This wonderful world of mobile home living

Abstract

The mobile home, or manufactured home as it is called to day, comprises 25% of all new homes sold today. Although it is such a large portion of the housing market, it is plagued by a social stigma which has undeniably been a part of its history as a building type. Many factors contribute to this problem, including zoning ordinances, federal regulations and financing. All of these issues need to be and are being addressed by the industry, federal and state legislators, and homeowners. The thesis proposes to look at ways of reducing that stigma from yet another perspective, that of design. One challenge is to work within and with current manufacturing processes and legal restriction. This research project begins with a simple question - How might the manufactured home as an existing type be rethought in order to not only better its position as an alternative to the conventional single family home bur also be seen as an alternative for a broader market: in terms of social use: a. redefinition of the family; b. work/living scenarios; c. service/served or work/leisure relationships; in terms of spatial improvements, in terms of land use innovations, If these dwellings were accepted as houses for the middle class and second homes for the upper middle class the result would be a transformation of the genre.