New Horizon is an attempt to redefine the typology for homeless housing. The project is a combination of housing, education, and a commercial section that is designed towards securing housing and reducing the stigma against homelessness. The projects is placed in the center of Jacksonville’s pedestrian district where the homeless people will be offered a chance to be reconnected to society, both geographically and socially.

New Horizon contains a three-part program; Housing with supplied basic medical services, Education and Street Activation. Homeless people that are housed, cost about 30% of what they would do living on the street. To further offset the cost of the housing project, two types of housings are offered; dormitory style shelter in exchange for volunteer work, and low-income apartments. Thus, the shelter can apply for a long-time period for each individual. While staying at the shelter, both mental and physical medical services are available.

A culinary education will be housed at the shelter, available for anyone. The culinary school can both serve as an alternative education with opportunities for hands on experience, a valuable set of basic everyday knowledge and a provider of affordable food. It can also bring positive public attention to the building.

To bridge the program with the city, a set of street activators are used. By providing Adams street with a restaurant and Laura street with a café elevated from the side walk, New Horizon will attract people.

Floor Plans

the Site

6

7

13

15

16a

16b

Bathroom

Mechanical Room

Communal Social Area

Private Apartment

Large Private Apartment

Designated Bedroom

6a

6b

7

13

14

Men's Locker Room

Women's Locker Room

Mechanical Room

Communal Social Area

Dormitory

6

7

8

9a

9b

10a

10b

11

12

Bathroom

Mechanical Room

Education Kitchen

Upper Deck Cafe

Cafe Seating Area

Affordable Cafe

Cafe Seating Area

Principle's Office

Education Room

1

2

3a

3b

4

5

6

7

Lobby for Residents

Intake/Registration

Restaurant Entrance

Restaurant

Kitchen

Housing Office

Bathroom

Mechanical Room

Building Presence

Part of the visualization of the building was constructing a physical model of 16 city blocks of Jacksonville. This site model was a combined effort between Erasmo Perez-Villa, Rasmus Salomonsson and myself over the span of two weeks. In order to ensure accurate adaption to the city, the model as a relatively high accuracy of about a couple of feet that was used to determine floor heights, window placement and overall building height etc. The overall size of the model is roughly 3' x 3'.

Inserted in the center is my design, New Horizon. The first three floors are trying to appeal the the height of the facades at a street level. With the somewhat less intrusive upper facade, the building aims for a more humble presence, yet firmly marking the corner of the intersection.