Week 3: Preliminary Design Approach

This week, I have devised a preliminary design and approach for my project. 

To begin, I have identified four key ideas that I would like to have drive my design:

Mutation:  The design should be adaptable to changes in living situations, incomes or other factors in a regular home-owern's life.  This will include changing to fit young families and an aging populous. 

Expandable:  The layout should lend itself to easy transition of adding on additons or otherwise expanding the footprint.

Self-Sufficient:  The design should strive for being a net-zero, energy efficient, green and all those other titles that express an ecologically responsible design.

Inside/Outside:  The design of the structure and the surrounding landscape should compliment eachother.  The structure should incorporate outdoor living spaces and try to minimize the indoor/outdoor boundary.  The layout of the structures within the site should maximize the surrounding nature and the chance for a community to develop, as well as providing more private oudoor spaces.

I am most interested (and least educated) in using a steel frame and SIPS (structural insulated panel system) to form this design.  My research on building methods and products led me to the design shown below:

 

 

 

 

Architects Anderson Anderson designed this house of a steel frame and SIPS.  From this design, I am inspired by the vertical space that can be captured using these products and the "stackability" of steel.  Pertinent to our site, Detroit has the manufacturing capabilities to provide the steel frame and the great northwoods to provide the SIPS.

 

Covered by a fellow student during our last studio meeting, I am also interested in Le Corbusier's design of the Dom-ino (domos innovation) structures:

 

 

Simply, Le Corbusier was designing for affordable prefab housing when he presented this design.  Simply put, presented in each design is this core structure of floors, a roof, columns to support each and a means of transition between the floors.  With this design, one could occupy the space within in any number of layouts fit to their specific needs.  As with Mies van de Rohe's 1929 Barcelona Pavilion, once the walls are no longer load bearing, they have the ability to become tranformational.

 

 

 To begin my design exploration, I began with some simple parameters:

 

 

Based on our proposed location in the snow belt of America and my desire to use the rofing system for solar power gain, I began planning for a gabled or shed-roof design:

 

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I decided to set more design rules by breaking down my basic design into components.  Components, once identified, can be made standardized.  Once a set of "parts and pieces" is identified, I will be able to reapproach my designs based on what dimension/type/use of panel I have available.

 

With tenative dimensions and materials driving my design, I decided it was time to do further research into my choices to make sure they are feasible, affordable, and the most logical choices.

 

 

 

 

Week 2: Division 7: Thermal and Moisture Protection

There are many types of insulation available, each with their ideal application.  Some applications may use different types of insulation, based on budget and desired R-value of the space.  Below is a basic breakdown of products available and their subsequent applications.

