When the public and private sectors have greater control, the resulting design is one that Richardson would argue does not provide people with the emotional and mental comfort of ‘home’. Like Turner, Richardson breaks down how to accomplish quality and affordable housing into three categories. However, hers focus less on the construction of house and more on the construction of home.

Focusing on the idea of “performance”, she breaks it down; performance as doing, performance as power, and performance as art. In her examination of performance as doing, she relates the idea of ‘home’ to a stage upon which we can perform the other aspects and duties of everyday life. It is important to note that what is “performed” is not acting, but rather the enjoyment of space and support to follow genuine passions and goals to accomplish ambitions. If we feel ‘at home’, we have a stage from which we are enabled to perform the rest of our lives – that is, we feel empowered to be ourselves within home, but also as a place from which to ‘launch’ into our daily lives: work, school, social interactions with others. The ‘stage’ – home – from which we can perform, is potentially constructed and reconstructed many times during our lives, and not necessarily because we move physical space. The same building might be constructed as ‘home’ in different ways depending on a number of external contexts and internal processes.13

The way that Richardson uses “stage” as a metaphor for ‘home’ is similar to the way that Maslow defines shelter as the base upon which one can build the rest of their life. Once the need for shelter and home are met, one is able

to focus on aspects of their life that benefit their emotional and mental well-being.14 As for performance as power, Richardson explores the need to have power over ‘home’. The power to control it, change it, protect it, and the power to be one’s own self. This aspect of control is important to ‘home’ because it emphasizes the feeling of ownership over a space, personalization is important in terms of restoring feelings of individual importance and identity. If we see performance as power – power to build houses or to exclude home-making from politics, power to deny home to others for fear of the impact on ‘my’ home, and power to be one’s authentic self within and from ‘home’ – then performance can be a useful construct for further examination of what home means to me, to you, to all of us.15

Everyone’s “performance” is reflective of their inward and outward identity. By exploring these different performances of ‘home’, we gain insight into what policy and the public sector should provide as a basis for one to build and personalize their own ‘home’. While Turner claims that all people need to

Figures 020 Winds of up to 65 mph hindered efforts to contain the Kincade fire, which burned nearly 78,000 acres. Shown here are the scorched vehicles near Healdsburg, Calif. (By Luis Sinco, Los Angeles Times)

plan, build, and maintain their homes is material, Richardson argues that more government involvement is needed in order to set individuals up with a house in order for them to create their own home, which leads into the idea of performance as art.16 The domestic space has been used for artistic expression for centuries, with countless novels, movies, and plays based off the domestic realm. Although difficult to distinguish from performance as power, the inherent difference is that art is not about control or ownership but more about beauty and creation. In this way, the very act of living in ‘home’ or the making of ‘home’ is a performance. Richardson uses the Shuffle festival in East London as an example of this. During the planning of converting St. Clements Hospital into housing for the community, the festival was born and featured a play by local school students, art installations, dances, and film showings. These three different performances describe all of the different ways ‘home’ represents identity and explore our human relationship with comfort and belonging. Through the incorporation of user involvement, we can begin to achieve feelings of ‘home’ in shelter.

What is important to take away from Richardson is that ‘home’ is so much more than structure, and that it can be seen and felt in a multitude of ways and settings. This allows us to explore how design and autonomy can begin to satisfy wildfire evacuees’ need to feel ‘at home’ in a time of upheaval and uncertainty. The physical, social, and emotional construction of home is tricky and intricate. This makes it very difficult to respond to through policy and protocol. Both Richardson and Turner would agree that ‘home’ can be found in any setting or situation, this includes the evacuation shelters in California. By incorporating user involvement into the design of these shelters, we can bring feelings of ‘home’ to the displaced. According to Maslow and Richardson, this would give them the foundation to emotionally heal and maximize their ability to continue to live their lives.17 Turner’s research and explorations illustrate just how architecture can meet the needs of the popular sector, in this case, the victims of the evacuations. Through autonomous architecture we allow users to have control over their environment and create houses that fulfill their own unique definitions of ‘home’.18 Figures 022 Firefighters battle the Mendocino Complex fires in the fall of 2018. (Mark Ralston/ Getty) Figures 021 Firefighters monitor the South fire in Shasta-Trinity National Forest. (Shasta-Trinity National Forest)

