Black+Vernooy is excitedly preparing for the upcoming construction of the Community First! Village, a program by Mobile Loaves and Fishes. This new village will “renew our community as the men and women living on the streets are lifted up into community and home.” Black+Vernooy’s architectural design for the Micro Pod, a winner of the Tiny Victories competition, will create a number of these homes. The design is conscious of the community vision by accommodating flexible site placement; units can be oriented to optimize privacy, solar and ventilation considerations as well as other site opportunities such as views and trees and neighbors. The Micro Pod is also highly conscious of the needs and desires of individual residents: many bed sizes can fit in the units; prefabricated closet boxes on casters can be arranged anywhere within the space; and a slab door spanning between two filing cabinets can serve as a work-surface. Additionally, Black+Vernooy’s design is conscious of the need for efficiency and affordability of construction, suggesting cross-laminated timber technology because of significant savings related to time, money, labor, and reduced disruption to the site.
Published: 07.01.2015