Type	Insulation Materials	Where Applicable	Installation Method(s)	Advantages
Blanket: batts and rolls	•Fiberglass •Mineral (rock or slag) wool •Plastic fibers •Natural fibers	•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls •Floors and ceilings	Fitted between studs, joists, and beams.	Do-it-yourself. Suited for standard stud and joist spacing that is relatively free from obstructions. Relatively inexpensive.
Concrete block insulation and insulating concrete blocks	Foam board, to be placed on outside of wall (usually new construction) or inside of wall (existing homes): Some manufacturers incorporate foam beads or air into the concrete mix to increase R-values	•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls, for new construction or major renovations •Walls (insulating concrete blocks)	Require specialized skills Insulating concrete blocks are sometimes stacked without mortar (dry-stacked) and surface bonded.	Insulating cores increases wall R-value. Insulating outside of concrete block wall places mass inside conditioned space, which can moderate indoor temperatures. Autoclaved aerated concrete and autoclaved cellular concrete masonry units have 10 times the insulating value of conventional concrete.
Foam board or rigid foam	•Polystyrene •Polyisocyanurate •Polyurethane	•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls •Floors and ceilings •Unvented low-slope roofs	Interior applications: must be covered with 1/2-inch gypsum board or other building-code approved material for fire safety. Exterior applications: must be covered with weatherproof facing.	High insulating value for relatively little thickness. Can block thermal short circuits when installed continuously over frames or joists.
Insulating concrete forms (ICFs)	•Foam boards or foam blocks	•Unfinished walls, including foundation walls for new construction	Installed as part of the building structure.	Insulation is literally built into the home's walls, creating high thermal resistance.
Loose-fill and blown-in	•Cellulose •Fiberglass •Mineral (rock or slag) wool	•Enclosed existing wall or open new wall cavities •Unfinished attic floors •Other hard-to-reach places	Blown into place using special equipment, sometimes poured in.	Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions.
Reflective system	•Foil-faced kraft paper, plastic film, polyethylene bubbles, or cardboard	•Unfinished walls, ceilings, and floors	Foils, films, or papers fitted between wood-frame studs, joists, rafters, and beams.	Do-it-yourself. Suitable for framing at standard spacing. Bubble-form suitable if framing is irregular or if obstructions are present. Most effective at preventing downward heat flow, effectiveness depends on spacing.
Rigid fibrous or fiber insulation	•Fiberglass •Mineral (rock or slag) wool	•Ducts in unconditioned spaces •Other places requiring insulation that can withstand high temperatures	HVAC contractors fabricate the insulation into ducts either at their shops or at the job sites.	Can withstand high temperatures.
Sprayed foam and foamed-in-place	•Cementitious •Phenolic •Polyisocyanurate •Polyurethane	•Enclosed existing wall •Open new wall cavities •Unfinished attic floors	Applied using small spray containers or in larger quantities as a pressure sprayed (foamed-in-place) product.	Good for adding insulation to existing finished areas, irregularly shaped areas, and around obstructions.
Structural insulated panels (SIPs)	•Foam board or liquid foam insulation core •Straw core insulation	•Unfinished walls, ceilings, floors, and roofs for new construction	Construction workers fit SIPs together to form walls and roof of a house.	SIP-built houses provide superior and uniform insulation compared to more traditional construction methods; they also take less time to build.

http://energy.gov

Blanket Batts and Rolls (Fiberglass)

 

Foam Block Insulation (within wall cavity)

 

Foam Board or Rigid Insulation (ex. is for interior of wall of foundation)

 

 

Insulated Concrete Forms

 

Loose Fill and Cellulose Blown-in Insulation

It is recommended to use this product if you hate everyone, especially your construction workers.

 

 

Reflective Insulation Logic

Applied Methodology

 

Rigid Fiborous or Fiber Insulation (HVAC Systems typ)

 

Spray Foam Insulation

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjxWdPPY1Q

 

 

SIPS

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTc4wNf77rw

Week 2: Division 6: Wood

Wood frame construction is still the most popular method of home construction.  Many different dimensions of lumber are available and their lengths will suffice to achieve most prefabricated spans for our studio.  However, there are a variety of manufactured lumber products available to provide a stronger support or to span a distance that may be at the "end" of a wood member;'s capacity.

Weyerhaeuser is an engineered manufacturing company that our firm uses:

 

http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/

 

 

Their line of flooring products include, but not limited to, flooring joists, rim boards, stair stringers, insulated headers, rim boards and corners, floor panels and sheathing, and wall and roofing members.  Special products are available for multi-unit housing that includes TJI fire-protection coated members.

 

In this photograph, three kinds of framing members are used:  traditional wood lumber 2x4s, TJI joists and LVLs (laminated veneer lumber).

 

http://www.davis-hawn.com

 

 

Other wood products to consider are finishes: wood flooring, engineered wood flooring, wood doors, wall and ceiling finishes, etc. 

 

Local to the region, wood is a big sector of the "northwoods" economy and is readily available for construction in Michigan.

 



Week 2: Division 5: Steel

There is a wide array of steel options available for construction. 

A table of steel parts and their corresponding spans and load limits is available here.

Michigan is a great location for steel frame construction.  Iron ore, steel processing plants and skilled labor abound here.

Steel can be used for many things including framing for exterior walls and interior partitions, floor decking (concrete poured or grated) and roofing.  Shipping constraints will be the biggest factor on how to use specific dimensions of steel members in your design.

Week 2: Division 3: Concrete

As mentioned in my previous week 2 blog, concrete is not, typically, the choicest product to use in premanufactured housing design....or is it?  We are an innovative group of individuals, so I have provided some information on concrete here that, if you decide to include it, could be useful to your design.

