The Vertical Archipelago

Abstract

This thesis began with an interest in responding to the urgent need for housing in cities that are growing at unprecedented rates. An in-depth exploration of two architectural responses to similar housing shortages served as an excellent case study of how people perceived the future of living. The Million Homes Program and the Metabolist Movement were focused on solving housing crises that were in a constant state of flux due to the movement of people, resources, geographic boundaries, ideas, and social understandings. Through design explorations influenced by my personal experiences while on an exchange program in Stockholm I was able to develop methods that metabolize energy from the city and express it through operations such as anchoring, growing, inhabiting, and bridging. These operations allow for a high-density housing project in the city center without imposing a heavy footprint on the existing urban infrastructure. The Vertical Archipelago is a high-density housing proposal that responds to rapid urbanization and climate change in Stockholm, Sweden. Rather than providing a static use structure, this thesis proposes a frame as a medium which organically grows as necessary in order to provide spatial connections between individuals and their community. Although speculative, this proposal could reflect a new reality based on factors that will significantly impact how we live in the 21st century.