This project is a pre-fabricated emergency living unit designed to be deployed for aid relief through land, air, and sea. This project was designed during my BARCH studies.

1. MONOGRAPH ONE [1]
SELECTED ACADEMIC PROJECTS BY
EMMANUEL PIERRE JORDAN GEE
diagramming[movement]: the body’s sequence unfolded linear space
parti[interpretation]: conceptual “web of habitation”

2. PROJECT THE LIVING BOX: AN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION
TITLE: FOR A PREFABRICATED LIVING UNIT
CRITIC: VERA PARLAC [PROJECT 1 _ NINE WEEKS]
STUDIO: ARCH 331/431 FALL 2005
CLIENT: VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA [ACADEMIC]
PHASES: 3 DESIGN AND RESEARCH PHASES
[BODY, TECHNOLOGY, SITE/SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT]
“ARCHITECTURAL SPACE IS NOT SOMETHING GIVEN, ARCHITECTURAL
CONCEPT:
SPACE IS FOUND. IT IS CARVED OUT THROUGH ACTIVITY AND
MOVEMENT, AND IN RESPONSE TO ITS CONTEXT [SITE]. BODY AT
WORK, IN MOVEMENT, OR AT REST...ACTIVATES SPACE AND WEAVES
AN INVISIBLE WEB OF HABITATION. THESE ELEMENTS FORM THE
TERRITORY OF ARCHITECTURAL SPACE AND USES THE CONSTANT
SHIFTING OF LIFE TO FORM THE POSSIBILITIES FOR OCCUPYING SPACE
AND MATERIALIZING THIS OCCUPATION.” - PARLAC
PROGRAM: AS SPECIFIED BY COMPETITION GUIDELINES THE PROGRAM IS FOR A
LIVING UNIT CONSTRUCTED AS A PRE-ASSEMBLED BLOCK WITHIN THE
DIMENSIONS OF A STANDARD SHIPPING CONTAINER AND MADE
DISPENSABLE BY ROADS, RAILS, OR BY AIR.
S I T E : THIS UNIT CAN BE MODIFIED FOR ANY SUITABLE SITE, BUT IT IS
DESIGNED FOR A FIELD INSTALLATION AS A MASS NETWORK OF
EMERGENCY HOUSING.
FOCUSES: TO CREATE A SYSTEM OF PARTS WHICH WILL ALLOW AN INDIVIDUAL
USER TO DICTATE HOW THE FUNCTIONS OF A LIVING SPACE WILL BE
DETERMINED FOR HIS OR HER AESTHETIC REQUIREMENTS, WHILE
DESIGNING A UNIT WHICH CAN BE FABRICATED AND SHIPPED IN MASS
QUANTITIES FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING.
THIS PRE-FAB LIVING UNIT IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW A MULTITUDE OF
PROJECT
OPTIONS IN WHICH THE USER CAN DICTATE THE SHAPE AND FORM OF
SUMMARY: THE ENVELOPE WHILE ASSIGNING PROGRAMMATIC ELEMENTS WITHIN
THE LIVING SPACE. AS INDIVIDUAL RIBS ARE ADJUSTED INTO
SUBJECTIVE POSITIONS FOR THEIR INTERIOR PROGRAMMATIC USES,
THE ENVELOPE BECOMES [RE]DEFINED.

3. hurricane katrina [victims]: a sudden mass of displaced environmental refugees
“Living doesn’t only mean “being on earth” but also quot;being under the sky””
M. Heidegger
INTRODUCTION LIVING BOX
Inseparable relations link man to his space; but The “Living Box” shall overcome the contrast between “stable” and
what does space represent and what turns a “temporary,” as underlined by Le Corbusier - the great master of
simple space into a “place”? Heidegger says “To the Modern Movement, but mostly a punctual studious of new ways
live” the age we live in, compels man to face a of living - necessarily emerges from temporary living. It will, then,
series of social and cultural changing that let him answer to the need for an easy and fast change, being able at the
rediscover the “multiplicity” of dimensions that same time, to state the presence of a man in a context. Subject
characterizes his living. Fast transformations and of competition is the design of a prefabricated living unit for housing,
incessant social-cultural flows of contemporary transportable on wheel vehicle or by air, which can be used even
ages let, then, the formulation of a new concept as permanent house and which can be able to comply with contem-
of “living” being necessary: a new thought on man porary lifestyle in terms of living comfort and architectural language.
and “spaces” he wants to live in. Concept of Dimensions can be related (but it’s not compulsory) to standard
“House” itself is no more connectable to traditional dimensions of containers for commercial transportations that automati-
models synonymous of permanence and stability. cally comply with transportability problems and don’t need special
Contemporary house can easily result into a vehicles. Final unit might be obtained by a single block or by
“temporary” home, emblem of mobility that assembling and connecting more than one block.
characterizes our age.

