studio804 - Viviendas y CORE network

Dan Rockhill y alumnos de la escuela de arquitectura de Kansas University

(Continuación)

CORE network

En forma paralela a las viviendas, studio804 desarrolla otros proyectos. CORE [COntainer RElief] network es un sistema para la construcción, almacenamiento e instalación de refugios. Consiste en módulos compactos de habitación para cuatro personas en casos de siniestros o desastres naturales.

El contenedor, de medidas normalizadas, tiene grandes aberturas en dos de sus lados, una de las cuales se eleva formando un alero. El equipamiento interior se basa en modelos estándar de IKEA a fin de evitar su construcción ad-hoc.
La construcción de los módulos está detallada en un manual que las organizaciones de ayuda y de defensa civil cuentan entre sus recursos.

El módulo es un contenedor que se puede almacenar en la propia casa y que suministra los servicios imprescindibles de vivienda durante el período de reconstrucción de la misma.

Su tamaño reducido, escaso peso y diseño estructural permiten que el módulo pueda ser trasladado e instalado, fácil y rápidamente, en lugares a salvo del desastre.

Equipo:
Profesor Dan Rockhill
Alumnos del curso 2006 (Studio 804_06):
Gil Akos / Brian Belcher / Arjun Bhat / Jessica Braker / Bryant Bronson / Trevor Chalmers / Brandon Crain / Jessica Deem / Jason Hartman / Jonathan Holley / Edward Hurtig / Karla Karwas / Amanda Langweil / Rachel Lin / George Manis / Lisa Reed / Nathan Roseman / Samuel Shepherd / Mike Warner / Jill Wendorff

studio804

Dan Rockhill

Designing & Building: Rockhill and Associates

Memoria original en inglés:: Studio804_06

Introduction
The name “Studio 804” is derived from the course which serves as the final design studio within the graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas. The studio evolved incrementally, beginning ten years ago with small-scale design/build projects. In 1998, this escalated into an affordable housing project for the City of Lawrence wherein the studio designed and built a house. Each year since, students design and physically build a house which is later sold to an entry level homebuyer. In the previous eight years, Studio 804 has become more sophisticated by tackling projects of greater complexity.
Studio 804 is also a non profit organization and therefore we do not receive funding from the Uni-versity. Each year a new group of students starts with just the bank balance left by the prior graduating class. The students learn about paying bills, negotiating costs, and teaming with like-minded businesses interested in achieving high-quality homes of exceptional value.
Students work with neighborhood associations and local community development organizations (CDC’s) to develop innovative design solutions while contributing to the urban fabric of local com-munities. Studio 804’s construction period is compressed into a five month session that will see us cover every aspect of a design/build practice. With the exception of the licensed trades (mechanical, electric and plumbing), students will carry out every aspect of the project.

Process
The cost of real estate, materials, and labor has increased nationwide and it has become important to recognize and investigate new technologies for the production of affordable housing. Studio 804’s effort remains to further the perception of prefabricated buildings and to explore all of the possibilities within this compelling direction of architecture. Prefabrication is a growing force in the world of architectural design due to its ability to control quality, cost, and scheduling issues. This design approach offers the potential to bring contemporary design into mainstream housing.
Expanding on techniques established through our two previous modular projects, Studio804 will fabricate the house as six modular units off-site in Lawrence, Kansas. These modules will be rolled out, set on trucks, and shipped to Kansas City, KS. Each unit will be carefully picked up and set on its new foundation, creating a home with a 20’ face and 60’ depth.
In particular, the two most recent projects have been successful in generating national exposure and interest. Modular 1 + 2 are recent recipients of Residential Architect magazine’s “Project of the Year Award” having been selected from a field of over nine hundred submissions from around the world. Our success with modular building establishes a strong modern solution that takes advantage of contemporary networks of commerce, communication, and mobility.

Design
The site rises more than ten feet from Riverview Avenue on the south to its northern edge. Modules will be set atop piers that rise three feet from the ground plane, where finished living space is accessed by an entry stair. The house’s proportions and orientation emphasize the strong linearity of the site’s 50 ft x 130 ft dimensions. This is continued through the use of longitudinal circulation and extension of sightlines into the city.
Two bedrooms, one full bath, a kitchen and living room accommodate comfortable single family living. A detached garage, which includes a safe room, is located along the rear alley. The southern façade incorporates glazing and an exterior balcony that is accessible from the interior. This device becomes an architectural feature, creating a unique presence along Riverview Avenue.
Our 1200 square foot floor plan maximizes usable space, while window size and orientation are selected to bring in generous amounts of natural light, minimizing heating and lighting expenses and increasing the long-term value to the owner.

Our design incorporates sustainable materials and building practices to optimize its thermal performance and minimize its environmental impact.
The house will be insulated with cellulose fiber (recycled newspaper) with air-tight minimum R-values of 19 in all exterior walls, and R-45 in both the roof and the floor. The glazing on the south and east facades allows for sunlight to penetrate deep into the interior to warm the space during the winter months, while the front porch provides shade during the summer months.
The building utilizes a rainscreen system for its exterior skin which incorporates a one-way breathable membrane. The exterior cladding is Douglas fir, which is a Sustainable Forestry Initiative Certified domestic softwood. It will be sealed with a non-VOC containing water-based weather sealer. Interior flooring will consist of bamboo which, because of its speed of growth, is a quickly renewable natural resource.
Modular 3 provides a unique contemporary living experience at an affordable price and the opportunity to be part of an urban residential renaissance.


CORE network
Responding to the disaster in the Gulf Coast Region following Hurricane Katrina, studio804’s solution to the urgent need of housing is the CORE [COntainer RElief] network. With a great deal of desire to help and a scarcity of possible options to implement it across the country, the CORE network, created by studio804, provides a means for which organizations nationwide can utilize a retrofit manual to create a CORE unit from the surplus of 20’ ISO shipping containers. By acting as a node within a systemic outreach, studio804 brings together the necessary elements of design, experience, and information exchange in order to achieve an additive solution to the current massive housing shortage.
Because they are watertight, durable, and available containers are perfectly suited to form the basic shell of each unit. The CORE design plugs into the widespread and existing system of handling, utilizing the container for its optimized transportation qualities. As documented through the prototype phase and demonstrated in the manual for construction, the container is opened to natural light and ventilation through large apertures on the end and sides. The standard swinging end doors and the major portion of the removed skin remain as shading devices. The interior is efficiently planned with accommodations for four furnished with easily obtainable IKEA furniture. The unit is capable of being located on or off the grid with self-sustaining systems including a composting toilet, standard generator, and water holding tanks.
The ease of procurement, construction, and donation of CORE unit can build quickly into a large scale solution for disaster relief. While the CORE network can provide for an efficient and fast implementation of providing shelter now, the units are designed for an extended life. Each CORE unit can be used as temporary shelter while the owner rebuilds, through its durability, structural integrity, and extent of continued use, it could form the core of additions for a more permanent solution or could be closed, shipped out, and reused in future disaster relief.