As quoted from Wikipedia, "The environmental impact of concrete is a complex mixture of not entirely negative effects; while concrete is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, recycling of concrete is increasingly common. Structures made of concrete can have a long service life. As concrete has a high thermal mass and very low permeability, it can be used for energy efficient housing."

As a rule, concrete has offers high compressive strength and weak tensile strength.  Concrete can provide up to 19,000psi and is available in Detroit for construction.

Though the building of forms in which to pour the concrete is the most time/labor intensive, it may be possible to move this step indoors into a prefabricated situation.  Once designed and built, the forms can be moved to the site and connected.  The process of pouring the concrete is quick, so both monitoring the quality of the crete and the timing of pours is important.

Here, the National Assembly Building in Dhakar, Bangladesh by Louis Kahn is formed by poured concrete.  The white joint you see are strips of marble that conceal the location of cold-joints formed between pours during construction.  It is easy to imagine each of these sections being preformed offsite then stacked in place to form walls and other design features instead of the on-site construction done here.

Concrete construction practices

Week 2: Materials Research and whatnot....

This week I am researching the wide array of materials used in prefabricated manufacturing.

To begin, prefabrication is an umbrella term used for everything from bathroom units to entire houses constructed on a single steel chassis system (aka: mobile homes).  Prefab housing, in general, is the construction of a design in segments (usually restricted by shipping constraints) and joined in the field.  This option allows for uniform designs and an assembly line-type of production.  Panelized housing, on the contrary, is the construction of a design in panels that are joined in the field.  More customization is generally allowable for this choice, but, consequently, tends to increase the cost.  For brevity's sake, I will assume that any of my designs will be placed on a pre-formed foundation and will not consider this factor in my materials research...for now....

Stick Built Construction:
Most prefabricated housing uses off-site stick built framing.  This traditional building style has been around for a long time and has the most availability of materials.  As far as DIY remodeling, this style of construction is the easiest to undertake.

httpwww.builditsolar.comProjectsSolarHomesStickGSSection.gif

 



Here is a basic wall section detail for stick-built framing methods. There are many options for materials used here and this style is easily adapted to any manufacturing process.  Local to my hometown is Dickinson Homes.   They specialize in stick-built premanufactured homes in the Midwest region of the United States. 

http://dickinsonhomes.com/

 At the bottom of their homepage is a great video that shows the manufacturing process of a typical stick-built prefab house.

Light Gauge Metal Framing 

 

An alternative to wood framing is steel framing, as shown above.  There are many variables in choosing between wood or steel including, but not limited too, the availability of wood in the region, the effects of the local climate on wood, the availability of steel near the construction site and other construction  constraints.  Both wood and steel are adaptable to most any manufacturing process (modular or panelized).  Don't let any steel framed preconceptions limit your design options:

Steel framed and sided prefabricated house

 Below is a combination of technologies:

Concept

 

Prefabricated steel structural frame and structural insulated panel system (SIPS)

 

An alternative construction method that may, or may not, be adaptable to prefabricated housing is poured concrete housing.  Here, the entire form of the house is built out of wooden forms and then is filled with, you guessed it, poured concrete.  Foundation, walls, roof...you name is.  It's is a seldom used construction method for anything other than foundations, but could it be adapted to benefit prefabrication?  You would have to pour on-site, but could everything else be done off-site?  Just a consideration....

 

www.gulf-coast-concrete.com

 

Poured concrete homes are a good choice for coastal "high danger" areas.

 

http://www.moladi.com/Poured-Concrete-Houses.htm

 

 Lightweight (and recyclable) aluminum is popular building material option.  This material is used in siding (see below), window construction, roofing and even framing.  It is a durable, light weight, low cost building alternative.

Aluminum cladding

 Our old friend, glass, has been around for centuries.  Only recently has glass gone from being used as simple windows or doors, but to the application of glass as the entire facade.  Not only for commercial skyscrapers anymore, glass (panels or curtainwalls) are finding their way into our homes.

www.whatwedoissecret.org

 

www.environmentalgraffiti.com

 

 Composites are becoming a popular choice as a building material.  Wood-plastic composites are finding their way into siding and decking.