4. PHASE 1: BODY AND THE INVISIBLE WEB OF HABITATION
“ARCHITECTURAL SPACE IS NOT SOMETHING GIVEN, ARCHITECTURAL
SPACE IS FOUND. IT IS CARVED OUT THROUGH ACTIVITY AND
MOVMENT, AND IN RESPONSE TO ITS CONTEXT [SITE]. BODY AT
WORK, IN MOVEMENT, OR AT REST...ACTIVATES SPACE AND WEAVES
AN INVISIBLE WEB OF HABITATION. THESE ELEMENTS FORM THE
TERRITORY OF ARCHITECTURAL SPACE AND USES THE CONSTANT
SHIFTING OF LIFE TO FORM THE POSSIBILITIES FOR OCCUPYING SPACE
AND MATERIALIZING THIS OCCUPATION.
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL FORM OF SPACE
[STANDARD ROOM] AND THE EVENTS THAT OCCUR IN THAT SPACE?
THIS RELATIONSHIP IS OFTEN EPHEMERAL AND IMPRECISE.
MOVEMENT TRAJECTORIES OF DAILY ACTIVITY COULD BE EASILY
MAPPED BUT THE BOUNDARIES AND SURFACES DELINEATED BY MOVING
BODIES ARE IMPRECISE, AND THIER VARIABILITY ESCAPES STANDARD
MEASURING.” - PARLAC
THE DEPARTURE POINT FOR THIS PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP A
SYSTEM OF MEASURMENT, WHERE YOU COULD MAP THE TRAJECTORY
OF MOVEMENT, IT’S BOUNDARIES, AND THE SURFACES OF THOSE
ACTIVITIES. THE INFORMATION GATHERED WAS THEN INTERPRETED
Étienne - Jules Marey - ”Pelican in Flight,” 1882; “Cinematographic Analysis of the March,” 1880
INTO A SERIES OF SEQUENCE STUDIES.

5. activity mapping[cooking]: the maneuvering of joints and muscles through film and notation
diagramming[movement]: the body’s sequence unfolded linear space
parti[interpretation]: conceptual “web of habitation”

6. transformation[study#1]: translating “web of habitation” studies into [micro] & [macro] programs

7. transformation[study#2]: preliminary conceptual sequencing developing a user activated envelope with integrated programs for the body

8. PHASE 2: TECHNOLOGY & THE DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN BODY AND TOOL
“AS TECHNOLOGY IS PROFOUNDLY SHAPING THE WAY WE RELATE TO
THE WORLD, AN ARCHITECTS SENSIBILITY IS CHANGING WITH IT. WE
BEGIN TO SEE A WORLD AS A MULTIPLICITY OF INTERCONNECTED
FIELDS AND NON-HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATIONS, AND AS OUR VISION
EXPANDS, THE PURITY OF A HIGH TECH AESTHETIC BECOMES
INCREASINGLY COMPROMISED. NEW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTION
TECHNOLOGIES SUGGEST NEW POSSIBILITIES. THIS PHASE IS THE
CONTINUATION OF PHASE 1, WHILE EXPLORING MATERIALS AND
PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES IN ORDER TO ADDRESS A DYNAMIC
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY AND A TOOL, (AN INTERFACE BETWEEN
BODY AND TECHNOLOGY” - PARLAC
PHASE 2 BEGINS WITH TRANSFORMING THE SEQUENCE & TRANSFOR-
MATION STUDIES INTO A SYSTEM OF TECHNOLOGIES, WHICH SHAPES
THE SPACE, FUNCTIONS, & PROGRAMS FOR THE USER. PRODUCTION
STUDIES OF HIGH DENSITY POLY-CARBONATE INJECTION MOLDING,
LATEX SKINS, PHOTOVOLTAICS, & JOINT SYSTEMS WERE REFERENCED
AND INTEGRATED DURING THIS PHASE.