As long as policy, or the public sector, provides users with the necessary elements of home’ that Richardson outlines, home as security and control, home as a reflection of one’s ideas and values, home as acting upon and modifying one’s dwelling (achievement and control), home as permanence and continuity, home as relationships with family and friends, home as center of activities, home as a refuge from

Joanna Richardson, Place and Identity : The Performance of Home, (Routledge, 2018). 9 Abraham H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation.” (Psychological Review, 50, 1943), 370-396. 10 Richardson, Place and Identity. 11 John F. C. Turner, Housing by People: Towards Autonomy in Building Environments, (ed. Marion Boyars, 1982). 8

the outside world, home as indicator of personal status, home as material structure, and home as a place to own, the user group will be free to create ‘home’ in the way that they see fit.19 While not all of these elements can be incorporated into post-crisis shelter, the more that we do meet the greater ability that we have to bring victims of evacuations closer to feeling ‘home’ so that they may begin to heal.

Turner, Housing by People. Richardson, Place and Identity. 14 Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation”. 15 Richardson, Place and Identity. 16 Richardson, Place and Identity. 17 Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation”. 18 Turner, Housing by People. 19 Richardson, Place and Identity. 12 13

Chapter 3

Design as Research

Unit Model

Unused Urban Space Site Context Year 2040 Unused Urban Spaces. Target Users Individuals/families suffering from homelessness Design Intent To provide physical shelter and resources to those who can not afford it when the climate crisis has cause unlivable conditions. The goal here was to take advantage of unused space. In particular, spaces that would no longer be comfortable as a result of the climate crisis. Learning Outcomes Through this design test I learned that I was not interested in creating a ‘building’, as much as I was in creating comfort. This design test allowed me to explore just how much thought and planning it would be in order to take a project like one of these on. Each ‘building’ would have to be designed according to the space it was meant to fit. I knew that I was interested in creating a project that could be fulfilled through policy, and the more ‘unique’ each design was, the less likely it would be for that to happen.

Gas Station

Public Plaza

Sidewalks

Los Angles, California After examining the overlaps between extreme wildfire risk zones and areas of dense population, I decided to begin my design research in the city of Los Angeles. It is the second largest city in the entire country, with close to four million people living there each year. Los Angeles is also â&#x20AC;&#x153;homeâ&#x20AC;? to the largest homeless population in the country, with over 35,000 people living on the streets of the city. These are also the people who will be the most at risk in the future as a result of climate change. This design test explores how architecture can utilize typically unused space to give exposed populations temporary shelter from climate conditions. I also begin to explore the idea of creating one typology that can then adapt to a multitude of locations and situations in order to be as accessible as possible for the homeless population.

Public Alley

25’

94’ 50’

Gymnasium Axon

The Gymnasium Site Context Recreation centers, high school gymnasiums, sports arenas, etc. in California. Target Users Individuals/families suffering from wildfire evacuations. Design Intent To design evacuation shelters with ideas of comfort and individuality in mind. Individual or family modules provide victims with privacy and a secure place to store their belongings. A timber frame and mesh “snap-on” wrapping allows for a warmer and more ‘human’-scale shelter. Learning Outcomes Through this design test I discovered the need for a better balance between a utilitarian approach and a ‘comforting’ one. While this design acknowledges the need for privacy and individuality, it lacked aspects of community and personalization that are also important in creating a healing and ‘grounding’ environment. This also allowed me to test exactly how much an individual or a family needs in order to be suitable as a living environment, as well as determined how many people could then receive shelter in a typical high school gymnasium.

Perspective

Stacking - Perspective

Multi-User Module

Single-User Module

Home in Shelter Site Context Recreation centers, high school gymnasiums, sports arenas, etc. in California. Target Users Individuals/families suffering from wildfire evacuations. Design Intent To design evacuation shelters with ideas of home. While still using the utilitarian technique of a module, the interior becomes adaptable in order to accommodate home as an action. The architecture here adapts to the individual, or family, rather than the user adapting to the architecture. Learning Outcomes Through this design test I learned that the definition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is messy and complicated. It means something different to everyone, and can come in the form of a sound, smell, or texture. Through the use of an interactive model, I learned that people will design in ways that I never intended. Even when given a module with a set number of ways to alter the interior space, people took the opportunity to creating seating outside as well as used the slides in ways I did not anticipate.

