LIVING TOGETHER Lifestyles are attracting a demand for alternative ways of living. This thesis proposes integrative housing that responds to contemporary habits, situations, and customs. Living in a community-based environment fosters a sense of unity and cooperation, creating a support system for each individual. The design will be catered towards young adults looking for housing in the “in-between” area of their lives that exists from school housing to a single family home. Three houses located in Richmond, VA will each be based on a different lifestyle and design process. In a community designed for those involved in the culinary, art, and dance worlds, domesticity exists in what is known. It exists in the central kitchen that boosts human interaction, in the materiality that mirrors the dancer’s movements, and in the unfinished sketches and paint splatters that become an extension of the artist’s mind.
second kitchen open staircase for cooking smells
series of indoor and outdoor spaces
wide-open space for dance practice
lighting reflects off mirrored walls
glazed double-height atrium elevated walkway connects houses
movable ballet barre
indirect light source
gardens around exterior
south facing garden
large kitchen for practice
exterior communal area
dining table is main gathering space
CONTROL The first house is “control” and is geared towards post-graduate culinary students. The result of the stamped oranges portrays a repetitive nature that represents the strategic measurements of the order in culinary arts. The plans of the three houses are inspired by the grids formed by the stamped materials corresponding to each lifestyle.
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window placement within studio
painting nooks
space free of distraction
elevator for accessibility
opportunities for solitude
sprung dance flooring
guardrails continue throughout house
P L AY
DISCOVE RY
The second house is “play” and is designed for artists and those interested in visual arts. The playful pattern of brushstrokes represents the freedom of the layout of the arts house.
The third house is “discovery” and it accommodates dancers. The fluid and unrestricted movement created by stamping tulle from the skirt of a dancer represents discovered elements within the design.
tactile materiality
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