Abstract:

Having immigrated from South East Asia to the United States, many Hmong have settled in the San Juaquin Valley in California and found work as farm laborers. The Tsev Teb (farm house) is a construct developed by Hmong farmers in the mountains of South East Asia which many Hmong-Americans attempt to replicate in the California. However adapting old techniques in a new context often requires innovation. This design is an attempt to marry the functional aspects of contemporary needs with the aesthetics and traditions of Hmong-Americans.