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....