The Artifact

What makes you feel at home? This model was designed to test people’s unique preferences for different materials, densities, colors, and textures. The main vessel is a wooden box with several slats cut into the two sides as well as the top, users were told to “create something that felt like home” to them using the different slides provided. Although the model was designed to be used a certain way, I found that almost every person to create their own “home” used the slides or the model in a way that was either unintended or unique to the ways others had used it. This idea that people are unpredictable but also very capable became a driving force in this thesis. The wooden frame of the model became representative of what I as the architect could provide, and the unique layouts or configurations became what the user could provide. Could the architect actually step back as the designer, and become a catalyst? A catalyst that would provide the user with the agency needed to create a space that was theirs?

Community

Individual

Storage

Standards & Programming Site Context High School Gymnasium

Target Users Individuals/families suffering from wildfire evacuations. Design Intent To standardize the designed system by using the constant dimensions of a basketball court. This allows for the system to be implemented in any interior condition with these dimensions, i.e. public school gymnasiums. This design also began testing the idea of transparencies in response to program. Learning Outcomes This design test gave me the ability to think more broadly than the individual unit. Community support is an important consideration when designing for an evacuation center. I began to look at the evacuation center as a whole; Where can I fit other important program? Where are the community spaces? How will these spaces be dimensioned to work with each other? This test also encouraged me to explore the relationship between transparencies and light.

Storage/Distribution 2000 ft2

Medical Services 2000 ft2

Large Community 1500 ft2

Processing/Info 1200 ft2

Small Community 600 ft2

Office/Security 120 ft2

Personal 80 ft2

Program Study

Layout Test

System Thinking Site Context High School Gymnasium

Target Users Climate refugees of California Design Intent To create a single system that could adapt to any high school gymnasium. It is here that I begin to analyze the more technical aspects of creating a post-wildfire infrastructure and test the idea of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;telescopicâ&#x20AC;? system that can be structurally attach to the ceiling structure. Learning Outcomes This system allows for rapid deployment, but does not yet address the issues of human comfort or trauma. The next step is to begin to organize the structure in terms of private space and communal space. Some important things to consider are; how spaces are partitioned, circulation to the second floor, and appropriate dimensions for units based upon the human scale. Most importantly, this system needs to address the use of the high school campus as a whole. In order to address the problem of evacuation becoming longer, it is important to consider other programmatic elements such as bathrooms, cooking and eating, and storage and distribution.

MEDICAL BATHING TOILETS NURSING/CHANGING PHY SICA L

COUNSELING WORK/STUDY STORAGE PS L YC H O LO G I C A

REGISTRATION INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION AD

MIN

I ST R AT

STORAGE

RECREATION PLAY/DAYCARE GATHERING PS L YC H O -S O C I A

DINING

ZONE 1 - HEALTH & SAFETY MEDICAL REGISTRATION STORAGE COUNSELING

ZONE 2 - COMMUNITY LIVING EATING & DINING INFORMATION & DISTRIBUTION RECREATION PLAY & DAYCARE

ZONE 3 - WELLNESS BATHING TOILETS NURSING & CHANGING LAUNDRY

ZONE 4 - PERSONAL SLEEP STORAGE GATHERING WORK & STUDY Program Zoning

Origami Model Study

Zone 1 Medical Beds EMT Check-in First Aid Medication

Registration Registration Family Finding Announcements Volunteer Meet-Up

Zone 2 Storage Non-Perishables Perishables Water Donations

Counseling Counseling Rooms Wildfire Education Psychological First Aid Social Work Services

Zone 3 Bathing Dining Tables Hot food Food preparation Washing area

Toilets Volunteer Organization Announcements Food/Water Distribution Donation Distribution

Eating & Dining Dining Tables Hot food Food preparation Washing area

Recreation Seating Open area - Paved Open area - Lawn Cultural Events

Info & Distribution Play & Daycare Volunteer Organization Announcements Food/Water Donations

