$2,000 Home

What can $2,000 buy in today’s world?
a gucci hand bag
a yohji yamamoto fall winter coat
a boston-dhaka-boston flight
a college course
a used car
a month’s mortgage . . .

A weaver a potter and a farmer: Three clients, three real project sites, three different stories. Located in the deltas of Bangladesh, these are villagers coexisting with nature through a process of negotiation. They live on minimum means and their livelihood is predominantly sourced from nature. The studio will study and analyze dwelling in a landscape dominated by constant shift and change and will propose living units with a budget of USD Two Thousand.

The focus of Twenty First Century needs to center on the villages. Keeping people in their location requires empowering them with opportunities, reviving the pride of place and belonging. Reversing the trend of migration will require good living condition, work opportunities, ensured facilities of health and education. The design intelligence of our time needs to look beyond the visual spectacles and focus on livelihood and living condition holistically.

The creative thinking need to engage in reconnecting with the values of living meaningfully and symbiotically as a natural being.

The studio will address challenges and concerns and will offer creative solutions by re-thinking the material palette sourced from nature, re-inventing the process of construction as a social act, understanding the location and by respectfully re-interpreting the values of dwelling in the delta.

Small budget is a challenge that will compel the studio to look deeper into the existing morphology and material palette for inspiration.

The studio will address participatory process from the very beginning. Gaining trust and respect of the villagers is critical for the execution of the projects. The studio will be in conversation with the villagers to understand their livelihood and living conditions to gain understanding of the neighborhood and surrounding landscape. During site visit the students will map the neighborhood in order to propose reorganizational zoning both collective and private incorporating water and hygiene, work space and household activities. The studio will investigate and research on building materials based on cost, availability, social acceptability, durability and maintenance including the process and methods of construction.

The best design ideas will be considered for onsite execution in summer 2018 and the designers will be invited to take part in the construction process.

Zahra Safaverdi, a 2017-18 Irving Innovation Fellow, will assist this studio.

Marina Tabassum will be in residence on August 28 and 29, September 7 and 8, October 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27, November 20 and 21, December 4 and 5, and December 6, 7, or 8.

Timmy Aziz will be in residence on September 14, 15, 21, and 22.

Kazi Khaleed Ashraf will be in residence on November 9, 10, 16 and 17.

The instructors will also be available on the morning of studio days to account for “off-week” missed time.

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