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.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Last Minute Inspiration

Samuel Mockbee and his Rural Studio are doing projects very aligned with my goals for this project.  He uses materials and construction methods that not only are sustainable, but also empower the construction workers and local community of the building.  In addition, he is able to create a new vernacular aesthetic that would not have been possible with traditional construction materials.  

This last aspect is what I have been missing.  While I feel my project makes sense, it is missing the poetics that are possible.  These poetics don't have to be limited to high art, but can create a significant social impact on any project, from a museum in NY to low-income housing in Yakima.  




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