Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Hiep Tran and Lang Tho Do were planning to retire at the end of 2005, but Katrina hit Biloxi. The Tran’s home was totally destroyed, and all that was left was a damaged makeshift storage building that Hiep Tran had built for his family. Now he and his wife will have to work a few more years before retirement.

On their property, the Tran’s FEMA trailer is hidden behind a make-shift porch with a plastic cover overhang on the side. Hiep Tran built the structure himself in order to gain more space for the tiny trailer and to block the trailer from the hot sun.

The site of the new Tran Residence is a small corner lot that measures 50’ by 100’, with a 25’ setback in the front, a 10’ setback in the rear, a 15’ setback from the side street, and a 5’ setback from the side next to the adjacent property.

Since the allowable building area for the Tran’s property is small, the architects designed a bungalow made up of two modules. The house contains the living room, dining room, kitchen, three bedrooms, two baths, and a utility room. In addition, as a nod to Mr. Tran’s experiment with the FEMA trailer covering, there is a porch that wraps around the southwest corner of the house, and faces both Division and Collier streets. The porch will not only provide much needed shade, but will allow the Trans to sit on their front porch and interact with their neighbors during their coming retirement.

The budget for the house is set for $65 per square foot. With the hard work from the staff members and volunteers at Architecture for Humanity, and donations of materials from companies such as Kohler (plumbing fixtures) and James Hardie (HardiePlank siding), the house will be built within a modest budget.

ARCHITECT:
The Nguyen brothers, Chuong Q.B. and Chung Q.B., were born in Saigon, Viet Nam in 1961 and 1962. They immigrated to Fairhope, Alabama in 1975 during the fall of South Viet Nam. During the years following their formal education, the brothers worked and traveled throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. They have worked with SOM in Houston, Emilio Ambasz & Associates in New York and Gino Valle Studio in Italy. In 1997, Chuong and Chung created their design/build firm MC2 Architects. Since then, their works have received notice locally and in several publications. www.MC2Architects.com