Arts Thread

While architects often work in high-growth / high-demand markets, sometimes the areas of the world facing population loss are in the most need of creative housing solutions. This is the case for Mississippi’s Delta region, which has experienced decades of economic decline leaving abandoned buildings and aging residents. Therefore, instead of designing new houses for an already over-supplied market, this project focused on ways to recycle the existing housing stock into homes better fit for an aging population. This new housing was designed to be constructed from materials harvested during the deconstruction of homes within the community. The new housing is oriented in a multifamily configuration filling vacant lots in the downtown core, ensuring a lively, walkable neighborhood. While most of the units are designed to accommodate elderly residents, some units are intended for families and artists to support a vibrant, diverse neighborhood that can care for each other’s needs.