Date of Award
August 2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Design
Advisor(s)
Donald W. Carr
Keywords
aging population housing, container house community, mobile, tiny house movement
Subject Categories
Arts and Humanities
Abstract
On a daily basis, as individuals retire, they often reevaluate their housing needs as they search for opportunities to accommodate their new lifestyle. At the same time, the idea of doing more-with-less is becoming increasingly popular. Existing literature shows that tiny homes have been found to address the needs of a wide range of individuals. They also alleviate excessive construction costs and address the problem of mortgage /debt management. However, the current literature also shows there is a gap in that a large percentage of tiny houses have not yet been designed to meet the needs of an aging population. Some design issues that need to be resolved include providing comfort and universal access for a wide range of abilities which may change over time. If envisioned as modular living units within a planned community, tiny homes have the ability to support and maintain social interaction among residents and support a general sense of interdependence.
For this thesis, I’ve taken the position that design can do better to accommodate this ever-increasing segment of our population by making use of reusable shipping containers as an archetypal living unit. As part of a global transportation system, they offer a high level of mobility which, in turn, offers great potential to meet the needs of future living communities.
As a thesis investigation, my design solution strives to make up for the gap and cater to user needs. Through three generations of prototypes, communicating with professionals, and user testing, I’ve arrived at a final design solution. This work aims to develop a container house community that can accommodate the range of needs of older adults as their needs change over time.
Keywords: tiny house movement, container house community, mobile, aging population housing
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Diao, Zihang, "Transpods: Mobile Senior Living Community Design" (2020). Theses - ALL. 427.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/427
