Racial trauma

William Sokol
ARC605 | Spring 2020

This project aims to represent the racial trauma that African American families faced during the civil era in the Unites States in the 1960s. The building envelope seeks to provide safety and security for the inhabitants within. The porch was significant throughout the history of the African diaspora as a place to welcome guests, interact with the neighborhood, share stories, gather, and transtion between the public and private settings.

This project uses a strong wooden framework to wrap the home and creates safe indoor spaces and well protected exterior porch spaces. The framework allows for physical safety as it provides a barrier to the outside world. Opening in the framework provide opportunities for visual connection and surveillance of the surrounding areas.