Microhousing: the Next Generation of Domesticity
Mentor 1
Mo Zell
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
27-4-2018 1:00 PM
Description
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is known in the architecture world for saying, “Less is more,” in regards to design, specifically minimalistic design. As generations continue to change their way of living, renovation and adaptive reuse is becoming more prevalent leading into small multifunctional spaces creating high flexibility to live, work, and play. The combination of Mies’, “Less is more,” and multifunctional spaces line up to be the growing phenomenon: Microhousing. Taking minimalism a step further, we designed within a conceptual community that is self-sufficient consisting of units with their own personal identity: Dining Room, Garden, Living room, Porch, Stair, and Study—all organized around a fluent circulation. Created with a specific function, each space’s language talks and supports one another. Taking this information, we applied it to the 2018 International Ragdale Ring Competition, located in Lake Forest, Illinois, to reinterpret the original 1912 Shaw’s Ring as a contemporary environment. This prompted us to reimagine our microhousing units as performance venues/seating arrangements. The competition served as our creative break from our microhousing research, allowing us to strip down the units to their bones and toggle back and forth with new designs using A-frame construction with 2x6 stock pine wood and standard 4 x 8 8mm polycarbonate sheets. Our design is also focused on longevity and how it can be applied for other uses. After Ragdale, the design will return to focus on Microhousing. Specifically, each unit will become a Microhousing prototype for housing kids have aged out of foster care in a project called Pathfinder.
Microhousing: the Next Generation of Domesticity
Union Wisconsin Room
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is known in the architecture world for saying, “Less is more,” in regards to design, specifically minimalistic design. As generations continue to change their way of living, renovation and adaptive reuse is becoming more prevalent leading into small multifunctional spaces creating high flexibility to live, work, and play. The combination of Mies’, “Less is more,” and multifunctional spaces line up to be the growing phenomenon: Microhousing. Taking minimalism a step further, we designed within a conceptual community that is self-sufficient consisting of units with their own personal identity: Dining Room, Garden, Living room, Porch, Stair, and Study—all organized around a fluent circulation. Created with a specific function, each space’s language talks and supports one another. Taking this information, we applied it to the 2018 International Ragdale Ring Competition, located in Lake Forest, Illinois, to reinterpret the original 1912 Shaw’s Ring as a contemporary environment. This prompted us to reimagine our microhousing units as performance venues/seating arrangements. The competition served as our creative break from our microhousing research, allowing us to strip down the units to their bones and toggle back and forth with new designs using A-frame construction with 2x6 stock pine wood and standard 4 x 8 8mm polycarbonate sheets. Our design is also focused on longevity and how it can be applied for other uses. After Ragdale, the design will return to focus on Microhousing. Specifically, each unit will become a Microhousing prototype for housing kids have aged out of foster care in a project called Pathfinder.
