a shelter for two
collaborative design + build project | spring 2011 | John Quale
team members included Doug Dickerson, Ricky Passarelli, Mat Jungclaus, Jason Shapiro, and
Shiguang Chen

20 engineering and architecture students were divided into teams of 6 and given a $5 budget to construct a shelter to sleep in for a night in February.  initial design explorations studied the classic A-frame tent, the pyramid, and a simple cube.  the final design, the “hatch,” was derived from shifting simple geometries to accommodate human proportions and was constructed entirely out of reclaimed (and warped) wood.  the walls, floor, and roof were constructed as complete units off site for easier and quicker assembly.  each wall panel notched into the other, allowing the structure to be supported by its own weight.  recognition of the project included a report on NPR, as well as installation in Charlottesville’s Community Design Center during 2011’s Architecture Week.