Hybrid Typologies Hybrid Typologies is a competition entry designed by Manuel Avila for the Andes Sprout Society, a farm that offers cross over (art-farm) programs in the New York State Catskill area. The aim of the competition is to design 3 mobile studios for multimedia artists working at the farm. Hybrid Typologies was recently selected by the jury for the second phase of the competition. The design concept took off looking at the challenge of a three mobile studios framed by the notions environmental sustainability. A mobile studio space opened the possibility to explore the concept of flexibility in a way in which the user -and not me, the designer- could take his or her own choices concerning the configuration, orientation and of course location of the studio. For this reason my proposal divides the studio space in two independent units, a working unit and a living one. As a result, this bi partition offers three different configurations or typologies, an independent working unit (I-WU), an independent living unit (I-LU) and finally the sum of both forms a hybrid independent working/living unit (I-WLU). Coop-Space Having in mind that different artistic disciplines may require collective spaces, or that residents may want to share a common creative or living space, my proposal looked into the possible collective typologies that could emerge by combining the I-WLUs in three different ways, three new hybrids. Sustainability The project attacked the sustainability question in three different areas; the first one is the choice of materials in which had preference for recycled or re-used materials like scrap metal, and MDF panels. The second one is in terms of water management. For this reason the project proposes a whole system of separation and treatment of gray water, and is in this way that the resident has the total control of its consumption and water reuse. Finally the use of solar energy as a source of power not only confirms the environmental responsibility of the project but also is a fundamental in the project’s concept of mobility, flexibility and independence. Phasing as a funding strategy The concept of independent units in which this project is based, also allows the project to extend its construction in phases, allocating time for funding to be raised and hopefully getting its users involved in the construction process at the time of residence. The completion of the whole project is ideally to be completed in three phases, starting in the summer of 2009 and finishing in late summer of 2011.