So not to be post-post modern about this, I think one of the requirements of my vertical housing development is for the individual to feel a tangible sense of ownership of their home; it must be identifiable from the outside. In my vertical development I am shamelessly inserting the iconographic image of the traditional gable-roofed home. Ridiculous? Maybe. Ridiculous not to do this? Yes. The point must be expressed though. 
In other developments I have been exploring tensegrity structure because it may be installed very quickly and the parts can be made on an assembly line. Areas on the ground surrounding the construction are also relatively undisturbed; particularly important in Detroit not for people or business (there really isn't much to be disturbed) but roadways. If you close a road in Detroit it's big business; if you tear down a home it's no big deal aparently. Viewing a tensile structure in the way that I am has the downfall of being difficult to work with in terms of obstructions from the structure itself, but space here really isn't an issue; the structure is inexpensive and so is the real estate.
so these are my sketchyness sketches that i am working with. the campus that is being conceived is thought out in my head, but the frustration is coming when trying to put it into reality. duh. the top image shows the building diagrams i am kind of working with. i had originally thought to house 98 people, which is 3/4 of the 130 people i am going to train at one time. because of spatial issues, concept issues, and an general reasoning that i do not need to house this many people...based on the fact that not all the jobless people are going to be homeless, and if not homeless, why would they want to leave their home just to be in a training program? thus...the housing units are fewer, small, roommate style apartments, but maintain a sense of property, keeping in mind those that might be coming in from off the streets. the diagrams talk about how many people would be housed in each building and what other program it holds.
Epoxy resin systems are mixtures made up of varying amounts of several components. The main components of epoxy resin systems are the epoxy resin and the curing agent (also known as hardener). In addition, other components of the epoxy resin system may include solvents, reactive diluents and fillers. In general, epoxy resin systems have hazardous properties, but can be handled safely. The hazards associated with the specific epoxy resin system being handled will depend on the hazardous properties of the components. The following sections describe potential hazards associated with the various components of epoxy resin systems.
EPOXY RESINS
Epoxy resins are a family of synthetic resins including products that range from liquids to solids. The most common resins are produced by reacting epichlorohydrin with bisphenol A or bisphenol F. The three general classes of epoxy resins are liquid, solid and modified liquid.
General Classes
Liquid resins are mild to moderate irritants to the skin, eyes and mucous membranes. The irritant potential is increased by their "sticky" nature, which tends to lead to prolonged skin contact. These resins are generally mild to moderate dermal (skin) sensitizers in susceptible individuals.
Solid resins are not readily absorbed through the skin and present a low risk of skin irritation. Direct contact with solutions of these resins can cause mild to moderate irritation of the skin and the eyes, principally because the solvents "de-fat" the skin. When crushed to a fine powder, the materials should be considered an irritant dust; inhalation and skin contact should be avoided. Solid resins are generally low to mild sensitizers.
Modified liquid resins are resins modified by the addition of reactive diluents (see page 3) or solvents (see page 2). Both chemicals and water are used as solvents. When water is used, the resins are referred to as "waterborne resins." These resins should be handled with the same precautions as those in chemical solvents. They are mild to moderate skin irritants. These low molecular weight resins and the reactive diluents are moderate to strong sensitizers. Their sensitizing potential tends to increase with decreasing molecular weight. Epoxy components with significant volatility could cause irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory tract, but inhalation is normally not a hazard except under certain conditions of use, i.e., heating, spraying, or applications with large surface areas. Certain modified resins, such as cycloaliphatic epoxy resins have been shown to cause skin cancer in laboratory animals.
An excess of homes and homeless coexist in
A parasite can cling to its host for life support. With the introduction of an indescript device, the poor can begin to deplete the utilities once available only to the rich. By reprogramming typical urban apparatus into homeless shelters, the parasitic infestation can creep into the city incognito, tapping into needed supplies via office, commercial, industrial, and institutional.
Who? Recently homeless families
What? Urban camouflaged devices
Where? Parking lots, alleys, rooftops
Why? As temporary shelter to re-establish oneself
Concrete:
so thomas and i agreed that my crit was a bit confusing. we spoke about many new directions to take. i'm looking into the Nolli map of ancient Rome which is jam packed with detailed information about the ancient city. it shows everything from figure ground to topography to ancient monuments and semi-public spaces and even plans of these spaces and buildings. as a way to provoke thought, i am designing my own Nolli Detroit. it's going well, shown above is firstly an extension of the site to cover aspects i want included in my complex map. building plans are now being researched and i have assigned symbols and tools to conveying information specific to detroit. i discovered that ancient rome was created in a "carving out" strategy. the entire map appears to have been one giant mass, with the open spaces and streets simply carved out of the mass. detroit, on the other hand, is completely opposite, as most modern cities seem to be today. buildings are placed one after another, not touching, which is contrary to rome, and open space seems to swallow the whole city. thinking about this made me realize maybe more open space is not in detroit's best interests...as the next idea below talks about...
researching urban agriculture I came across an article discussing the storage of hay within a number of homes throughout the city. I was very interested in the shift in program and how in a certain sense it referenced the "urban camouflage" that matt and I had spoke about earlier. Its new program, storage, results from a basic availability and meets the needs of whatever is being stored, in this case the necessity of keeping the hay dry. With new objects come new configurations and also tools. I am also exploring the possibility for an architecture that could precipitate new growth such as a structure consisting of garden hoses. such a project could situate itself somewhere in between the suburban and agrarian.
4th floor of the Leland.
