Flexible integration

This thesis is an exploration of mixed-used and mixed-density housing through modular design to uncover the possibility of architecture creating a diverse and integrated community that respects the people, local culture and historical traditions. The program of the investigation is a co-housing community in the hurricane devastated city of New Orleans. The construction will be based on the modular design that will give the residents the flexibility of organizing spaces and give them participatory ownership of their home and community. The hurricane disasters will be investigated to understand their impact. The ethnographic information and the demographic trends will be used to understand the culture and the way people live in the area. The traditional shotgun architecture will be considered in designing the housing community. The modular housing of Donald MacDonald, the San Francisco earthquake houses of 1906, the Frank G. Mar housing/commercial complex in Oakland and co-housing complexes in the United States will serve as precedent and case studies.