affordability
Johnnie Mae’s home was built in Faunsdale, AL as a continuation of the Rural Studio 20k house project, designed to be an affordable housing alternative to a mobile home. The plans were adapted from previous students’ thesis work and studies of vernacular models. The design features a small accessory unit on the northern end that can be used as a rental property or a home office to generate income. The home was developed and constructed by a team of thirteen students.
Team: Lauren Ballard, Meghan Bernhardt, Kathryn Cantine, Cassandra Cody, Jacob Elbrecht, Katherine Ferguson, Madeline Gibbs, Kate Mazade, Sarah Page, Jacob Parks, Preston Rains, Rowland Sauls, Hyun Shin
Photo by Madeline Gibbs
The house was built for Johnnie Mae Howard and her family, who currently live in the mobile home that stands on the west side of her property. The students were tasked with the challenge of siting the new construction in a way that engages her property and preserves the magnolia trees that Johnnie Mae planted when she first purchased the land twenty years before. The diagrams, displayed to the right, were taken from a design charrette to study the building’s connection to the site, landscape, exterior zones, and entrance sequences. The team also developed several iterations of the porch and ramp that allow easy access, settling on a large center ramp and banding stairs.