 

http://elementalhomes.com
 

Shipping containers have been the focus of some housing designers.  Care in design and their use should be taken...for you can get a variety of outcomes, including:

The good.....

 

...the bad-ass....

 

 

and the Sweet-Jesus-What-the-hell-is-THAT?!

 



Either way, they are a smart alternative since they are already shippable and the supply is in excess.  How could something be reused in prefabricated manufacturing?

 



 

 Collapsible shipping shell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 1: Introduction to the BIM studio...

In this studio, we will be exploring prefabricated/modular housing and it's adaptation to a site located in Detroit, Michigan.  Being under economic hardships, much of Detroit has become a wasteland of abandoned homes that have been stripped and sometimes burned, leaving a scorched shell.

httpzfein.comphotographydetroitair_deadimagesIMG_5000_A.jpg

 Some new, innovative approaches to reuse of this vacant land has been proposed.  We will be concentrating on the Hantz Tree Farm project that is creating blocks of tree plantings to create an urban tree farming opportunity.

http://www.hantzfarmsdetroit.com/introduction.html

The site is still under development, so a loose interpretation will be used.  This provides the opportunity for the manufacturing processes of the homes to be the driving factor of the design rather than the site constraints.  Here is the proposed location of the Hantz Tree Farm project:

 

My approach to the project began with a breakdown of the components of prefabricated housing.  The design of a prefab home can be broken down in many ways based on the manufacturing process.  For my initial exploration, a breakdown of the home's room units was used. 

 

In the above image, room types are color coded:  red squares represent utility rooms and bathrooms, yellow represents bedrooms, dark blue represents kitchens, and green represents a living area.  The light blue areas represent spaces of transition.  These spaces of transition can represent porches or enclosed entries that can be adaptable to the specific arrangement of the other rooms based on the client's desires.  This transitional space can create an added outdoor living space that can increase the feeling of the size of the home without increasing the building envelope and heated space.  If the manufacturing process was one that created these pre-made rooms, then the number of each room used in the design could be decided by the client and arranged to their desires.  Simply put: "I have two children.  I need three bedrooms."  Some examples of possible arrangement of one bedroom spaces are as follows:

I feel that since Detroit is experiencing such dire economic hardships and that one effect of prefab housing is the lowered cost, that the overall size of the home should be based on necessity.  Larger spaces take more energy to heat/cool.  Simply, each room is given a dimension that represents what I feel would be the minimum requirements for living space.  Having experienced working on Katrina Cottages in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, I understood that many great minds had come together to design this "minimal living space" sizes already.  Taking their lead, I used their dimensions (plus a few extra feet) to come up with some preliminary dimensions.

 

Presented with our studio was a set of issues to address during the design process.  Here I present my initial interpretation of how I feel each issue should be addressed:

Live/Work Housing:  Housing should be adapted for both the employees of the tree farm and the residents working in the neighboring community.

Off Grid:  Urban rules and grids may not apply here.  What rural characteristics can be implemented?

Pre-Manufactured:  The breakdown of a pre-manufactured home can be done in different ways:  by room, by walls, by program, by utilities, by dimensions.

Urban Farming:  A forested location within the city.  The designs should be planned for both the program of a tree farm and for safety and ease of transition within and through the site.

Expandable:  Designs can begin with a smaller home that has been designed with the ease of adding future additions for growing families and incomes.

Adaptable:  The design can be adapted to a variety of climates and building conditions/locations.  How does my design change based on locations (New England vs. Detroit vs. Mississippi vs. Arizona)?

Density:  For this Detroit site, land is plenty and inexpensive.  Density should be one unit per acre at minimum.  However, this density is up to debate based on factors such as whether or not these homes will be on tree farm property or dispersed throughout the local community.

Inside/Outside:  Volume of the design should be an efficient minimum.  Outdoor spaces such as open porches, screened porches, patios or decks can add to the living space of the home.  Enclosed spaces such as garages and sheds may or may not be part of the design process.   Minimum enclosed living space will create an affordable design during the purchasing/building phase as well as low utility and maintenance costs.

Modular or Panelized:  This is undecided until further research is done.

Next week I will be researching material possibilities of prefabricated construction....