Placemaking

The Architecture of the "home" as we know it has taken many shapes and approaches throughout history. Early people resided in naturally occurring caves to guard against the harsh climate while nomadic tribes built temporary structures to follow game through the plains. During the settlement of America, settlers fused building practices from their home land with local materials and passive design to create distinct vernaculars in all regions of the country. After the Industrial Revolution during the mid 1800's, regions were able to import building materials foreign to their locations. Invention of new tools and building techniques created new building practices in all regions of the country. The formally distinct region-specific vernaculars began to meld into similar expressions as the building of the American home was optimized to build a home at the lowest cost. The optimization of the home has greatly reduced the diversity of homes in American suburbs, leading to entire neighborhoods of identical houses with only slight modifications that alter the status quo house.

This Thesis addresses these issues of the typical American home's lack of sensitivity toward the history, climate and culture of its place. The design proposes the use of prefabricated modular building as a means to grant access to high quality, sustainable architecture to the average American.