MOD - HOMES

Contents 4 American Houses - Waste and Inefficiency a need for sustainability within the home

Montopolis - A Rapidly Changing Neighborhood5 adapting with transforming cities Environmental Impact - Building for Climate Change6 preparing for natural disasters and changing climate patterns

21st Century Building - Computer Aided Intelligence7 prefabrication and customization

Mod Homes - Resilient Design Solutions8 sustainable, affordable, and practical living

Case Studies10

Studio - 6112 Club Terrace 6216 Hogan Avenue - 1 Bedroom 6114 Club Terrace - 2 Bedroom Prototype18 components and assemblage

WASTE AND INEFFICIENCY

As climate change threatens the existence of many major American cities, it is imperative that architectural design tackle sustainability at all scales. In recent decades, sustainable practices have been implemented in civic and commercial projects with some sucess. However, a much larger scale of constuction has not been transformed- one that could lead to more resourceful, accessable and sustainable daily occupation - the Home.

Today, residential construction accounts for around 80% of new construction within the U.S., yet transformative sustainable practices are rarely implemented. Mass market homes built on low desity land is no longer a responsible or acceptable way of constructing homes.

Standard construction practices using lightweight timber framing are wasteful during on-site construction and result in inadequate insulating and thermal properties, leading to the overconsumption of energy and resources. A new and sustainable approach to domestic living is required. Such a shift mandates that we rethink construction, develop prefabrication techniques, and turn to systems that contribute to, rather than consume our resources. We must embrace new forms of technology which directly mitigate the climate crisis and allow for greater density within the city.

One major oil spill

net

about 10,399 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year. Because a typical

considered wasted. The

75,000 homes waste in a

than smaller cities, suburbs, and even small towns.

the nation in energy consumption, maintaining a 55 year streak since 1960 in which the state consumes 13% of U.S energy. California, whose population is 12 million higher than Texas, uses only 60 percent of the energy of Texas. Residential construction —which in terms of sheer BTUs is the most in the nation.

4th Street

Nicknamed “poverty island” in the 1960’s, the neighborhood of Montopolis’ economic disadvantage and resiliency date back to its founding as a freedmen’s town for sharecroppers after the Civil War. Today, Montopolis sits on the precipice of change within the rapidly transforming metropolitan area of Austin, Texas. As the city attempts to keep up with the explosion of new residents and tech giants flooding in, Montopolis brings forward a conversation regarding affordability, multi-generational housing, and urban density.

Montopolis is one of the many neighborhoods within the city of Austin, and across the nation, facing explosive growth and rapid change. With

million

for new Montopolis Bridge in East

4th Street 2022

Austin’s population expected to hit 3.6 million in the next 20 years - compared to just 1.2 million in 2000 - residents who have long called Austin their home are struggling to afford the increasing cost of living. Congestion on Austin’s insufficient roadways and highway systems, soaring rent prices, and higher residential property taxes have pushed many Austinites out of their familiar family homes within the urban center into unfamiliar areas on the city’s outskirts. The pressing changes seen within growing cities like Austin demand thoughtful solutions that are scalable and able to adapt to cities across the nation.

completed and dedicated in 1938.

The first cars drive across the the new Montopolis Bridge,

Montopolis

“We’ve all stayed in a kind of contact with eachother - but slowely but surely, people are staring to move out or move away.”

1938.

Austin Skyline

Montopolis Recreation Center circa

Austin Skyline

The

cars drive across

the

Montopolis Bridge, completed and dedicated

Proposal

Dolores Church

Austin urban core expansion 1950-2010

Community pushes to preserve Montopolis Negro School. Built 1891. Closed 1962.

Club Terrace Street, Montopolis 2022

-Frank Tijerina, Montopolis Resident

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

AUSTIN ENERGY

A publicly owned utility company

BUILDING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

In 2021, the Texas Freeze resulted in more than 4.5 million homes without power, claimed 702 lives, and caused $195 billlion dollars in property damages (Electroverse). Because Texas’ natural gas lines, power grid, and electricity are interconnected, a failure in one system forced entire cities to shut down. The power plants’ inability to perform was the number one cause of power and water outages. Texas is unique due to its deregulated grid, which means that it sources its energy from a different power grid than the rest of the United States.

