JESSICA ROBICHAUD

Fourth Year we spent the Spring Semester researching homelessness in Maine.  In my research I found that there are many people who choose to stay out of homeless shelters. 

 

This project is designed to house two people, their pets and their belongings.  It consist of ten panels partially assembled that can be put on a trailer and taken to the area where people are staying outside.  It uses a trombe wall (made of several layers of cement board) for passive heating in the winter time and stacked ventilation techniques to assist with cooling in the summer time.

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Over the course of the semester I began asking local businesses for donations of lumber and other building materials and raised over $4,000 in materials to build a life size prototype. 

 

When donations began to make the prototype a reality we decided to make it a class project.  Some minor changes were made to the design and Dylan Charlesworth and I developed a framing plan.  I consulted with an engineer for guidance and oversight.  Over a four day period my classmates (Ben Bailey, Dylan Charlesworth, Jesse Libby, Lydia Mather, Eric Philbrook, Billy Rankis, and I) built the prototype in my driveway. 

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We displayed the prototype at the Art Walk in Downtown Augusta which meant we needed to dismantle and set up the prototype many times.  It will be tested over the winter and I will begin the process of asking a municipality for permission to give it to a homeless couple when testing has been completed.  Then I hope to raise money for prototype #2!