ADAPTING HOUSING TO ADDRESS AFFORDABILITY OVER TIME
In a pattern consistent with many US cities in which high property costs limit upward mobility, Austin faces enormous demand for affordable housing – specifically, affordable housing that can adapt over time. This project proposes a system in which homes themselves can evolve, addressing those in need of affordable entry-points to ownership as well as longer-term growth-in-place. Creating “4D Homes” requires designing for diverse living situations, units built from “core” modules that can flex to accommodate various potential living cycles or “loops,” ultimately allowing for a single structure to be one’s dream home throughout any given time – whether during a period of transition, a generation of a family, or an entire life. This requires an adaptable, modular system optimized for space and connectivity.
Designed while at Low Design Office
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Location
Austin, TXGround
HillsProgram
HousingIntervention
SpeculativeServices
Exploration & Preliminary Design -
Design Architect
Low Design Office -
Competition entry for ICON's Initiative 99, seeking design proposals for a $99k home, 2023.
Ashley led this competition entry for ICON’s Initiative 99, which called for design proposals for a $99k home utilizing 3D-printing. Given Ashley’s deep experience with ICON’s technology during House Zero design and construction, as well as her passion for “future-proofing” the built environment to the greatest extent possible, she resolved that her team dedicate resources to this pursuit in order to further develop LowDO’s understanding and expertise in adaptive housing design. Testing ideas through physical models and animations in addition to digital modeling, Ashley encouraged her team to be rigorous and pragmatic while imaginative about what affordable housing could look like. This line of research has been continued in her recent studio at UT Austin and will inform a new housing project for which Ashley is leading design at LowDO currently.
