Affordable Housing for the Marshallese Community

Hello! My name is Claire Moeller and I am a recent graduate from St. Henry High School in St. Henry Ohio. I plan to attend The Ohio State University to study mechanical engineering in the fall. This past year I had the opportunity to use my capstone project to learn what I wanted. With the requirements in mind, I wanted to learn how to use 3D modeling softwares because I had never used them before. Initially, I was going to follow floor plans provided by my teacher to learn the basic parts of revit. Then, I would use what I learned to design something of my own without using floor plans to guide me. After finishing the first part of this project, I came across this challenge and decided to gear my project toward a defined community rather than something of my own choice. My avid research for the Marshallese Community helped me to create something special for them. This project allowed me to explore 3D Software and learn more about how it can design solutions to solve problems across the globe!

1. Revit Software
2. Tape Measure
3. Ruler
4. Dial Caliper
5. Pencil/Paper
6. Online Sources/ Internet for research

As part of the Compacts of Free Association agreement, citizens of three Pacific island countries are able to live, work, and study in the United States. Around 30,000 people have immigrated from the Marshall Islands to the United States. Nearly 5,000 Marshallese live in Mercer County, Ohio, specifically coming for the jobs, education, healthcare, and the environment boasted by the area. Mercer County is home to many companies that offer great support and job opportunities to these Marshallese families, which, in turn, helps drive Mercer County's economy. Many of these citizens traveling to the United States have fairly big families, and live a multi-generational life. As one could imagine, these families need space to live, and with about 12 people living together, this can be challenging to find in the small communities across Mercer County. This affordable housing design attends to the needs and culture of the Marshallese community, so they can thrive in their new space and feel a sense of home. The home will be built near a lake or body of water in Mercer County, such as Grand Lake St. Mary's or one of the various ponds owned by large companies across the county. Designing and building this home will not only serve the people of the Marshall Islands, but it will support the economy of Mercer County and provide more space for other citizens seeking to live in these communities. Families and other Marshallese members will be brought together and supported by each other with this design, which will create a feeling of belonging.

A first major step in any project is brainstorming and coming up with ideas to solve the problem at hand. For this challenge, we were prompted to design affordable housing for a defined community in our area. Where I live, Marshallese people are all around the county, providing work and a bigger population in this small area. It is challenging for them to feel at home because they are separated from other people of their culture with enough room to thrive. FInding enough room for these families to all live together as they would at the islands.

From my research and the interviews I conducted with Marshallese teachers, I thought of several ways I could accommodate the Marshallese culture in this design.

Criteria 1: Water

Vegetation is an important part of Marshallese culture and the gardening system will allow for them to live like they would on the island, benefiting their economic situation. Also, the Marshall Islands are surrounded by water so this community is used to living this way. Therefore, a source of water is an important feature of this home because it will provide water for the family's gardens.

Criteria 2: Space

This design is separated into two floors, each being a space for a Marshallese family allowing for extended families to live together in close proximity to other people of similar ethnicity. Each space can fit about fourteen people comfortably which would be a huge change from their traditional American single-family homes. Large spaces for gathering, such as a big dining/ living room area and front/back patios with a big yard will meet their cultural need for spending time together. Celebrating and gathering is also very important to this community, so having this space for them will provide support and a touch of home. Marshallese are also used to very natural lighting and openness at the islands, so adding a lot of windows and access to patios/ outside was incorporated into the design

Criteria 3: Affordability

Affordability was also a big component of this project, and this particular design allows for one big space rather than a lot of smaller spaces. The upfront cost may be more because it is a bigger home and has many different elements needing power, but this design will be more efficient in the long run. Instead of spending money on building several smaller areas, building one big space for this community will not only save money, but bring the community together offering support for them.

All in all, in the researching part of the design process , brainstorming a design that replicates what I researched and how I defined my chosen community is a major part of this project.

Site Selection

To accommodate the need of a water source, this design will be placed near a lake or pond. After viewing Google Earth for satellite views in Mercer County Ohio, I think this design would work best by several ponds located near a major employer for most Marshallese people in the area, Cooper Farms. Below is an image of the potential land for these community houses. This will be a great spot for these homes because it not only includes a source of water, but allows for Marshallese to travel faster, cheaper, and more efficiently to work.

Sketching

Drawing out ideas and sketching a rough draft is a very important part of the design process. Including this in my project allowed me to follow a plan and challenge myself to design what I had envisioned. The original plans were a great source for revision and were referenced many times as I was designing on Revit. Bringing the sketches to life using the Revit Software was an eye opening experience and allowed for me to see what I had learned and became capable of.

Construction

My project was only an imaginary 3D version of my design, but building this in real life would require a construction team. First the foundation of the house would be made and built up from there, constructing each floor at a time. Each floor could potentially be built separately and then pieced together once all finished. Local construction companies would be able to complete this job, which could have a positive effect on community and local business support.

After brainstorming and thinking of a design that I thought was best for this project, it was time to model. Using the Revit Autodesk software, I was able to design my brainstormed idea and bring it to life. I wanted to use Revit so that I could get a feel for the software and see if it was something I would want to work with in the future. I started with all of the walls within the first floor then added the flooring. Because the first and second floor were the same design, I was able to duplicate the first floor instead of recreating the entire second floor, which was very efficient and allowed for more time to add more detail.. After the floors were added, I put windows, doors, and stairs into the design. Throughout this process , I was learning how to navigate these components and how to correctly include them in my design. Then, other aspects were added to make the house more unique, such as furniture, appliances, cabinetry, sinks, toilets, and showers. I had to find these components online and download the Revit families in order to use them in my design. Lastly, I created different textures and added different materials to make the design meet the Marshallese cultural taste. I added materials such as carpet, tile, grass, concrete, water, and hardwood flooring. Most of these steps were found in the architecture tab of Revit.

This is an image of the back of the home, including the garden and gathering provided behind the house. The access to water is also a big part of this project and is pictured above.

The inside of the house is shown above. These images show the natural lighting/openness of the design and the open space provided for the families.

This image showcases both floors of the design and the area that the house will be constructed on.

At the beginning of this project, I had never used Revit or seen what was all included within the software, and by following tutorials and researching, I was able to create a complex design that fits the needs of the Marshallese community. This was a huge learning process for me, and it was very overwhelming at first; however, applying myself to the research and learning aspects of this project have helped me to succeed greatly.

Learning

This project was a huge learning experience for me and going into it I knew nothing about the revit software. I think I did a very good job of independently learning and had to research a lot about how to use Revit. I had to connect multiple pieces of information to complete certain aspects, such as my roof design, steps/railing, and the topography in my design. I feel confident about designing in Revit and although I do not know all of the advanced tools, I think that I would be able to learn them by using a similar process I did for this project. I think I would be able to explain the revit software to beginners and help them to get a feel for it. I have learned a lot of information and I now know how to use the Revit software and design infrastructure that is realistic and functional for everyday life. I have learned how to add exterior/ interior walls, doors, windows, flooring of different material, steps, railings, components, and toposurfaces.

Problem solving/ critical thinking

Problem solving was required for my project and referring to past solutions was very helpful in completing my home design. Specifically, I had to think a lot about the second floor plan and how the plan could work differently than the first. I tried many different designs and after going back to past solutions and researching different ways the design could work well, I found a good solution and was able to make it unique and effective for the project criteria. There were many instances where I had to try and then try again when the idea didn’t work, but this is an important part of problem solving.