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gsh . designs ®
    While the ideal of  “a home of one’s own” is deeply embedded in the American Dream, nearly 40 million American households, one third of all households nationwide, are in unstable housing situations and struggle to afford any kind of shelter. They are spending more than 30% of their income on housing and, as a result, may go without basic necessities such as medical care, food, heat etc. The lack of affordable housing often results in unsafe conditions, frequent moves, and decreased health outcomes. Housing instability becomes a cycle that pushes low-income households further into poverty. To counter this trend, this affordable housing project incorporates subsidy programs and complex funding mechanisms to create a stock of “safe, decent and affordable” housing.
LIFE IN INCREMENTS          
Affordable Housing Design
Los Angeles, CA
United States





    Ideas of ownership, legacy, and self expression are so deeply rooted in the American ideal of home and with a continual rise in homelessness as well as the increased cost of owning a home these things become less and less attainable by more of the population. This incremental housing scheme aims to give this ideal of home back to residents. By providing the infrastructure and support, residents are given the opportunity and resources to expand and or modify their home based on their needs at a given time and all within predetermined and established parameters to help guide their decisions as well as protect the overall integrity of the housing community.
   Two narratives and resident profiles were developed to guide the design and spatial properties of the housing units.  The first resident profile is a young couple in their late 20’s.  Suffering from mass evictions and poor employment rates they had to move out of their rental apartment.  
    One of the residents lost his job during the pandemic and has been taking on whatever freelance construction work he can find to make ends meet while the other resident works full time as a social worker. Both share goals of building and owning their own home one day. This couple needs a home where they can gain some experience with home ownership. They are also going to need some private work space. The second resident profile is a newly single mother who has been a stay at home mom for 6 years to take care of her son.  She is struggling to find a job she is qualified for where she will earn enough to take care of her son and would like to go back to school to receive her degree but lacks the resources and support to do so. This family is going to need access to certain amenities on site. She will also need space to herself to work while still being able to monitor her child in the house.  The child needs space to play and proximity to other units with children.