Site Plan
The Mill Development is a speculative thesis project investigating how contemporary residential development in the Upper Midwest can proactively respond to climate migration while rejecting the placeless, auto-dependent formulas of post-war suburban sprawl. As extreme heat, prolonged drought, and rising sea levels threaten millions of residents in the American Southwest and Gulf Coast—where climate-driven disasters force up to three million Americans to relocate annually—the Upper Midwest is positioned as a primary demographic haven. Located on a 60-acre upland ridge in Duluth, Minnesota, between Amity Creek and the Lester River, the project leverages the region's urban infrastructure and moderate climate to simulate a regionally grounded, ecologically integrated model for affordable housing supported by a community land trust framework.
The operational framework begins with issue recognition by identifying the population influx from climate-induced migration and establishing Duluth, Minnesota, as a strategic climate haven city to guide a new development approach fueled by a community land trust. From there, the resourcing strategy gathers raw timber such as Northern White Cedar, Quaking Aspen, and Paper Birch alongside site resources like river stone and bromegrass to feed directly into the on-site structural timber sawmill. Acting as the heart of the development, the sawmill serves as the core tool that creates physical infrastructure as well as community in turn, converting processed lumber into building materials for housing clusters while utilizing wood byproducts and biofuels from mill operations within a gasification chamber to generate energy and electricity for the homes.
Mill Plan
Mill Longitudinal Section
As the foundational first structure built on the site, the sawmill facility receives initial construction equipment, machinery, and tools brought from Duluth and the surrounding area, which then remain on-site to support all future building phases. The facility's workflow processes site-harvested timber such as Northern White Cedar trunks for structural columns alongside raw materials like straw wall infill and local stone, while coordinating with off-site inputs including corrugated metal roofing, concrete pavers, and wood framing sourced directly from the regional industrial network.
Tree House Plan
Tree House Longitudinal Section
Building upon this material network, the Tree House housing typology elevates above the ground to allow the continuation of the natural landscape below, functioning in the same way the surrounding forest canopy provides shelter. The floor plan organizes spaces sequentially through an entry hall, main bedroom, kitchen, and a downstairs living space that extends outward onto a balcony, while the multi-level section incorporates a loft living space and a prominent central communal fireplace. This fireplace extends all the way down to the ground on select units, creating protected outdoor areas for gathering below the elevated structure. The structural and material composition of the Tree House relies heavily on site-sourced elements processed through the mill, including cedar wood siding, compressed straw boards, cedar framing, cedar trunk columns, birch plywood, and aspen finishes and furniture. These local components are complemented by Duluth-sourced materials such as concrete masonry units for the central chimney, glass, fixtures, appliances, and sheet metal.
Lean - To Plan
Lean - To Longitudinal Section
Complementing this typology, the Lean-To House housing typology occurs throughout the prairies located on site, pulling the landscape vertically to blend in with the surrounding terrain. Inspired by traditional lean-to structures utilized by the Native American Ojibwe tribe, this housing typology features a distinct single-pitch roof profile that shelters a linear sequence of spaces. The floor plan organizes the interior layout through an entry hall, main bedroom, kitchen, and a downstairs living space that opens outward onto a back patio, while the section details a multi-level arrangement containing a loft living space, a sleeping space, and an integrated wood stove area. The material strategy for the Lean-To House continues the closed-loop system by utilizing site-sourced elements processed through the mill, including straw thatching, compressed straw boards, cedar framing, cedar trunk columns, birch plywood, and aspen finishes and furniture. These locally gathered materials are paired with Duluth-sourced inputs such as a wood stove, glass, fixtures, appliances, and sheet metal.
