Open Architecture Network

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

FAMILY:

Louise and her family had been living in Biloxi for 57 years and in their home for 21 years prior to Katrina. The home originally belonged to Louise’s mother, who passed away shortly after the storm.

Louise is a single mother. One of her children passed away in a car accident. Her remaining daughter, Kishma, is a student and received grants to study at Jeff Davis College. They both help take care of six-year-old Dajntae. The Odoms have extended family and roots here in Biloxi particularly on Heidenheim Avenue. Pre-Katrina nearly every property on the street belonged to Louise’s relatives. While many of her cousins and siblings are coming back Louise is the first start the rebuilding process and hopes to inspire more to come back to their community.

DESIGN:
The layered seed scales of a pinecone grow and open to dry, cool, and inevitably escape, shedding the fertilized scales to become new conifer plants. Using the pinecone as an inspirational organic model, the design investigates the ventilation potential of vernacular architectural elements like breezeways, prefab trusses, and operable shutters. A main breezeway brings cool air into the sleeping chambers, and perimeter verandahs (deepest on the south and east) both shade the house and offer indoor-outdoor living options.

The prefabricated trusses provide ample space under the floor for utilities and create interior height to effectively ventilate the interior spaces through the stack effect. Operable shutters can be closed along the porch perimeter to protect the house during hurricane season and can be opened regularly to capture prevailing breezes. Furthermore, by varying the degree of openness in the shutters, inhabitants can tailor the shade and privacy to their liking.

ARCHITECT:
The Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) is a professional outreach program of Mississippi State University’s College of Architecture, Art, + Design. The GCCDS was established following Hurricane Katrina to provide architectural design services, planning assistance, and leadership to communities and organizations that are working to rebuild and revitalize low-income neighborhoods along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Studio Gang is a Chicago-based architecture firm offering design service with a commitment to excellence. Jeanne Gang established the practice in 1998 with a focus on combining sustainability and good design. Good design stems from intelligence, creativity, good communication, enthusiasm, and hard work. Studio Gang Architects is recognized for these qualities throughout all phases of architectural design from programming and schematic through construction. www.studiogang.net