Biloxi Studio 2009
The Spring 2009 studio consisted of six students from three schools: the Boston Architectural College, the University of Tennessee, and Mississippi State University. The students lived at the Salvation Army volunteer camp or within the surrounding neighborhood and received course credit for an entire semester.
The students' spring 2009 project was a house design/build for Mary Pat and Tony, a family in Biloxi who lost their home in Hurricane Katrina. The students worked closely with the design studio architects and with Mary Pat and Tony to design the house. The design of the house was started at the beginning of the semester and the construction drawings were prepared for a building permit around the end of February. The house construction began the first week in March and proceeded for the entire semester.
The house is in a historic district close to downtown Biloxi. The design responds to the view of the Gulf of Mexico, with a front porch at the ground floor and a balcony and ample windows on the second floor. The form of the house developed in response to its orientation and relates to a coastal vernacular architecture; however, this vernacular has been energized by pushing the roof shape forward and increasing the size of the upper windows. The house is built to withstand 140 mile per hour winds and will have hurricane shutters to protect the windows. It will also employ various energy conservation strategies, including spray foam insulation and natural ventilation, and will use durable materials such as cement fiber-board siding and metal roofing.
Students
Boston Architectural College. Rhea Bundrant.
Mississippi State University. Chelsea Clark, Wade Martin, Micah McGee.
University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Faith Neenan, Matt Lyle.
