Contested Terrian: C.H.U containerized housing unit

At the time of President Barrack Obama's announcement of his plan to withdraw from Iraq there were 31 million material items remaining on military bases. As one article outlines: 100,000 vehicles, 120,000 containers, 34,000 tons of ammunition, 618 aircraft, 300,000 American personnel, 2.7 million candy bars,15,000 strips of beef jerky, 1.6 million cans of soda and330,696 CDs and DVDs.

Coinciding with this, are 4.7 million Iraqi citizens who have been displaced from their homes, many of whom have lost family members and lack the support of government-funded refugee programs. In addition, the psychological cost of war is clearly illustrated by the statistics on veteran suicide. Eighteen veterans of war kill themselves every day. This adds up to 6,500 suicides per year in the United States and is largely due to the diffi cult transition back into civilian life with many suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Lastly, this moment in Iraq's history aligns well with a still greater crisis placed on humanity-that of increased climate change and the need for sustainable practices as Iraq rebuilds itself.

The combination of these transitions is the basis of the critical program that will be explored during this studio project. By viewing the combination of all of the circumstances outlined above as opportunities for positive change rather than negative results of impacts of war, a solution which benefits each group emerges. The solution takes the form of soldier-built refugee dwellings made from reused containerized housing units (CHUs). These units are adapted to accommodate the Iraqi refugees and the rich religious and cultural vernacular building forms found in their former homes.

The Peak Vernacular

This project explores a typology of building in the post-cheap-oil age in Phoenix, Arizona. A city born at the dawn of the industrial revolution, Phoenix is one of the most oil-dependant metropolitan areas in the nation and will be one of the hardest hit as the world transitions to a new energy regime. This new housing type will take the form of an autonomous house, with decentralized systems of energy and food production and water use. Learning from the ancient Hohokam people who inhabitated this area one thousand years ago, this dwelling is built with earth from the desert floor, utilizes passive systems of temperature control and ventilation, and connects occupants with the surrounding environment and their available resources.

Dubai's Dreams: Migrant Labor in the UAE

There are over 360,000 low-wage migrant construction laborers in Dubai.

In 2005, the government of Dubai officially reported the construction-related deaths of 39 foreign nationals. However, in that same year Construction Week magazine reported 460 deaths of construction laborers; the Indian Consulate in Dubai reported the deaths of 971 Indian citizens alone.

This project proposes a modest mourning and cremation facility straddling the border between the Al Muhaisnah labor camp and the expatriate cemetery which it surrounds. Inspired by Hindu funerary rituals which occur along the banks of the Ganges River, the project provides proper end-of-life rituals for the men who die in service to Dubai's dreams.

The question: Can the acts of cremation and disposal of remains memorialize people in a country that denies their very necessary existence?

FARM MIDWAY: Urban Agriculture as Urban Infrastructure

My thesis project explores the potential of urban agriculture as an essential element of urban infrastructure. After surveying a number of vacant sites in St. Paul's Midway I decided to design a 2-part system. The larger and more static entity, FARM MIDWAY, is a 16 acre urban farm comprised of 72 compost-heated aquaponic greenhouses. The smaller and more static side of the infrastructure system includes TUGUs (Temporary Urban Gardening Units) and TUGU support pavilions. The TUGU system leverages its mobility to take advantage of temporarily vacant lots and underutilized parking surfaces along University Avenue.