20K Ann’s Home

20K Ann’s Home is complete!

On Saturday, September 21st, we celebrated the beautiful work of our 5th-year students, Ayomi Akinlawon, Jed Grant, Madeline Gibbs, and Yikuan Peng, and our lovely neighbor Ann at the ribbon cutting ceremony of 20K Anna’s Home. Thank you to all of our supporters and community! Without your support, none of this work would be possible!

20K Ann’s Home has a research and design focus of “aging-in-place.” The team took on the challenge of designing a home for the entire life of its occupant, not simply accepting the narrow understanding of “aging-in-place” that considers life following retirement. This meant providing spaces that are flexible and remain suitable as a family expands and contracts during different phases of life.

In addition to providing a living room that can easily transition into a third bedroom if required (when those teenagers need their own space or the favorite niece comes to stay), the design creates a strong connection between the interior and the porch with double doors. Not only does this approach create accessibility for someone in a walker, wheelchair, or even a hospital bed, it also provides space for families to gather and support one another. The house also prepares for this life cycle with details that are both durable and affordable to maintain.

Learn more about the 20K Ann’s Home on our website.

Back from Break

The week after the break was a time for the team to get back together, finalize some decisions and get on site. We have began to engage more closely with the site, marking out the location of the house, where the driveway goes and presenting these suggestions to our client. With their blessing, we were able to move forward setting up a power pole and ordering materials to prepare the site for construction. We hope to be excavating, pouring footers and setting blocks in the coming weeks.

Our site has a beautiful view down a hill and across the road to a pasture, where a curious cow likes to come investigate the bobcat.

Meet Debra

It’s been a busy few weeks so we’ve got some catching up to do! Spring break went by in a flash, and it was a much needed rest but now we are back and excited to be on site building a house. In the week leading up to spring break, we were able to meet our client and hear her story, which inspired us to push toward finishing her home.

Our client is a sweet lady named Debra, who became paralyzed at a young age. She lives with her husband on land that she owns with her sister. Her sister Jackie also lives on the site in a house with her daughter and grandson. Since Debra is bound to a wheelchair and her current home does not have a porch, it is difficult for her to experience the outdoors. We are excited that the home we have been designing for this purpose all year will be built for someone who is looking forward to being outside and enjoying the sun.

The 20K project is designed to be siteless and clientless, suitable for any homeowner or site in the region. The project has always emphasized the need for flexibility and adaptability, but it is now put to the test. Can a house designed so broadly become specific to one individual in a unique situation? We have received a truly beautiful site and couldn’t have asked for better clients, so we are so grateful for the opportunity to construct the home we have designed for them.