Observation Play Area Nap Area Education

Zone 4 Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Area Seating Open area - Paved Open area - Lawn Cultural Events

Laundry Observation Play Area Nap Area Education

Sleep Bed Blankets Pillows

Storage Valuables Clothing Sentimental Other

Gathering Large Gathering Small Gathering

Work/Study Co-working tables Private desks Phone rooms Computer access

Zoning for Adaptive Site Organization After researching the basic needs that humans need in order to be able to cope with trauma, I then examined what kinds of architectural program would respond to these physical, psychological, psycho-social, and administrative needs. After, I organized that program into four different zones based upon architectural similarities and adjacencies. These zones could then be used to determine site organization for a variety of school sites and layouts. Some program would rely more heavily upon the existing infrastructure of the school. For example, Zone 3 would primarily use the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s locker rooms and some of the classrooms instead of having to use things like portable toilets or other plumbing facilities. 49

The Human Scale Site Context High School Gymnasium

Target Users Climate refugees in California Design Intent This test worked through some of the technical issues of the system, like circulation and structure. It also started to respond to the human scale, and how different community spaces could be laid out and still connect with each other.

Learning Outcomes It was at this point in the semester when I realized that I needed to take a step back and think about what was really important. The ideas of rapid deployment and the system had taken over the primary subject of my thesis, the people. This system could fit a large number of people into a basketball-court sized structure, but would it be comfortable? Were just these designated community spaces enough? This system is an example of over-designing the evacuation space. The system should be able to change and improve over time, but this design test was too rigid to be able to adapt.

Community Space

Community Spaces Psycho-social spaces of varying levels of intimacy were one of the main pushes for resiliency in this design test. The idea was to include a large community space for all refugees to use, a mid-sized community space that linked several families or units together, and then intimate social spaces within each unit. The purpose of including these varying levels of community was to give refugees the agency to chose what is most comfortable for them. Introverts and extroverts deal with trauma very differently, but design can try to cater to these different coping needs by providing choice.

Partial Axon

When someone needs support from their family, it is there. If someone needs support from a neighbor, it is there. If someone needs support from the greater community, it is also there. While they all cater to one intrinsic human need, they vary in the kind of connection s that are provided.

Individual Unit

“Exterior” Perspective

Breaking Out of the Grid Site Context High School Campus

Target Users Climate refugees in California Design Intent The intent here was to break out of the box that the system had been keeping me in. The individual units became detachable, allowing for a multitude of layouts that give the administration and the refugees agency in terms of organization.

Learning Outcomes While the general layout and organization of the system improved in this design test, there was still a lot missing in terms of how the refugees would use the individual units. The flexibility in terms of layout provided the administration with agency and resiliency, but how were the refugees provided with similar agency on a personal scale. There was also some critique on how I was representing the system and the people in my drawings. People and the architecture appeared â&#x20AC;&#x153;sterileâ&#x20AC;?, where in reality these modules and the gym would be filled with personal belongings. How could I go on to represent individuality and personality in my drawings that could inspire empathy in the viewer?

Los Angeles County Map

Site Images

PARKING SCHOOL CAFE

NURSE & COUNSELORS OFFICES

MAIN QUAD

SMALL GYM

LOCKER ROOMS

TEMPORARY GATHERING

BIG GYM

FOOTBALL FIELD

Glendale High School Site Plan

Test Site - Glendale High School In addition to breaking out of the grid, I also needed to break out of the gymnasium. It wasn’t realistic to fit all four categories of program (physical, psychological, psycho-social, and administrative) into the gym alone. By choosing a school to test my design on, I was able to learn a lot about how these modules could be successful in other parts of the campus. It also made me think about what kinds of existing infrastructure I could use. For example, the lighter green building above has a nurse’s office and multiple counseling rooms that could easily be used by the refugees. Other classrooms on this floor could also provide room for storage, a secure daycare, or for the administration to plan and organize the site and refugees from. 57

