GCCDS

Photo © J. David Reeves

A House For Edward

Community Partners : East Biloxi Coordination Center
Building Partners: Hope Force International, BFS Relief, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, Hands On Gulf Coast, Back Bay Mission, and GCCDS.

Edward, an elderly man, requested a two-bedroom house so his daughter Carrie can stay over to assist him as needed. The design features a shed roof and clerestory windows, as well as a side ramp.

Instead of passing the project along to one specific volunteer group, project managers gathered together many groups working in East Biloxi for a “blitz” build. Edward’s house was built, from framing to finish, in two weeks, with the assistance of Hope Force, GCCDS, EBCRRA, BFS Relief, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, Hands On Gulf Coast, and Back Bay Mission, among others.

As a result of this unique collaboration, the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio was able to collect construction data and feedback from skilled volunteers in real time. It was an opportunity for the studio to observe standard local construction processes, perform on-site troubleshooting, and research the most effective ways to mesh innovative design with efficient volunteer-reliant construction.

For a time-lapse windows media video of the blitz construction, click here. (Download the newest Windows Media Player update here.)

Learn more about the day-by-day construction process by clicking on the thumbnails under each day's heading.