Barbara Weiwen Soo

This thesis is based on the Victorian Vernacular in San Francisco. From the contemporary viewpoint, these styles shared a common set of assumptions. They have maintained a strict language, due to constrictions from the city, in terms of where the Vernacular is situated, creating rows of houses that are identical. My thesis is about evolving the housing type in San Francisco, in terms of its repetitiveness, demarcations, and its individuality. Considering its history of when Haight Ashbury was known as a close-knit community with multiple groups of people, and that it is now different from when the Vernaculars was first built, with its increased density. Therefore, the different strategies employed involve the change in plan and elevation, while keeping some resemblance of the Victorian Vernacular and its experience. So the thesis focuses on evolving the housing type yet also considering its history and its context. Therefore instead of the single-family row houses, it now exists both individually and as a whole, where the houses are interdependent on one another. Its residents would have opportunities to interact with other residents but also moments where they can have privacy, resulting in a housing type where at times, it feels like an apartment building whereas other times it would feel like a private house.