Transit _house was a proposal for an open International competition hosted by the Central Glass Company of Tokyo in 2010. The general theme for the competition was 'Housing for better urban environments.' Our Proposition considered the dire situation of refugees from North Korea challenging current needs to house a growing and isolated popolation. Seoul, South korea for decades has been a city of refugee. In the 20th century the city of Seoul grew exponentially by rural dwellers seeking a better way of life. Today, a new group of refugees is flooding the city in search of ideological, political and other freedoms unattainable in North Korea. Limited areas of rising land value has further created challenges in locating suitable sites and affordable housing options for relocated populations.
Our proposition considered existing infrastructural areas of elevated subway lines as viable options for housing adaptations whereby, new residents could easily be integrated into the city with available access to the extensive subway network of Seoul. Underutilized spaces above subway tracks would compensate for limited available urban space on which to build affordable accomodations. The housing structure itself would serve as a model for a sustainable extension of passive systems that take advantage of integration within existing transit structures.