by Calvin Zhong, MCP’25 & MIT Architecture Teaching Fellow
Architectural Values & Desires Outcomes
Improving Housing Stock
Designing with a focus towards larger, more robust, and culturally relevant housing.
Providing New Housing
We build larger units and more densely to improve access to main roads and reduce infrastructural demands in the sloped areas.
Improving Tourism + Revitalization
Designing with a focus towards larger, culturally relevant hotels. This builds upon the historical context and tourism context closeby.
Designing towards Transition
Since these homes are newly renovated and constructed, they can be converted into hotels when families wish to leave (selling it to the hotel or government). Alternatively, they can run the home as an AirBnB or other short-term vacation rental.
Building Community
By grouping homes and designing more shared outdoor and indoor spaces, this can also help relieve issues of loneliness and shrinking communities.
Scaling the Strategy
This can scale based on the machi/banchi systems and the opportunities around the hillside communities.