Typical Evacuation

Psychological Patients

Responsive Layouts The ability to detach and rearrange aggregate units allows for the layout to respond to a variety of situations. On top of residents being evacuated from their homes, businesses and hospitals are also required to evacuate. Shown here are a few examples of how the layouts could respond to these different groups of refugees. The medical staff, for example, would need high visibility of patients and a central area for them to act as a nurses station. Psychological patients, on the other hand, are more accustomed to group activities, and would feel most comfortable with large gathering spaces that provide them with some continuity between where they were and where they are now. Medical Patients

Community Space

59 Individual Unit

Chapter 4 Outcomes

63 Analytique

System Axon - Stored

System Design The outcome of all of the research done testing different systems and details led to this design of the system. This system uses the existing roof structure of the gymnasium to be stored and deployed from, with each unit unfolding as it descends, detaching, and then used for whatever the needs of the refugees are. This includes the gymnasium, where refugees live and sleep, as well as other areas around the campus to be used for things like registration, storage, gathering, or any other uses that might become important in the future. Each unit has four small shelves and two larger platforms stored in the “walls”. These shelves have the ability to slide up and down on a track and can fold out to be used for things like storage, desks, seating, beds, display or in other unpredictable ways. This ability to personalize ones space gives the refugees agency, ownership, and control over their environment. The unit is enclosed by two layers of canvas “shades”, one opaque and one transparent, this allows the refugees to adjust the level of privacy they receive depending on the usage of the space and what they are comfortable with. The roof is a louver system that the refugees can manually adjust to filter the light from the gymnasium. 64

System Axon - Deployed

Unit Detail

Unit Section

Unit Unfolding

Unit Axons

Possible Unit Aggregates

Organization over Time Over time, both the administration and the refugees themselves can learn from and improve the system itself. Volunteers can evaluate the pros and cons of different uses, different layouts, and different zones and then apply that knowledge to evacuations in the future. The administration also has the ability to receive feedback from volunteers, workers, or the refugees themselves in order to add to this network of feedback that improves the system. As for the refugees, many Californians already carry emergency suitcases filled with important documents, money, and basic essentials that they have ready in case of an evacuation. Through this system they could begin to include items that could be used to personalize their units and improve their own comfort such as tapestrys, pillows and pillow cases, or something simple like their family calendar, a favorite sports jersey, or a set of string lights. As California adjusts to what will be years of record wildfires, residents are acclimating to a new punishing regime that will reshape life in California. Because of this, we must also reshape the way we systemically view post-disaster response in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. We must start to think pro-actively, rather than reactively. T 67

Zone 1 - Health & Administration Here is a closer look at zone 1, which uses the campusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing architecture to channel people from the parking lot into the main quad. This would primarily used during the first couple days of an evacuation, but program such as medical or registration could adapt into storage spaces for donated goods like clothes and essential supplies. Registration booths provide more privacy for refugees as volunteers help to get them set up at the shelter. The volunteer could process the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information and forward it to the appropriate people to get them the support that they need. Medical booths would also provide privacy and supply storage space for minor health evaluations to screen for things like smoke inhalation and burns. Those same medical booths could then convert into storage space for donated items. It could also be used by the high school itself, for things like freshman orientation or field day.

Site Image

Freshman Orientation

Zone 1 Plan

Registration

Medical

Storage

Zone 2 - Community Living Zone 2 would be the main community gathering space and be used for things like distribution, recreation, eating, and daycare. These units could be moved throughout the day to accommodate these different uses, and the documentation of these different layouts along with their pros and cons could be used to improve organization over time. Storage units from zone 1 can be relocated to the main gathering space to be used as distribution booths, as shown here. The next perspectives show the main gathering space being used as a communal eating area, where refugees could chose to eat by themselves, with their families, or with each other. Shades could remain up to allow for more air flow. These units could be used as places for parents to sit and watch their children play, pet owners to play with their dogs, or as a place for refugees to gather and play music. The retractable platforms can be used as places to sit, or be used as louvers to shade the interior. The units could also be used to provide a more secure space to have a daycare. Children could take naps on beds, store their toys on the shelves, and babies could be looked after inside the safety of the units.

