Modular Collective Housing: The Neighborhood & Housociety

by Meixi Xu

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN COLLECTION AWARDS 2022

Gold Winner

Housing Multi-Family Architecture Concept

Students Category

Designer / Architect:	Meixi Xu
Country:	United States

Description

The Neighborhood is a modular housing system that focuses on unifying a diverse community of people by utilizing common spaces that encourage interactivity. The Neighborhood is a prefabricated residential system that provides custom services for the multi-family modular units. Each design is a great representation of the versatility and wide range of customization capabilities of The Neighborhood housing system. Operating as a building block that is part of The Neighborhood integrated system, Housociety is a combination of well-oriented, and multi-functional modular construction that promote a wellness experience for users who live in this community. Modular construction breaks from traditional built projects and allows novel designs to be realised. Modular Housociety may be suited for a wide variety of environments, varying from urban to rural. Multi-Generation Modular Housociety Goals: Housociety has the potential to make the users have more interactions in reality instead of virtual connections, and it promotes wellness through the individual unit and communal space by making users share moments and activities through physical connections. According to the research, people were genrally happier decades ago than now, because social connections are good for people’s mental health. Housociety re-defines the life styles we live in now and also the future: How society (Housociety) connects The Neighborhood community, and different genrations who live in this community. Housociety modular home can be set in a location of their choice, rurual, urban, or suburban. The modules can combine in a variety of ways: horizontal, vertical. In the way Housocieties are built, the system becomes The Neighborhood, and various public spaces appear. The advantage for Housociety is having the poten- tial to let more people live in this modular home. For example, the multi-generational family rooms can shift into two separate shared-dorm for people who just graduated from college and looking for a n comfortable, affordable housing to live. There are sufficient light in each space, and people have access to the outdoor terrace in vary locations within the modular home. The openness of the space creates a feeling of comfortness, also helps people to reduce their anxiety. Besides the multi-funtional of the modular home, na- ture is the vital element of people’s living. To enhance the quality of living and wellness, a terrace is added to each module. Members of the unit can enjoy them- selves and do a varity of activities on the terrace. Having a small gathering in the shared terrace space will not only improve people’s relationship, but also reduce the use of electricity by using the natural outdoor thermal energy. The modular Housociety design takes time, and cost into consideration be- sides user’s experience. The furniture and furnishing are majority low cost, easy to assemble, and flat-packed. The selection of flat-packing furniture protects the environment and reduce the carbon emissions.