FARMWORKER HOUSING

“How can design dignify essential food labor?”

Farmworkers sustain the United States food system, yet many lack access to safe, stable housing. Despite performing essential labor that feeds the country, they often live in
substandard conditions that compromise health, privacy, and dignity. Housing precarity reinforces the invisibility of those the food system depends on, making farmworker housing a question of equity and essential infrastructure.

This project examines farmworker housing through connected rural and urban systems. The first phase proposes housing at the Chester Agricultural Center in upstate NY, addressing a critical shortage shaped by high construction costs and limited employer capacity.
An incremental housing strategy reduces upfront financial barriers while allowing units to expand over time. Design decisions are informed by data visualization, stakeholder interviews, and the use of farm-based biomaterials to lower cost and embodied carbon.

The project then extends to an urban context in Brooklyn, where agriculture functions as a social and educational space within a dense city. Urban farming supports community building, food access and literacy, introducing rural practices into the urban fabric. Across both contexts, housing is framed as civic infrastructure that supports labor, dignity, and visibility, linking rural production and urban consumption through architecture.