HOUSING

BACKGROUND: HOUSING CRISIS + KANSAS CITY

Kansas City, located in the center of America is a diverse and culturally thriving city. What is not thriving however is the housing market, as affordable housing is a myth in neighborhoods surrounding the downtown. Indian Mound is no exception, with no new homes being built in the past three decades, affordable housing is in dire need. The goal was to build a home that would be affordable to build, yet maintain and live in. Passive heating through solar gain, with passive cooling through covered openings and cross ventilation, would be the focus in order to reduce the need for mechanical assistance to create comfort in the home.

Relationships are the foundation of security; an idea that starts at the smallest scale of one on one, and amplifies and grows as the strength of these bonds are brought together. Space was shaped in order to facilitate the growth and connection between individuals and the family unit itself. The open public realm is centralized to encourage interaction. This space has direct connection to the exterior in order to bring the community in through food, culture, and friendship and vice versa; Allowing positivity to radiate out into the community, strengthening its resilience.

Careful consideration was taken into the design choices as well as materiality. A construction document set of drawings was curated in order to have this home constructed in 2022 as a master plan to assist in the resolution of the housing crisis in Kansas City. Details shown to the right are an example from the drawing set that was created.

The opportunity of a master plan was utilized so that this scheme would utilize the entirety of the site available regardless of the width. The public realm engages the rest of the site creating an extension of space from interior throughout the entirety of the exterior.