Completed with Carson Harris
This theoretical research studio explores how gameplay can be used as a tool to reimagine housing developments. The United States is plagued with car-centric suburbs designed by developers with the fastest and cheapest methods. Instead of deadends made of repeated houses, using a game of randomized parameters creates a new way of living that celebrates unique designs and prioritizes how people coexist over how cars move. By rejecting car-centric planning and developer-driven templates, this project proposes a radical reimagining of suburban life.
Two examples of poche deconstruction that lead to the creation of the keyboard matrix on the right.
The game originates from studying classic poche forms and deconstructing their common geometries. It was discovered that there are a key set of modular fragments which can be rearranged to recreate any piece of poche and, by extension, any building plan. These fragments form a keyboard where each key represents a fragment of architecture that is also modular, flexible, and combinable. A game similar to Scrabble can be played with the keyboard where randomly selected keys are matched together each round to form words and phrases. Instead of using syntax and grammar to combine keys, the game rules utilize geometry and equivalent side lengths.
Game board after 100 rounds of randomly selecting and playing keys.
As multiple rounds of the game are played with a random selection of keys, a world begins to appear. Based on the fundamental geometry of each key, groupings start to form and influence what can be placed around them. Each piece radiates out what can and cannot be paired together according to the rules, which creates natural empty space and boundaries between the groupings. Even though the game is completely random an ordering and internal logic starts to form regardless.
Game board after 100 rounds where keys are represented by their gestures and connection points.
The geometric properties of each key are represented through radiating gestures. These gestures inform how dense an area becomes with keys until it becomes unplayable. When thinking about real-world applications the gestures also represent the way people circulate around these strange geometries. People and landscaping are swept out while other times are forced back in towards a point.
On the left is an example of how the design algorithm takes in inputs from users to design a series of unique houses and land parcels that cater to each person's needs and wants while still harmonizing and benefiting the surrounding community.
One example of a community's development after the design algorithm was implemented to determine the optimal size, placement, and land usage for each person.
The application of this game is to replace the current developer-driven model for neighborhoods with one that relies on a randomized, user-driven approach where homes and communities grow organically and are shaped by the people who inhabit them. The result is not only a richer, more dynamic living environment but also a vision for how neighborhoods can foster connection, shared purpose, and sustainable cohabitation in an era where such values are increasingly critical. The game's algorithm can take in all parameters for an area and each user before generating a completely unique set of homes, yards, gardens, parks, and paths.
Common housing typologies and patterning methods are based on the gesture and geometry of each key.
Aesthetic customization is algorithmically guided to ensure visual harmony across the neighborhood. Each type of gesture—orthogonal, slanted, or curved—corresponds to a different pattern type that users can choose from. As the gestures combine between key types the patterns can also combine to create cohesive designs. Similarly, the color schemes of houses are algorithmically controlled, with choices influenced by the proximity of neighboring homes. This method keeps the overall design integrity in the hands of the designer algorithm, rather than leaving it to subjective client decisions.
