LAND:HOUSE:FARMER

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This two-bedroom unit provides efficient, comfortable housing for farmworkers at Chester Agriculture Center. A central core organizes the kitchen and bathroom, maximizing usable space and simplifying construction. The open living area fosters social interaction, while bedrooms along the perimeter offer privacy and rest. Designed with natural materials and modular proportions, the layout supports sustainable, repeatable construction that strengthens community living while preserving farmland.

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Site Analysis

The site at Route 94 and Meadow Avenue in Chester, NY, sits at the transition between the agricultural expanses of the Black Dirt Region and the growing residential edge of the village. Its southern exposure and low, open topography create strong potential for solar orientation, particularly for passive heating and daylighting strategies. Minimal tree cover allows consistent solar access throughout the day, though exposure to prevailing northwest winds suggests the need for planted windbreaks.

Vehicular movement is defined by the adjacent Route 94 corridor, a primary traffic artery that brings both accessibility and noise. Meadow Avenue provides a quieter secondary entry suitable for local circulation, service access, and pedestrian connection. The land textures, a mix of cultivated fields, roadside grasslands, and compacted soil, reflect the site’s hybrid condition between rural infrastructure and farmland. This duality positions the site as an ideal testing ground for worker housing and light agricultural programs that mediate between production and community life.

Existing vegetation is mixed grassland and edge woodland, typical of transitional rural plots. The open terrain supports the introduction of native flood-tolerant species for stormwater resilience and ecological continuity with the adjacent creek system.

Dual frontage along NY Route 94 and Meadow Ave provides strong visibility and access potential. However, state highway adjacency introduces constraints for curb cuts, sight lines, and pedestrian safety that must inform the entry sequence and site approach.

The unobstructed terrain enables optimal solar orientation. Southern exposure along Meadow Ave allows for passive solar gain, while tree buffers and building orientation can shield from Route 94 noise and headlights.

Site Existing vegetation is mixed grassland and edge woodland, typical of transitional rural plots. The open terrain supports the introduction of native flood-tolerant species for stormwater resilience and ecological continuity with the adjacent creek system.

Dual frontage along NY Route 94 and Meadow Ave provides strong visibility and access potential. However, state highway adjacency introduces constraints for curb cuts, sight lines, and pedestrian safety that must inform the entry sequence and site approach.

The unobstructed terrain enables optimal solar orientation. Southern exposure along Meadow Ave allows for passive solar gain, while tree buffers and building orientation can shield from Route 94 noise and headlights.

Drawings

Unit Plan | Two Person Occupancy

Materials

Metal cladding + air cavity | 1.0 in
Corrugated panel + ¾" ventilated rainscreen cavity
WRB / Air barrier | 0.1 In
Negligible but included for continuity
Sheathing (plywood/OSB) | 0.5 In
Standard ½” panel
HempWool insulation | 8.5 In
8–9” range (average value used for calc)
Smart vapor retarder | 0.1 In
thin membrane
Service cavity | 1.5 In
For wiring + optional extra insulation
Interior gypsum or Plywood board | 0.5 In
Standard ½” board