Nouvelles manières d’habiter - Winy Maas, Monique Eleb et Philippe Simon - séminaire du 22/03/13
trying on a metaphor

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Nouvelles manières d’habiter - Winy Maas, Monique Eleb et Philippe Simon - séminaire du 22/03/13
Renzo Piano, Diogene, 2013
A roof is the perfect place to build a house -- you've got a view, and often you're hidden from the street. Here are pictures of some of the craziest and most astonishing rooftop homes around the world.
MVRDV, Didden Village, 2002-2006
Prefab Unit Ikea - Skanska
Richard Rogers and YMCA unveil £30k flatpack homes for homeless people
Rogers’ ‘move-on’ homes look like Monopoly hotels – and are bigger than many private studio flats. But are they really the ‘answer to Britain’s housing crisis’?
A neat oblong box with a simple pitched roof and jolly red garb, it looks like a giant Monopoly hotel has been airlifted on to a side street in Wimbledon. But this dinky dwelling could be the answer to the housing crisis, according to its makers, providing a first step for those in desperate need of accommodation.
“The aim was to provide a truly affordable move-on scheme for our residents, which didn’t require a grant to build,” says Andy Redfearn of the YMCA, who has worked with architects Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners (RSH+P) for the last three years to develop a factory-made housing unit that can be built for up to 40% less than the cost of traditional construction. “The real issue is what happens when people leave our hostels,” he says. “The only option is often poor quality shared accommodation managed by private landlords, who require large deposits and rent in advance.”
The Y:Cube aims to provide an alternative, in the form of a self-contained one-bed flat, with its own bathroom, living room and kitchen, all housed in a compact 26 sq m unit, built off-site for just £30,000 and craned into place.
“It’s about a different attitude to construction, rather than revolutionary design,” says Ivan Harbour, the partner in charge of RSH+P’s Homeshell project, which has focused on the development of prefabricated housing for the last seven years. “The beauty is that it’s a high-tech, low-tech approach.”
Employing a timber-framed system called Insulshell, developed by Sheffield Insulations Group and Coxbench (which was also used for the London Olympic velodrome), the units are manufactured in one piece in a factory in Derbyshire. Built from precision-cut glue-laminated timber sections assembled by hand – “fixed with just two kinds of screw,” the designers tell me proudly – they are packed with insulation, forming a structural frame that can be stacked up to eight storeys high.
The precision construction means a degree of air-tightness that brings the units to level six of the code for sustainable homes: a three-week test showed each home can be lit and heated to 20°C all day and all night for £7 per week. The system also allows for units to be joined, windows cut into corners and partition walls freely arranged within, bringing more flexibility than the usual container-home – and built with a lifespan of 60 years.
The YMCA plans to test the system at scale on a site in Mitcham, where it is about to submit an application for a scheme of 36 units, stacked into a three-storey horse-shoe block around a shared garden, where residents can grow vegetables. “It will take eight weeks to build in the factory and just one week to install on site,” says Redfearn, adding that, with each flat rented out for £140 per week (65% of market rent), the project will pay for itself in 15 years. Capital costs are to be provided by “social investors,” he says – to whom he can guarantee a 5% return.
“With this speed of construction and implementation, it could be the perfect solution for brownfield infill plots and even sites where development is stalled, or where construction won’t begin for several years, such as HS2 land,” he says. “The beauty is that the units can be moved off site as quickly as they are installed, as we operate on short-term leases – we expect people to stay for between three to five years, giving them time to skill up and save for a deposit.”
So what do future residents make of it?
“It certainly catches your eye,” says Kieran Kurup, 22, who recently moved into rented accommodation after 18 months at the YMCA hostel, as we walk up to the eye-searing red facade. “It’s amazing inside, so much bigger than you expect, and it’s fitted out like a show home from some Earls Court convention. Having your own front door, and your own bathroom and kitchen, is going to be a great morale booster for people used to the hostel lifestyle.”
