On Thursday, May 21, 2012, Method Homes, Habitat for Humanity, The Miller Hull Partnership, and the Seattle Center Foundation Next 50 joined to set the wet core modules for The House of the Immediate Future, a project utilizing established but forward-looking sustainable building systems and construction techniques such as Net-Zero energy, rainwater harvesting, reclaimed materials, and prefabricated elements–all of which can be universally applied in affordable housing construction. In 1962, Seattle's World's Fair showcased numerous 'houses of the future,' which were envisioned based on a world with unlimited resources and space-age technologies. Flash forward fifty years to The House of the Immediate Future, which offers a more sober response to the future of housing construction as we better understand the reality of limited resources and the need for more efficient, affordable and sustainable home design. Specific to Habitat for Humanity's needs and unique building model, sustainable design supports affordable post-construction home-ownership, while incorporating pre-fabricated elements that strengthen the Habitat model of community building through a volunteer (and generally unskilled) labor force. The wet cores, which were installed prior to enclosures of walls and roofing, are recognized as a key component of the building project. Wet core elements built by Method Homes include a mechanical room, kitchen, and bathrooms aligned in a two-story block. Skilled electrical and plumbing labor conventionally impacts the cost and schedule of building projects. When these core components are manufactured off-site, professional labor can be concentrated and performed more efficiently. “We chose to collaborate on this project to help educate the public about the benefits associated with prefab building,” says Brian Abramson, Co-Founder of Method Homes. “The House of the Immediate Future is intended to challenge assumptions and raise expectations of what sustainable prefab building can accomplish.” While the wet cores were constructed in the Method Homes Ferndale factory, Habitat for Humanity has been building panels for the exterior wall system with their massive volunteer labor force. The House of the Immediate Future will remain on view at the Seattle Center Next Fifty Pavilion throughout the summer, and in October, will be disassembled and moved to its permanent location in the New Rainier Vista neighborhood, south of Seattle.
Method and Skylab Architecture just recently announced the construction of thefirst HOMB–a modular residence based on a unique patent-pending constructionsystem. The house will be set in North Portland and act as a showcase for futureHOMB projects.The approach behind HOMB was to create an intelligent, environmentallyresponsible, dynamic, and rewarding housing system. The innumerable benefitsof building HOMBs using prefab construction were factored into this approach.A prefab home means shorter building time, limited exposure to the elements,reduced site impact, a dramatically lower amount of waste generated at the site,and fixed building costs for the prefab portion, greatly reducing the potential forcost overruns. Add this to energy efficient options including integrated powerproduction and planted roofing, and you have the beginning framework of a HOMB.In addition to reaping all of the benefits modular construction has to offer, HOMB’strue uniqueness is the triangular-shaped modules that allow for mass flexibility inscale, enabling the structure to be expanded upon to fit the homeowner’s projectsite and needs. Ultimately, HOMB is designed to be added on to as the need/desirearises or for sections to be disengaged and eventually resold to others. This is a fullyflexible solution to custom building.Currently, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing are being completed on thefirst HOMB at the Method factory. Here is the first sneak preview of the projectunderway.
Venice Beach or Bust....went off without a hitch. Thanks to our entire team. Super fun...and thanks for having us Venice!
Last week, Method wrapped up factory construction on a 2,310 square foot custom prefab structure that will be set in Venice Beach. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home is comprised of four modules and has numerous energy efficient features, including a grey water system, solar PV array and solar hot water systems, and hydronic radiant heat. The home took two and a half months to build to 95% completion in the factory.Simultaneous planning as the home is being built allows for construction at the site to be simplified. The owners of this architectural custom prefab home will have a timeline from design to occupancy that is two-thirds that of a custom site-built home.
I finally had the opportunity to get up to Whiterock BC to check out the finished homes. For now here is WR-1....as we called it during the build. Not only are the homes stunning to be in and experience, they are LEED certified to boot. Tons of sustainable features in these modern prefab homes.
When the 1962 World's Fair opened at Seattle Center, there were “houses of the future” and other exhibits on display that envisioned a world with unlimited resources.This Sunday, 50 years later, the Seattle-South King County affiliate of Habitat for Humanity will break ground on a house that reflects a world with limited resources, where not everyone has the money or desire to live large. Habitat and a crew of volunteers will spend several months building what they call the House of the Immediate Future. The two-story, 1,400-square-foot sustainable house will have elements that Habitat intends to use in future projects. Firms on the project team are all donating their time: The Miller Hull Partnership, Evergreen Certified, Z-Home, Sellen, Method Homes, Northwest Mechanical, SvR Design Co. and Magnusson Klemencic Associates.Read the Full Article Here
On a recent trip back from work on Obstruction Island, Darren Dickinson our structural coordinator decided to surf behind Sherpa One, our loyal and reliable 1981 Glassply. Quite a site on a cold winter day....we do try to have fun!
We are extremely proud of our latest Orcas Island home. This craftsman cottage style of prefab challenged our entire team to show our ability to excel in other vernaculars. Although the majority of our work is in modern architecture, we're happy to show off our craftsmanship and attention to detail through this small family cottage. Still missing some crown molding, minor finish details, touch up paint, etc. but stay tuned for finished photos of this project....
