ARCH601 - Living With the Crops

LIVING WITH THE CROPS “Living With the Crops” is a new way of living that brings people together to work and live sustainably. This type of living allows for individuals to have their own private bedrooms on the lower level and shared living and amenity spaces above. The intersections of these spaces become agricultural growing space that residents tend to in order to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Bedrooms are conveniently located next to the crops so that residents have the freedom to work at their desired time, creating a real sense of “Living With the Crops”!

Ashley Kasel

AGRICULTURE TIMELINE: I first started this project by → selecting the asset, agriculture to research and integrate into my design. My peer and I identified two major aspects of agriculture: crops and livestock. We then mapped the sequence of events that take place before crops or livestock reach the consumer.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

↑ INITIAL HOUSING PROTOTYPE: Next, I conceptualized ways in which agriculture can be integrated with the home. My initial idea was that a typical home (top left) could be broken up and shared among several individuals. The space in-between then becomes exterior space, that can be used agriculturally.

$OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

ARCHITECTURAL DEVICES: There were certain → aspects I looked into before starting my design, including living and agricultural space required per person. With these numbers in mind, I began to lay out the intersections between living spaces, keeping the bedrooms below and the shared spaces above ground level. These intersections changed depending on whether all of the growing space was below or if some of it was pushed above.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

$OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

SITE CONTEXT & ANALYSIS: When choosing a → site within Merced, CA, I first mapped the Zoning Districts and city limits. I found that “Agricultural” and “Agricultural Residential” were the only two zones that allow enough water to be used to water the crops. All other zones must follow the strict watering schedule laid out by the city (pie chart). To make the design more sustainable, I wanted to choose a site near a water source.

The site I chose borders Yosemite Lake within the “Agricultural Residential” Zone.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

$OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURAL & BEDROOM LEVEL: The → agricultural growing area and bedrooms are located below ground level on a slope. The slope allows for water from Yosemite Lake to gradually flow down to the crops. Placing the bedrooms below ground level gives residents more privacy and a sense of living with the crops. The growing space is divided into “Growing Districts”, giving residents within that district the responsibility of a specified amount of space.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

↑ SHARED LIVING LEVEL: The shared living spaces are at ground level and include kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, and laundry rooms. There are at least one of each of these programs within each “Growing District”. At this level there are also growing areas that are accessible from each living space. $OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

↑ AMENITY LEVEL: Accessed by the stairs from the shared living level, there are smaller amenity spaces that can be used by any of the residents. These spaces include study rooms, game rooms, and movie rooms.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

↑ MASSING MODEL: This model gives a sense of the overall massing and layout of the design. The site gradually slopes, but there is a more even slope within the walled area. $OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

↑ BUILDING & SITE SECTIONS: The sections help to make more sense of the floor plans. The first section (top) shows the relationship of the slope to the bedrooms and crops. It also shows how the layering of the different levels works. The second section (bottom) shows how these spaces are connected by wire mesh walkways and clarifies the idea of the slope in the opposite direction.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

← RESIDENT SCHEDULE: This drawing is an example of what a typical week could look like as a resident living in one of the districts. The workload would be split between both household and crop-related chores. $OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

OVERALL MASSING MODEL: These two → images show the massing of the entire site area from both sides.

LIVING WITH THE CROPS | ASHLEY KASEL

ARCH601 BUILDING DESIGN STUDIO | PROFESSOR LOPEZ

← MASSING MODEL DETAILS: These images show the perspective that residents would have of the spaces. $OCIAL CURRENCY | THE HOME

ASSET: AGRICULTURE

LIVING WITH THE CROPS Asset: Agriculture Ashley Kasel Fall 2021