Anna's brief 

           Shipped Home is a model affordable tiny home developed for formerly incarcerated people in Oakland, California. The design was based on thorough research on life in the prison system and rehabilitating the imprisoned people of the country. The criminal justice system, by and large, focuses on the punishment and not the rehabilitation of these people, leaving them without any education, or a criminal record, preventing them from getting a job, and not allowing them to live in public housing. People incarcerated more than once are thirteen times more likely to be homeless than the general public. This system not only underserves and severely harms a massive percentage of our population, with the highest incarcerated population in the world but also targets the poor and minorities with extreme prejudice. 

          This project aims to attack that problem, creating affordable housing that allows the formerly incarcerated to not only live with a roof over their head but live with dignity. There are few opportunities for formally incarcerated lifers to get jobs and rent apartments. Shipped home allows these people to regain their lives, rehabilitate themselves, and reintegrate into society. Leaving these people on the streets only further pushes them toward recidivism. A shipped home allows for an open-feeling tiny house with plenty of space, air circulation, and an entertaining room. Small but mighty, this home has a full bathroom, a loft bed, a full kitchen, a living room, an outdoor deck, and tons of storage space, allowing the people living in these tiny homes more agency over their lives than ever before.

Tiny Houses is an architectural project focused on the development of a site in Oakland, California. The site is designed to be a community area to house and aid the previously incarcerated. A major part of the design is tiny houses, mobile housing facilities that are designed to house previously incarcerated people while they work to get back on their feet. 

The project uses architecture methods and the study of neuroarchitecture to design the environment to be comfortable and relaxing for the users. Elements such as natural light were used to create a dynamic environment while variable space maximized the storage and living space within an area. Integrating nature is important for the user’s mental well-being as well as keeping the space alive and comfortable.