University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Architecture Students Design Spaces with Social Justice In Mind
Nathan Magee (left) and Sarah Lunow (right) were assigned a project to create a functional co-living space for Carvd N Stone Founder Nyesha Stone and Dr. Howard Fuller. (Photos courtesy of Sarah Lunow and Nathan Magee)
When you think about architecture, your first thought is probably designing and constructing buildings. But as students Sarah Lunow and Nathan Magee have immersed themselves in the Architectural Studies program at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM), they’ve discovered how architectural design has the potential to create positive change in the world.
“With any architecture project examining the location is probably the most important part. And along with that, is designing—for the individual or for the collective that you're designing for. And not just…some cookie cutter houses, that you might find in suburbia, but it's subject-focused architecture. And then also being able to have a space [that’s] flexible where it might be adapted or might be disassembled, or recycled or repurposed in some other way for future owners,” Magee said.
In April 2021, Lunow and Magee were tasked with creating a co-living space for two interviewees of the “This is Milwaukee” project: Founder of Carvd N Stone Nyesha Stone and Distinguished Professor Dr. Howard Fuller. Lunow described co-living as a “more mature” and “more fully realized design” of having roommates. The goal of the project was to design communal spaces and personal spaces that fit everyone’s needs.
“Space is becoming a commodity of great value and co-living answers this by providing an opportunity for people to have their own space…which often decreases the price and offers a situation in which people are less lonely. And of course independence is important and co-living supports this by providing independent spaces within the built environment that exists, but it also provides a sense of community that people are so desperate for nowadays, especially during COVID,” Lunow said. “We're designing for community in the time of COVID, like that's incredible. But it really tries to conquer the idea of how do you design for the modern world?”
The design team had to take into account the needs of both parties. For example, Fuller wanted to be connected to his work while Stone wanted separation. Stone also wanted a big kitchen to cook in. Using ramps and hallways to break up space, they were able to create a feeling of commuting to work. For Lunow and Magee, this project was not just about designing a building for two people to live in. Every detail was meticulously planned to not only take care of its residents, but also the community the residence would exist in. They wanted views of the river, so the building slopes to match the natural land. They created rain gardens to avoid runoff into the Milwaukee river, and studied the lighting and solar absorption to take into account the angles the rooms in the home were facing.
“I think some of the biggest culminating factors that really resonated with both of our interviewees was community because both these people are super giving, super lovely, and heavily, heavily, heavily, invested in Milwaukee. I remember Howard's travel blog, but he keeps coming back to Milwaukee because of how much of an influence it's had on him,” Lunow said. “In my talks with Nyesha, she really emphasized the fact that like she felt like she couldn't leave Milwaukee because Milwaukee wouldn't be Milwaukee if all the talented people left [and] if nobody stuck around to help the community, and to help other young people succeed,” Magee added.
While the two students think co-living is a viable option to give people a sense of home in the Milwaukee area, they also understand that a lot of factors come into play for making that a reality. For co-living to work, people have to buy into creating community. Lunow pointed out that Milwaukee has been the subject of racial segregation due to property laws, but co-living could be a way to repurpose old buildings in the community and give them new life.
“Consider the equity and inequity that exists in whatever community you're designing, whatever access to resources and transportation might exist there. I think that's especially important for Milwaukee in particular…a city that is as segregated as it is, unfortunately. I think it's really important to not turn a blind eye to any of the racial or systemic injustices that might be existing to cause people to congregate in a certain area, whether it's income and, or not enough access to the right jobs or transportation nearby,” Magee said.
Looking toward the future, Lunow and Magee have big dreams about how architecture can stand up to racial inequity, gender equality, disability, climate justice, and other systems of oppression, all by creating physical spaces that can meet the needs of others.
“Architecture can't fix, by any means, what is on our hands. The building can't do or say anything to us, but it can certainly provide the opportunity for someone to begin that journey,” Lunow said.
Read the full co-living project report.