The Houston AIA held a design charette competition over the weekend of October 11, 2019. PhiloWilke team members, Kongci Chan and Ricardo Cuellar partnered with two other architects and designers, Diana Pham of Jackson & Ryan Architects and Christine Tran of Dillon Kyle Architects to complete the competition. The designers were challenged to a two-day brainstorming session to create alternate housing for the homeless population.
Kongci Chan describes their approach “First and foremost we all acknowledged that architecture in itself cannot solve homelessness, that goes up to the government level, but we can provide a roof over their heads temporarily. We worked well together to create a temporary homeless shelter that was affordable, durable, transportable and could withstand natural disasters like flooding. We went with shipping containers because of the availability, cost, and ability to be moved around. Additionally, we saw shipping containers as a benefit due to their ability to float when the water rises during flash floods. Our conceptual shelter included a clinic, mental health center, communal kitchen, communal bathrooms, flex spaces that can be used for activities, training and education services, living quarters and administration offices. Our main focus was to create a centralized space where it encourages people to come out of their living quarters and be together to share their experiences since a lot of homeless tend to be isolated or neglected.”
For more information about the event visit https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-architects-engineers-compete-to-design-14517399.php
