A room in the city : housing itinerant lifestyles

Abstract

In a globalized world, people are becoming more transient, and the turnover in cities continues to increase. For the white-collar labor force, the difference between residing and staying is becoming less defined. Hotel and apartment developers in Boston's Seaport District are specifically targeting this mobile sub-population. The Seaport's proximity to Logan Airport and the Financial District makes it an apt site for this group to temporarily land. Furthermore, they form a significant economic engine for a neighborhood that is largely underdeveloped. Using the Seaport as a site, the thesis argues that architecture has not yet adapted to transient lifestyles. Developers have cultivated an entire lifestyle around the notion that hotel and home can be one in the same if accompanied by a standard set of amenities. The thesis takes this idea further; it proposes a model for circulation that integrates amenities with itinerant living space.