NORMAL HOUSE


The etymology of the word "normal" means "that which is made by the carpenter's square." It is manufactured by humans, consists of right angles, and behaves predictably. In the postwar decades, the convergence of mass media, shortage of housing and the federal need to reconstitute the social body made normality no longer something innate, but rather a quality to be actively pursued. Despite its exclusionary history, unsustainable patterns of growth, and intrinsic economic volatility, the image of the “normal house” is still one that resonates with the current housing market. A defining characteristic of suburban architecture is the economic model that revolves around consumer choice, and the illusion of individuality via property. This system, like the architecture itself, is actively designed. This systematized effort is conducted to make homeownership, family life and even your choice of normal house incredibly easy. 

Through a subversion of the everyday, this body of work is seen as a point of departure towards a stance that explores the tensions between architectural form and its representation. Simultaneously, the project provides an alternative to surburbia that is geared towards the uncertainties of contemporary domestic living. How can a plastic architecture of unpredictability allow for the more accommodating “model home”?

Recipient of the Harvard GSD 2019 Digital Design Prize

Location: Cape Coral, Florida

Speculative / Unrealized

2019