On average, 6,800 natural disasters impact 218 million people every year (The Zebra). As we continue to face issues of climate change around the world, it is imperative that we prepare for these conditions and implement environmentally productive

methodology at the smallest scales. As a community, we have an opportunity to design intentionally and sustainably, drawing from a wide range of disciplines to promote progressive technologies. In doing so, we can not only reduce our environmental footprint, but also be more equipped to handle future natural disasters. Implementing the following resources, along with governmentbacked financial incentives, could go a long way towards designing a more resilient future.

Mod-Homes does not wish to eliminate the power grid entirely; Rather, these strategies intend to remove some of the stress from the grid, so these outages are less likely to occur in the future.

• The average home in TX uses 14,114 Wh/year (Austin Electricity)

• Mod-Homes (<1100sf) uses 10,000kWh/year

• Solar panels need to capture 1089kWh/month to run completely independently

• Chemical battery storage: 10kWh

Tax Rebates from Austin Government: 100% tax exemption on appraised value of solar energy devices installed or constructed for on site energy use, 26% tax credit for system placed in service after 12/31/19, $0.14- $1.20/AC watt, $2500 rebate for residential system

Solar Power Water

• Potable per person: 32.5-55.5 gallons per person per day

• Non-potable per person: 12.5-5 gallons per day

• Rainwater: 1317 gallons a month (Texas Manual for Rainwater Harvesting)

• Greywater: 3,780 gallons a month

• Cistern: 3,780G assuming min water use for 3 people over 30 days (Onsite Water Reuse)

Tax Rebates from Austin Government: $0.50 per gallon for non-pressurized systems, $1.00 per gallon for pressurized systems (with pump)

Solar Panels (DreamsTime)

Air to Air Heat Pump (HomeTips)

Kitchen Viewport Range

• Mod-Homes uses on average 18,000 30,000 BTU or 1.5-2.5 tons of electricity

• Air-to-Air Heat Pump: heats and cools

• 18% of residential energy consumption is used on AC and 22% is used for heating (Nu-Heat)

• About 80% of Texas homes use central AC to cool their homes

Tax Rebates from Austin Government: $110 with thermostat installation, $2550 loan to replace AC or heat pump, $200 for skylights, $50 main air circulating fan, $300 highly energy efficient heating and cooling system, $1500-15,000 loans for energy improvement installations

Heating & Cooling Waste

• Curbside collections in Austin: 63,030 tons of rec ycling, 53,544 tons of compost, 138,955 tons of trash

• 1.5 pounds a day of trash on average

• 1 pound a day of compost collected

• 1.5 pounds a day of rec yclables (Creedmore Landfill) (EPA)

Tax Rebates from Austin Government: up to $3,000 per eligible location for going beyond the minium requirements of waste management, composter purchases made after 2010 chicken coop purchases made after April 15

Today, robots driven by computer programming technology can produce lighter buildings and use materials more efficiently. The process allows for reduced on-site skilled construction labor, significantly lessens job-site waste, and improves capacity for disassembly and reuse. Prefabricated construction, together with computer-aided customization, allows for a personalized user experience with the low unit costs associated with mass production.

Today’s global connectivity positions the building industry to utilize a knowledgesharing network, where prefabrication ideas and innovations can be widely disseminated. Additionally, the internet seamlessly connects architects and builders to the supplier and enhances logistical coordination throughout the construction process. In the effort to densify growing cities, now is the time to leverage these existing fabrication technologies and push the industry towards further development.

As of 2018, construction

Customization made possible by digital technologies.

Router

Prefabricated assembly uses recycled material

optimizes cut patterns to reduce waste.

Designing and constructing green homes can increase asset value by 9% while lowering operating costs and reducing energy use through the life of the building (Dodge Construction Network).

