The first studio of our professional program in the third year, Design 5, focuses on understanding the logic of vernacular housing precedents in an urban context. We focus on the single house in Charleston, South Carolina, a residential typology that allows us to explore how a specific culture and climate shaped a unique and expressive architectural language. The aim of the studio is to reimagine this language by considering contemporary housing needs, namely the challenges of “missing middle” housing, and biogenic materials that prompt the transformation and expansion of the Charleston single house. Our studio trip to Charleston allows us to unpack this history and logic on-site by walking throughout the city and visiting our semester project site.