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

Model Development

The spaces within each home is developed from a central, permanent core.  These cores contain the kitchen, bathrooms, and storage necessary for each unit.


 


These modular floors are then stacked and staggered to blur the distinction between each unit.  Furthermore, they are scalable, allowing for the flexibility necessary to fit within differing site conditions.




Exterior skin is handled through a panel system that conforms to the established dimensional modules of the units.  Each bedroom is designed to be flexible, allowing for one large bedroom or two smaller rooms which may serve different functions.


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