Abstract:

In Chelsea, MA, at the margin between industrial and residential realities, broader social, political, and economic challenges persist: rising housing costs, fragile local economies, and shifting household structures. Existing housing models fail to support long-term resilience, offering static solutions in a dynamic context. They provide shelter but lack the capacity to withstand economic and political volatility, leaving residents vulnerable to systemic disruptions. In response, this project proposes a dynamic housing framework that integrates industrial productivity and domestic communality. Borrowing from the Doughnut Economy Model for Sustainable Growth by Kate Raworth, the project provides both a social foundation and ecological ceiling. Leveraging thin linear space, the kitchen, laundry, living, and storage spaces are wrapped into rings that frame a central courtyard, elevating everyday tasks into collective practices. Given that industrial storage remains a key economic driver in Chelsea, the local community collaborates with Eastern Salt Company in a mutually beneficial relationship that aligns local livelihoods with ongoing industrial operations. By developing domestic space into a flexible infrastructure that fosters collective self-sufficiency and resilience, a new housing model emerges. One that blurs the boundaries between living and working, empowering the household in the face of systemic change.