Within the past quarter George Proctor's winter topic studio focused on modular housing. Although we had the option of choosing program and users of the space, we were required to design a 500 sq. ft dwelling that incorporated space-saving techniques, such as moving furniture. The majority of students in the class paired up, while the rest worked by themselves. My partner in crime, Corey Loren Pope, and I chose to work together at the last minute. 

Due to America's transitory nature, Corey and I decided to treat the project as an opportunity to design some sort of temporary dwelling. Initially we aimed to design a shelter for campers, backpackers, boy scouts, and other outdoorsy people that can be located in a variety of places, including the woods and desert. It had a self-sustaining element in the form of an overly complex green wall, in addition to moving furniture pieces. (See attached video.)

However, after our midterm review, our project changed dramatically for reasons I can't explain. The design transformed from a box with moving pieces to a heavy, stationary object. While the overall concept remained the same, we narrowed the location to Yosemite National Park. A series of shelters would be located along various destinations within Yosemite. 

The building's form and program changed. Initially, we provided a sleeping, living, bathing, cooking, and eating spaces within the small dwelling, but the new design treated those programs differently. Everything revolved around the hearth, or--in this case--the fireplace. People could sit around the fire, cook with the fire, and dine around it. Four beds and storage space are located on one side of the shelter, whereas an outhouse is provided 200 ft. away from the building. 

The main building comprised of three different shells, two of which housed the sleeping portion and one temporary section. The temporary half of the shelter is depicted by structure, which supports a waterproof canvas sheet. (See photo below.) This provides campers the option of being exposed to the outdoors,