Displacement

The objective of this studio was to explore the development of prototype designs that could lead to new solutions for short term emergency housing and longer term settlements. The semester was split into two projects. First, students had to develop a universal emergency shelter that can be deployed rapidly anywhere in the world. Then, they were asked to shadow a real project sponsored by FEMA to build 500 units of new housing in Louisiana on several different sites. Design explorations were grounded in a critique of contemporary solutions and design practices, with the objective to propose alternatives that better address usability and security concerns, affordability, flexibility for lifespan living, and gender issues.