Site Image

Student Use on Quad

Zone 2 Plan

Distribution

Communal Eating

Recreation

Daycare

Zone 3 - Wellness This zone would primarily utilize the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing bathrooms and locker rooms, but units could be used to provide mothers with privacy to nurse their infants or as a place for students or refugees to lounge next to the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pool. It could also be used to easily store and bring out pool or swim team equipment. It could also be used by the school as a snack booth for swim meets. This perspective belows shows the use of the units as areas for students to relax, or for members of the swim team to prepare for swim practice or for a swim meet.

Site Image

Swim Practice

Zone 3 Plan

Zone 4 - Personal Zone 4 utilizes the inside of the gymnasium, and is where refugees have their own private space to live and heal. Like I said earlier, each group would receive one unit to use as living space and an additional unit for every two members of their family to sleep in. In the following perspectives you can see a mother and her child moving in to one of the units, placing their belongings on the shelves and hanging photos. This gives refugees an opportunity to display some of their most important personal belongings in a time of trauma. Refugees also have the opportunity to meet their neighbors and use the space between units as social spaces, offering a more intimate level of community. The large platforms can be used as a place to work, with the bottom shelving unit detaching and being used as a bench. You can see the mother is able to work while watching her daughter play. The large platforms form beds for the refugees to sleep on. The bedding can either be brought by the refugees themselves or can be provided to them during registration and can be rolled and stored on the shelves during the day. Site Image

Student Club Fair

Zone 4 Plan

Work/Play

Sleep

Storage

Gathering

Chapter 5

Critical Reflection

Critical Insights The last big push that my thesis took, breaking out of the grid, was an immensely important step for my thesis. It shifted my thinking towards the user experience, which is something that could be developed even further now. The haptic experience of different colors, textures, fabrics, and opacities was something that fell to the side in the final months of my thesis, but it something that I think is important to remember and push forward with now that the system itself is fairly developed. Now, I can take these two ideas hand and hand to push the design of the module to an even greater level

of agency. Something that I thought was the most lacking in my thesis was that I did not engage the community that I was designing for. The next step now would be to bring this design to the community and gain insight from them on how I could better improve it for both the school itself as well as for the refugees. Balancing the design of the system with designing for agency was something I struggled with through this thesis, and moving forward I would want to try to view these things as being one instead of viewing them as combative forces. I believe that is key

Figures 022 Volunteer gives a hug to a Kincade fire evacuee at a Red Cross shelter at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds (John Burgess / Press Democrat)

Post-Disaster Design During a Disaster Never would I have thought that I would finish up my final year of college during the middle of a national pandemic. That being said, the COVID-19 crisis has made me realize just how important it is to be prepared. Temporary hospitals are now being set up all over the country in pop-up tents and gymnasiums. While these make-shift hospitals are equipped with the medical equipment necessary to treat these patients, the environments that they are in provide no comfort during a time of chaos and isolation. As I write these final chapters, I wonder how my design would overcome the restrictions of administrative control

and social distancing in order to continue to equip patients with the agency and resiliency to heal. In addition, hundreds of thousands of gymnasiums sit vacant, waiting for the opportunity to become useful. This system and its units could become a strategy for distancing patients, while the gymnasium itself allows for high visibility for medical staff and the high ceilings enable better air circulation to reduce transmission. This pandemic is telling of just how unprepared we are in the face of disaster, but it also shows just how resilient we are as a global community.

Figures 023 A field hospital is set up by Samaritanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Purse and FEMA at the East Meadow in Central Park amid a coronavirus disease outbreak in New York City, U.S., March 30, 2020. (Aleksandra Michalska, Reuters)

For the Future This thesis has taught me just how important people are in design. People are more capable and resilient than I ever realized, and I enjoyed taking a step back as a designer to see what possibilities could come from the user. Engaging the communities that I will design for in the future is something that is now extremely important to me.

I am excited to begin my adventure as a young architect in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world. This thesis, as well as my classmatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, have pushed my understanding of what an architect is far beyond anything I ever thought imaginable. We are engineers, we are musicians, we are lovers of nature, and most importantly... we are human.

Figures 022 Larry Campbell, a man who lost the van in which he lived and all his possessions, waits at the Sonoma County Red Cross shelter. (Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle).