2G2/3G5 - ARCH 562 - WINTER 2025
UNTAMED DWELLING
Making the Collective
In the Untamed Dwelling, we explored the relationship between individual, collective, and art-making.
Making is inherently communicative and, thus, a collective act through its influences and the sharing of the work. So, where we live and make are architectural questions, as both can be seen as being influenced by situational and cultural circumstances.
We rejected the common assumptions defining domestic space: living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. Instead, we seeked a more relational matrix of use and character. One that rethought the boundary of the traditional dwelling in pursuit of a functional interaction between the dweller, the immediate physical context of a building, and broader urban and landscape environments. Housing was seen as a complex relationship between interiority and ecosystems, shaped by social norms, climate, and economics, challenging the foundations of how we build and live together.
As we considered the questions of making, we understood different modes of expression, from traditional forms like painting and sculpture to more contemporary approaches such as performance art and other multimedia formats for individual and collaborative productions.
The studio worked in Detroit’s East Village, focusing on designing mid- to low-rise housing and artist studio spaces within the Little Village corridor, emphasizing transparency, open spaces, and connection to nature.