For the 2016 Seattle Design Festival Block Party, Rolluda Architects assembled a team of dedicated design professionals who volunteered their expertise to create a meaningful installation in Occidental Square. Driven by the core belief that purposeful design must enhance the environment, strengthen the community, and elevate human lives, the firm used this public platform to address one of Seattle’s most pressing challenges. As a deeply rooted member of the Pioneer Square neighborhood since 1996, Rolluda has witnessed two decades of local transformation, making the city's rising homelessness and economic inequality a deeply personal issue for the firm. While recognizing that shelter projects offer vital, immediate relief, the team sought to design a broader catalyst for systemic empathy.

The resulting installation, House of [ex]CHANGE, served as an experiential first step toward building awareness and compassion by fostering direct interaction between the unhoused and housed populations. Occupying its full ten-by-ten-foot footprint, the lightweight, interactive wood-frame structure was engineered specifically to break down social barriers. By integrating translucent and reflective surfaces, the pavilion invited visitors to engage in deep personal and collective contemplation. Ultimately, the project transformed a transient public space into a venue for genuine human connection, urging the community to reflect on shared vulnerabilities and collaborative solutions.