The City of Chicago has been nominated as the U.S. Bid City for the 2016 Olympic Games. If Chicago was to win the honorable tile of the Host City, one of the main challenges that the organizers... Show moreThe City of Chicago has been nominated as the U.S. Bid City for the 2016 Olympic Games. If Chicago was to win the honorable tile of the Host City, one of the main challenges that the organizers will face is to provide a temporary housing for all athletes, organizers, media and spectators involved. While the athletes, coaches and other major players will be situated in Olympic village, thousands if not millions of others, will face the challenge of seeking the affordable housing for the length of stay. Our IPRO proposes economical and environmentally friendly solution to this problem. We propose to utilize thousands of old shipping containers that are abundant in Chicago area and to convert them into housing objects. These second hand products will be modified and equipped with electrical, plumbing and HVAC installations, making them aesthetically and functionally comparable to similar conventional housing objects. Following the completion of the Olympic Games, these housing containers could be easily converted into affordable permanent housing for the residents of the Chicago South side. This will allow local residentsto benefit from higher quality affordable housing without being forced to relocate from their neighborhoods. Considering that housing accommodations in Chicago during Olympics will be highly priced most of the construction costs can be covered in this manner. Our IPRO hopes to make esthetically appealing and practical permanent housing out of materials that can be recycled twice: first from the shipping containers and second from the Olympic Housing. We also plan to explore particular needs of temporary residents during Olympics and later permanent residents as well as to explore what would be the most effective transformation methods from one purpose to the other. These housing objects must appeal to many people from different cultural backgrounds, and provide them with good living conditions for a short period of time. Also, we must investigate what makes affordable housing possible and what are the mistakes that the City of Chicago made in the past with similar projects. These housing structures must be fully functional for the future permanent residents, but they also must be designed in accordance with rules and regulations by the City of Chicago Department of Buildings so that they are safe and aesthetically appealing for all of the other local residents. In conclusion, the container housing is an affordable and environmentally friendly solution to housing needs of numerous individuals involved in the Olympic events while it also provides a long term housing opportunity for the residents of the local community. Show less