Designed for disassembly and reuse.

Kit of parts assembly.

Components delivered directly to site.

Streamlined material supply.

Factory image from Signature Building Systems, a modular

based

MOD-HOMES

Materials arrive on site

pre-assembled

by type. Heavy machinery

construction.

not required

RESILIENT DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Mod-Homes utilizes lightweight, modular structural components and CNC fabrication technology to improve construction efficiencies and reduce waste.

By eliminating reliance on heavy machinery, new Mod-Homes can be built with minimal disruption to existing neighborhoods during the construction process. Mod-Home components were designed for transportation on a 20 foot truck and for two people to lift without the help of a crane.

For the ADU’s spatial organization, the triangular grid offers flexible layouts adaptable to the needs and constraints of the site. The angle of the roof and its supporting structure optimize solar energy harvesting while collecting rainwater

Mod-Homes’ water cistern is situated to ensure appropriate adjacencies to the kitchen and bathroom. Waste reduction is achieved beyond the construction process through kitchen design to place food and perishables within the optimal view range. Additionally, compactors for non-organic waste and recyclables decrease the frequency with which municipal collection occurs, from weekly to monthly. On-site composting is shared among residents and encourages communal gardening.

Mod-Homes

Collection

Potable water collection

Irrigation Collection

The angle of the roof panels optimize solar energy harvesting while collecting and directing rainwater to the cistern(s).

“We don’t live that way anymore... people don’t have the time that they used to, to maintain a 10,000 square foot lot.”

- Tim Derrington, Montopolis Resident

Existing chicken coop on site.

Existing driveway compatible with access to ADU.

Club Terrace, backyard.

Club Terrace, backyard.

The studio utilizes its structural system to invite interaction and foster joyful moments in the everyday living environment. Structural members are not concealed within the wall assembly but rather are exposed, and at times, interrupt, spatial occupancy. A bundle of columns in the central living area showcases the construction system while encouraging activity to fluidly operate around and within the critical members. While the core canopy remains unoccupiable at its maximum height, the lofted sleeping nook above the entry affords a privileged vantage point to view and experience the structure in a more intimate manner. In this way, the design of the studio ADU creates living quarters occupied as an object rather than a container.

The structural system is showcased in the center of the living room and engages with the resident visually and by providing shelves and hanging plants.

“What I would like to see this neighborhood become is denser.”

- Tim Derrington, Montopolis Resident

The one-bedroom ADU on corner lot 6216 Hogan Ave is occupied by a gardener in residence recruited by the main house’s occupants who have grown increasingly concerned with the neighborhood’s lack of nutritious, locally grown food. In spirit of former community leader Father Fred Underwood who established the neighborhood’s first community center in 1964, the expert gardener hopes to nurture a community space that addresses the neighborhood’s food desert dilemma and revive its waning cultural spirit. The gardener tends to the ADU’s living systems, researches growing techniques, and educates the neighborhood on gardening and cooking.

Rain Water Collection Cistern and Green Wall

Final

Acknowledgement

This project would not have been possible without the participation of many people. To the residents of Montopolis, a special thanks to Tim Derrington, Natalia Lopez, and Frank Tijerina for telling their stories and allowing us to learn from their personal experiences.

We would also like to acknowledge the experts in the field who contributed to the studio’s body of knowledge: Delwin Goss (Montopolis Council Member), Jake Wegmann (Professor for Community and Regional planning at UTSOA), and Erik Olsen of Transsolar.

The studio is grateful for the funds provided by UTSOA to support our research, as well as the guidance recieved by our instructors Jing Liu and Claire Townley over the course of the Spring 2022 Semester.

Spring 2022 GreenCore Studio

Instructors

Jing Liu Claire Townley

Students

Brinton Freeze

Nikki Gendelman

Claire Greene

Osvaldo Herrera Garcia

Varsha Iyer

Alex Kelley Campbell Kraemer

Charlie Kuok

Christine Lee

Shen Ni

Nolan Summerhill

Amelia Webb

Ania Yee - Boguinskaia