The units come complete with double beds, en suite bathrooms and a separate kitchen/living room, while floor-to-ceiling heights are a generous 2.5m, and will be taller in the top-floor flats with the apex roofs. The Mitcham scheme will see units connected by timber decks, providing outdoor social space, along with a communal room for shared equipment like vacuum cleaners and washing machines. Classed as semi-permanent accommodation – the same as student housing and care homes – the units don’t have to meet London housing design guide space standards (they fall 11 sq m short) although the flats are at least three times the size of an average hostel room. “It’s a credible compromise,” says Redfearn.
It is a compromise that seems justified to produce affordable stepping-stone homes which seem more generous than many “studio apartments” being touted on the private market. But could the Y-Cube have lessons for volume housebuilding beyond the move-on sector?
“We’re already working on it,” says Harbour, announcing that their designs for a 36-unit scheme of private flats for the Leather Gardens estate in Newham received planning permission only this week. The first of the local authority’s four pilot projects planned over the next two years, the homes will be let and managed by the council, with the money raised used to fund larger projects.
“Newham wants to raise the bar for the private sector rental market, so it’s taking it into its own hands,” says Harbour. “The next step is to find a bigger scheme. If we can get the demand right – something like 150-plus units per year – the aim would be to have a factory in the borough itself, employing local people at the heart of the community. That’s proper design and build, as it should be. It’s how they built the cathedrals.”
It is a bold ambition, but one that hasn’t had an easy ride in the past. RSH+P’s first foray into factory-made housing, at Oxley Woods in Milton Keynes in 2008, was abandoned before the plan was completed, with the developer complaining of excessive cost and ditching Rogers’ prefabs for a more traditional scheme in a folksy pastiche style. The 120 units that were completed to RSH+P’s designs went on to win numerous awards, and are dearly loved by their evangelical residents, even if the streets of bright boxy blocks are pejoratively known locally as Legoland. So why didn’t it work out as planned?
“Commercial house-builders work on the basis that the longer you can drag out the process, the more money you can make,” says Harbour. “At Oxley Woods, it became clear that the fast production process we were offering was not what was needed. Instead it was like turning a tap on and off, with three houses trickling out every now and then. But off-site production requires a degree of certainty and volume.”
It might also require something of a shift in what people expect their houses to look like. Or perhaps a shift on the part of the architects to make their buildings a little more home-like. Because, for all the clever construction, high-speed fabrication, model environmental performance and indisputable value, it’s hard to escape the fact that everything that has come out of RSH+P’s Homeshell initiative to date looks a bit like something from an out-of-town business park.
Whether it’s the clunky massing that comes with the stacking of prefab boxes, or the cheap-looking laminate cladding that give the air of paper-thin walls (belying the 350mm-deep construction), or the dubious colour schemes punctuated by shallow oblong windows, it’s hard to shake off that image of living in an 80s office block, or a converted data centre. Still, some solace can be taken from the point listed under the “Adaptability” heading in the Homeshell brochure: “Can be clad to suit any vernacular.” I’ll have one that looks like a house then please.
ÁPH80 Portable Prefabricated Home by Ábaton Architects
You can see more options in Ábaton’s PDF brochure with smaller modules starting at just €21,900.
New London Architecture about House's Extentions and Garden's Pavillion
Jean Prouve’s Experimental Prefabricated Houses
Dominic Stevens Self Built House Experience
Outline History
This house was designed and built by Dominic Stevens, an Irish architect, who found himself urgently requiring somewhere to live at a time when he was very short lot of money. He had, in the past, designed and built a number of self built homes for other people, so he set out to devise a very economical, easy-to-construct home for himself.
It's compact, but he's squeezed in one double and two single bedrooms, plus a tiny shower room and a dinky kitchen. He's kept it free of fancy, expensive components (so no flashy windows, trendy kitchens or luxurious bathroom fittings) and its snug (it's well insulated, so its claimed, a 1.5kW electric heater keeps the place habitable).
Many of the design principles used here echo those of Walter Segal, a London architect who developed an innovative approach that was used on about 200 low cost easy-to-build homes constructed in the 1970s and 1980s.
There's a great website that describes Dominic's house in detail, with lots of pictures, plans, diagrams to explain the construction process, and a schedule of materials.
The Site
The plot is about 3/4 acre and is located in County Leitrim, about 100 miles west of Dublin. Building land in this part of the Republic is fairly easy to acquire and – compared to the UK – significantly cheaper.
