Greg Hill

Boston, MA USA

The starting point for this design began with defining the economic limits posed by using not new, but used shipping crates as the core element.  Simply put, there is a point in the crate’s malleability where it becomes more affordable to use raw materials rather than design around potentially fantastic shapes the crate structure was never intended to form.  Simple workable details, materials and connections for a simple, efficient structure proves to be the most effective direction for the intended result of providing cost affordable housing for mixed-income families, and students.  These houses are offered in a variety of sizes and shapes which conform to different family sizes and needs.  This break in a repetitive sequence avoids the homogenous indifference sometimes typical of stack dwellings, and the southern portion of the site is reserved for future custom housing developments.  An onsite kiosk encourages families to design their own modular house using 3D software and other hands-on modeling.  Next to the kiosk and directly across from the Broad Street Train Station, a commercial shopping and office space ring shapes a cultural event area to be used for fairs and other festive gatherings ultimately serving as a focal point for the community and a passageway to the economic revitalization of the surrounding area.