The thrilling week of Halloween Review has come and gone! As advocates for the aging and the vulnera
The thrilling week of Halloween Review has come and gone! As advocates for the aging and the vulnerable population, we found it quite easy to dress as the grandparents of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We put on our warmest night gowns and got into bed, channeling warmth and comfort into our future project - the Horseshoe Homes. Our agenda last week was quite intense. We continued to research the correlation between mental illness, incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse, and aging in isolation. More importantly, we continued to research the correlation between personal progress and stable housing alternatives. On Thursday morning, we met with Thomas Wilson - local expert biologist. He walked our site with us, identifying flora. On the southeast corner of our site, Thomas stood in awe of what may be a prize-worthy Box Elder Tree. On the west side of our site (in our buildable area) we have two seventy-something-foot Water Oaks. Thomas explained that they were forty years old with a remaining eight years of life. The species, prone to disease and quick decay, may best be replaced by a “good native species.” Late into Thursday night we allotted thirty minute charrettes on case studies and unit plans to begin our most preliminary, abstract design possible. We chopped up Corb’s Unite, Zumthor’s Home for Senior Citizens, Alcacer do Sal Residences, and Aire de Bardanes Hotel into six units. We reorganized them onto our site and talked about the square footage, program, and implications of design. We found that we will need a meaningful response to the existing house and significant interaction with the landscape.Come Friday, we stood (or laid) before a jury of Matt Hall, Scott Finn, Xavier Vendrell, Steve Long, Emily McGlohn, Steve Badanes, and Yuksel Demir. We conversed on the program of the project, scale and feasibility, and schematic design. As always, we will sift through our new knowledge, and forge forward! -- source link