The Design and Construction Principles
The house sits on pad foundations; so it makes this part of the build easy to prepare and very cost effective. Each of the ten 'pads' consists of concrete 1m x 1m and 50cm deep. The timber frame for the house then sits on top of these pads, raised above them on short stilts.
The frame is a relative breeze to assemble – its essentially three bits of timber bolted together to create a column about 175mm x 132mm (roughly 7" x 5"). The columns are then linked via similar cross pieces, and a roof structure.
In Dominic's house the frames were 3.95m wide (just under 13 ft) – so the internal space is about 3.5m wide (about 11'6"). He arranged the frames in 3m long bays and bolted four of them together to create a house 12m long (so just under 40'). The house is about 5.9m high to the eaves, so there's just enough headroom for a 'dormer' level in the roof.
There are no 'wet' trades involved in the construction (so no plastering). Internally the house is simply lined with plasterboard and decorated. There is 225mm of insulation in the wall, with panel vent racking sheets fixed to the wall studs outside of this. Then there are some special membranes – an airtight vapour barrier on the inside and a breather membrane (on the outside of the panel vent sheets). Externally, the building is clad in a black corrugated bituminous material called Onduline (it's a product used on agricultural buildings in continental Europe). It's cheap, and (some would say) not very attractive, but it does help the house heat up when the sun is shining – claims Dominic. The windows are triple glazed.
The dimensions of the structure are clever too – for example the external wall is exactly the same height as a standard 2.4m panel, and the wall studs are 600mm wide, so each panel (1.2m wide) can be fitted without any cutting.
The whole building took about 50 days to construct – roughly seven weeks. Most of it can be done by one person, though the raising of the main frames requires a bit of help.
Very little machinery was needed – a JCB was hired to dig the holes for the ten pad foundations and to level the site. Dominic managed to do everything else from a ladder, so no scaffolding was needed – in the UK this might be frowned upon by the Health and Safety police.
Planning and Building Regulations
The site already had the equivalent of outline planning permission and Dominic had few problems getting his design approved as he had a track record of designing well regarded single homes.
The design reflects the traditional Irish 'longhouse' in shape and form.
In Ireland a suitably qualified professional – like an architect or an engineer - can 'sign off' a building to confirm it meets Building Regulations. An architect chum of Dominic's arranged this for him. This approach provides a lot more 'licence' than the UK Building Regs permit.
The Irish regulations are not that dissimilar to those we have to comply with in the UK.
Finance
Money was tight from the start, so the house was designed and built for the minimum feasible amount – the headline cost was just over £20,000 on materials.
It was also designed to be really easy to build. Dominic and his pals constructed it using around 50 person-days effort.
The home has around 60sqm of accommodation space, so this works out at around £333 per sqm.
Learning points
The really clever thing about this house is that it cuts out some of the tricky jobs (plastering), and it is designed around the dimensions of standard products (so that there is hardly any cutting needed) – lots of standard panels (2.4 x 1.2m) simply get screwed straight into place. Think about this, so that your home is easier to build and produces less waste.
As it's been designed from the outset to be extremely cost effective, there are no fancy, expensive fittings. Many self builders in the UK would spend more on their windows or doors than this entire house has cost to build. It makes sense - if you are on a tight budget – to focus on the things that are relatively cheap to build (the basic structure) rather than blow money on expensive gadgets or luxury finishes.
The house is also very flexible – it would be easy to add another 3m bay, or an extension if the family needed more room.
The home is not designed to last forever – realistically it probably has a life expectancy of 30-40 years. Nonetheless, at this price, it still works out as a very inexpensive medium-term home. And in a few years time, when the economic situation may have improved, the whole house could be replaced with something with a longer lifespan.
Be realistic about your skills. As a teenager Dominic got the equivalent of an 'O' level in woodwork, and he reckons he's a fairly practical person. His neighbour, who was a qualified carpenter helped a good bit, too. In Dominic's words: "Be realistic, but don't underestimate yourself".
available houses - jean prouvè
http://www.patrickseguin.com/en/designers/architect-jean-prouve/available-houses-jean-prouve/
http://www.dwelle.co.uk/
Dwelle's Super Minimalist Prefabs Make Small Living Swell
UK-based Dwelle has unveiled a brilliant set of prefabs that illustrate how small living is the new way to live big. With a tiny footprint (the bigger of the two is 253 sq. feet), understated modern design, and sustainable features like insulation made from 100% recycled newspapers, double glazed windows and the ability to achieve zero-carbon status, these sophisticated houses definitely are overcompensating for their small size — and we like it!