9. development stage[study#1]: container mechanics & user activated envelope study
In this stage the development of the envelope began with the sequencing of indepen-
dent ribs, which could be modified by users as a way to define moments where the
body could inhabit space. This sketch study investigated the standard shipping
container and the mechanics for a complete pre-fabricated element which could unfold
on site by the user. Investigations into hydraulics and hinge systems were a focus.
development stage[study#2]: model study of
interconnected ribs and an elastic envelope

10. development stage[study#3]: container mechanics & user activated envelope study
This is a second sketch study investigating user activated programs developed through the placement of the folding
ribs. The ribs here begin to show a system of 25 modules which would interlock to formulate each individual rib.
The ribs are inter-connected by a dual layer latex membrane as an insulated elastic envelope. In addition, a
sub-flooring compartment un-folds to create a work / sleep environment and reveals a draining system for the shower.

11. steel and/or photovoltaic weathering plate
poly-carbonate injection molded rib module
steel locking pin
poly-carbonate injection molded end module
steel locking plate for track system
mechanical[detail#1]: poly-carbonate injection molded rib modules

12. ”
1’-6
6
shower pan
hydraulic arm
translucent resin panels
mechanical track system
floor panels [bed / table]
1’-1”
2 1 7 -4
’”
utility lines
home facilities & components
-mini refrigerator
-oven
-8 cabinet drawers
-sink & toilet
technical[plan studies]: roof plan with rib modulation diagram & interior program component plan
This deployable living unit is consisted of a standard corrugated steel shipping container, which is modified to retract
a floor system. The floor system is primarily made of a structural poly-carbonate shell with translucent resin panels,
a track system for the user activated envelope, and a floor rib system with a sub compartment for the shower drainage.
Attached to the main “container” are the primary facilities of the unit, including a toilet and kitchen system. All
drainage and electrical lines are routed through a main utility line within the sub flooring of the main “container.” The
utility line is the only pre-installed infrastructure, allowing each individual unit to be “plugged-in” and ready to go.

13.                                                            
mechanical[detail#2]: folding arm sequence - extract and install user activated envelope
interior floor rib [floor bed table] system
steel locking plate for track system
steel track system for all mechanical ribs
mechanical[detail#3]: interior floor rib and track system concept[sketch]: deployed ribs

14. mechanical[detail#4]: retractable shower system

18. PHASE 3: SITE / SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT
“AS LIVES BECOME MORE TRANSIENT, THE CONCIOUS LONGING FOR PLACE
SHARPENS. MANY FACTORS OF MODERN LIFE HAVE TRANSFORMED OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE “SITE” OF ARCHITECTURE. FAST PACE OF CONTEMPO-
RARY LIVING, TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIO-CULTURAL FLOWS CHALLENGE
THE TRADITIONAL MODE OF LIVING. STABILITY AND PERMANENCE THAT GROUND
THE “HOUSE” AND PROVIDES A SENSE OF SECURITY ARE SHIFTING. SWIFTLY
MOVING WORK FORCE FURTHER CHALLENGES THESE NOTIONS. A CHANGE, AN
EXCHANGE, A FLOW ARE BECOMING MODES OF OPERATION. IN THIS COMPLEX
CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT THE EMPHASIS IS ON A “PLACE,” AS IT IS IN ITS
DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD.” - PARLAC
PHASE 3 WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT PHASE 2,
WITH THE INTEGRATION OF SITE AND SOCIETY. DUE TO THE EXTEREME NATURE
OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND THE UNFORTUNATE OCCURENCES DURING HURRICANE
KATRINA, THIS PROJECTS MAIN CONCEPT AND PHILOSOPHY HAD SITE AND ITS
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT IN MIND THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES.
THE USER OR ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES WERE DISPLACED INDIVIDUALS IN THE
THOUSANDS WHO WERE A CONSTANT FACTOR AND DESIGN PROBLEM TO
INTEGRATE WITHIN THE PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSES THE UNIT HAD. AS THE NEED
FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING INCREASED, SITE LOST ITS FUNDAMENTAL IDEA OF
“PLACE” WITHIN THE LARGER CONTEXT AND BECAME THE ELEMENT OF “PLACE AS
HOME.” HOW EACH USER DEFINED HIS OR HER SPACE, ALLOWED FOR A
CONTROLLED UNIQUE PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE PRE-FABRICATED
MODULAR HOUSING UNIT. SITING THEN BECAME A TEMPORAL CONDITION, WHERE
AVAILABLE LAND COULD BE TRANSFORMED INTO A TEMPORARY HOUSING FIELDS.