MODULAR HOUSE Thuy Mai & Marisa Wilkens Modest Modules Studio Professor Terry Boling
Given the studio prompt to design high quality, affordable housing we turned to Elemental’s concept of “incremental housing” for inspiration. The Fairdale, Kentucky site will have groupings of the base unit constructions that can have optional prefabricated modules added over time as the owner needs, wants, or can afford. Using modular construction and CLT as a primary material, units are easily transportable and environmentally conscious. Since the site is also in proximity of the Jefferson National Forest, helical piers are used as foundations to minimize impact on the earth. Each grouping of units will also have access to a community pod. These small structures have the ability to open on three sides and include a set of chairs, a table, and wooden boxes that can be rearranged to meet the needs of each community, with the ability to be changed over time by residents. Every unit starts as a studio apartment, with the potential to grow to be a three bedroom house, additional rooms can be added in a variety of sequences but have predetermined connection points giving the owner some choice in how their house grows while keeping the expansion controlled. Residents experience elegant design at every phase of possible configurations and flexibility for their home to adapt to every phase of their life without having to move.