Recently, we were flabbergasted when a reader commented on Facebook that 700 square feet hardly seemed like enough room to live. True, some people might need more space, but there are plenty of perfectly livable tiny abodes – like Dwelle’s beautiful line of modern prefabs. Called the Big Dwelle.ing, the larger of the two models measures 6.7 meters by 3.5 meters (22×11.5 feet or 253 square feet) and costs around £35,000-£50,000 ($52,000-$75,000).
One thing we love about this prefab is that it can be clad in almost any material from timber to rubber, and it even has the option of being fully planted with foliage that will cover the whole structure in about 12 months. 253 sq. feet may not seem like a lot of room at all but look at how cavernous the interior feels! In a smart move Dwelle doubled the ceiling height over the main living area, giving the illusion of a much roomier space. The external timber louvres add spiffy detail to the exterior of the house while letting you control daylighting and shading.
Read more: Dwelle's Super Minimalistic Prefabs Make Swell Dwellings | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Cottage in a Day
Cottage in a Day
Published in Prefab Cabins | Small Prefab Homes
This modular, small prefab home is factory-built and energy-efficient, that uses sustainable materials and a structural insulated panel (SIP) envelope for strength, sound reduction, and comfort.
This prefabricated house includes interior bamboo flooring and natural wood wall finishes, high windows for natural lighting and ventilation, full length deck, a shed/butterfly style metal roof, movable shutter doors and more.
Model: Cottage in a Day. Green features: Energy efficient structural insulated panel (SIP) construction, Bamboo flooring, Energy Star windows and appliances
-Small 1414 S model total floor space: 182 sq ft / 17mq. . Price: $54,500.
-Large 2842 T model total floor space: 750 sq. ft. Price: $206,000.
Prefab home design: CiaD. Manufacturer location: Traverse City, MI. Prefab plans: Available. Prices: Available.
L41, Michael Katz, prefab house
A Tiny, Energy-Efficient Prefab Home
2/11/2011 12:18:59 PM
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Tags: L41, Michael Katz, prefab house, Natural Home magazine, Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Affordable shelter for everyone is the goal of Michael Katz’s L41 home, built from expandable, stackable 220-square-foot studio modules. “The major objective of the L41 home is to play a part in mass-producing houses that are so affordable that, before the end of this century, all the people in the world can have proper shelter,” the Vancouver, British Columbia-based architect says in the March/April issue of Natural Home magazine. “Affordability, mass production, quality, high design and sustainability is the L41 home manifesto.”
Katz’s energy-efficient homes can stand alone or be stacked and combined for multi- family dwellings. Artist Janet Come co-developed the homes with Katz to ensure a design that’s “delightful, livable, even downright luxurious,” Katz says. Katz plans to have the units on the market this summer. Though prices are being finalized, he says studio models will cost less than $60,000.
Expandable, stackable cubes are the basis of the L41.
Some highlights:
• The L41 generates and stores solar electricity on-site through photovoltaic and solar thermal heating and cooling cells on its green roof.
• The home’s main construction material, cross-laminated timber, is made by laminating and gluing beetle-kill pine (literally pine trees killed by beetles) under high pressure into panels strong enough to substitute for concrete. Katz says in British Columbia alone, more than 35 billion cubic feet of beetle-kill trees—enough to build 100 million L41 units—are available.
• Curable, waterproof zinc panels require less energy to produce than most other metals and are often made with recycled material.
• When possible (based on location), geothermal heating and cooling systems will keep homes comfortable year-round.
• Radiant coils in the ceiling provide heat. A heat-recovery ventilator keeps air fresh and improves efficiency.
• The kitchen includes a two-element induction cooktop with a slide-out mini overhead fan, a convection oven that doubles as a microwave, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer tucked below the counter, and an Asko washer/dryer single unit.
Prefabricated home made from Recycled Plastic