Welcome to the Montana State University Farmworker Housing Studio

Welcome to the Montana State University Farmworker Housing Studio

This blog is a collection of design research done by graduate students at the Montana State University School of Architecture who are looking at farmworker housing shortages in the Yakima Valley of Washington State. The studio is being assisted by the Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing and the Catholic Charities Housing Services in Yakima, and will include input from the UN-Habitat Housing and Slum Upgrading Branch. The studio prompt is to study the relationships between infrastructure and infill, home and place, mobility and permanence, boundaries and community. What kind of infrastructure is required for different kinds of farmworkers in the USA? Can this infrastructure perform technically, socially, economically, and poetically? What are the tectonics of home, the architecture of economics, and how can design facilitate better living conditions for these communities? In short, how does mass-housing become mass-homing?

Our goal is to take advantage of our academic setting to offer new ideas and approaches to a persistent challenge. With this in mind, we aspire to imagine diverse approaches to affordable farmworker housing that perform optimally for its users' diverse values, interests and desires. We welcome your feedback so please leave comments, suggestions and ideas.

For direct questions or comments please contact David Fortin at david.fortin@montana.edu or at 406-994-7579.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Construction Models

These are some initial stabs at site at construction methods for my project.  I am exploring how to site-sensitively build both the permanent infrastructure pieces and the flexible support structures.  


This is a simple wooden screen that provides shade and electricity for campsites.  It can also be used as structure if people want to clip on additional awnings or privacy screens around their living unit.  

The more permanent section will house infrastructure like bathrooms, laundry and kitchens as well as social infrastructure like mail, education and health services.  The thick north wall is made using local straw bales as insulation.  The southern wall is built with glass bottles that are plentiful in the area.  This system will optimize solar heat gain in the cold winter months, while during the summer shading and thermal mass will keep the interior spaces cool.  Solar energy is used to heat water in a simple tube system.  

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