The M-House Living out of the old LV is really only enjoyable up to a point. Though a few excellent apart-hotels have come to our rescue in New York and Barcelona, we particularly pity our executive friends flying into the City of London. What there is simply isn’t enough, and international commuters are forced to leave the City to find an adequate base. Which is why Tim Pyne (architect of the much-written-about m-house and founding creative director of 100% Design), along with various collaborators, has decided to come to the rescue. Their plan is to set up a number of m-house ‘scapes’ (encampments of up to 40 m-houses) in Europe. And Shoreditch looks set to be the first base. The idea of an m-housescape certainly has a number of USPs. Councils, of course, are very happy about the idea of a new apart-hotel with very few planning issues and the partners just need an operator before the scheme is off the ground.
HAWAII HOUSE KITS House kits are a popular way to build houses in Hawaii as they solve many of the construction issues unique to Hawaii. One of the problems when building a house in Hawaii is that key structural components and hardware shipped in from the mainland are hard to replace if they get broken or were missing from the primary shipping container. We met an owner builder who had a house kit shipped from Seattle in a Matson box. He calculated that it would save him $8000 over a kit bought in Hawaii. Another challenge of building in Hawaii is getting skilled construction workers. Security is a serious issue when building a house in Hawaii as theft of construction materials is very common. Reducing the construction time can also save you the cost of alternative housing during construction and the cost of gas if the crew is commuting from another area. Locally designed house kits are often architected for Hawaii and its special climate and insect issues.
ZenKaya - Contemporary, Modern and Affordable Prefab - Zenkaya O M house / Architecture W Architects: Architecture W Location: Nagoya, Japan Project Team: Michel Weenick, Yukiko Iwanaga, Brian White Client: Michel Weenick Project Year: 2005 Constructed Area: 320 sqmStructural Engineer: Structure NANAPhotographer: Andy Boone Located in one of Nagoya’s more attractive residential neighborhoods, but with only 2.5 meters of dead end street access and set on a difficult site that steps down from this access level a total of 7 meters, M-House is designed to both address the site conditions that rendered the site “unbuildable” by the local real estate community and provide for a simple, modern lifestyle for the American owner/architect and his family. In addition to the challenge provided by the site itself, the house also addresses the conceptual challenges of planning for a multi generational/multi national family, as well the even bigger challenge of securing precious views, sunlight, and breezes in the context of a cramped traditional Japanese neighborhood.
Michelle Kaufmann Studio Michael Jantzen - M-vironments - M-House Photo courtesy Michael Jantzen Relocatable M-vironments are made of a wide variety of manipulatable components that can be connected in many different ways to a matrix of modular support frames. The frames can be assembled and disassembled in different ways to accommodate a wide range of changing needs. The M-House, made from the M-vironment system, consists of a series of rectangular panels that are attached with hinges to an open space frame grid of seven interlocking cubes. Photo courtesy Michael Jantzen Photo courtesy Michael Jantzen The panels are hinged to the cubes in either a horizontal or a vertical orientation. Photo courtesy Michael Jantzen Other not-insulated panels fold in or out over and around open platforms to shade the sun, deflect the rain, or block the wind. Photo courtesy Michael Jantzen All of the M-House components are interchangeable, and can be increased or decreased in numbers and size. Drawing courtesy Michael Jantzen
Prefab is Not the Answer to Affordable, Modern, and Green Homes This article was authored by guest Chad Ludeman of Postgreen Homes. Prefab homes seem to be showing up more and more in the media these days, especially with two large exhibits in Philadelphia showcasing their history this year. Like many, I hoped that prefab would be the answer to bringing modern architecture to the masses in the US and beyond. Don’t get me wrong, I love prefab and many of the firms out there with cutting edge designs in the prefab realm. Below we will look at this issue from two points of view. Names and firms have intentionally been left out of this post in an effort to discuss only the facts, dispel some of the myths of prefab, and possibly look towards a better method for bringing modern homes to the average American. Prefab’s Claims to Greatness There are a variety of claims made by prefab proponents to support the idea that this method of home delivery is the best way to provide modern architecture to the masses. They are: More Affordable. Less Waste. Less Time.
Redneck Mansion Claim: Photograph shows a "redneck mansion" composed of several linked trailers. Example:[Collected via e-mail, March 2008] This pic is making the rounds on the web as "Redneck Mansion" Is it a real pic or photoshopped? If real, any idea where it's located? Origins: An association with trailers as living spaces may be one of the more common elements of the "redneck" stereotype, but the landscape captured in the photograph displayed above is neither a redneck's idea of a mansion nor some type of low-rent apartment complex. The R1 Residential by Grace Street The r1 Residential: 2,000ish sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 2 story green, modern house. Click here to view the first floor and second floor pdfs. Click here to see dimensions and layout of the R1 Residential with The R1 addition. Click here to see dimensions and layout of The R1 Residential with The R1 garage. Statement: We want a green, modern, gorgeous, affordable house. I approached 3 North to work on The R1 Residential as they specialize in small spaces. Let's talk about this two story design. Check out the partitions in the dining area. The R1 Residential also has NEW ADD ONs... 1st floor: 1196 s.f. 2nd floor: 832 s.f. So what DO you get? Each SIPs house kit is fabricated by the plant closest to you geographically. The Wall and Roof Packages are SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) which provides great insulation. Note: If you need higher R-values, we can adjust our panels accordingly: 4 5/8” -- R-Value 15 6 5/8” – R-Value 24 8 3/8” – R-Value 31 10 7/16” – R-Value 39 12 7/16” – R-Value 47
Shibam Shibam (Arabic: شبام) (often referred to as Shibam Hadhramaut) is a town in Yemen. With about 7,000 inhabitants, it is the seat of the Shibam District in the Hadhramaut Governorate. It is famous for its mudbrick-made tower houses. History[edit] The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD.[1] It was the capital of the Hadramawt Kingdom. Geography[edit] The town is located in the central-western area of Hadhramaut Governorate, in the Ramlat al-Sab`atayn desert. Architecture[edit] Overview[edit] Shibam, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owes its fame to its distinct architecture.The houses of Shibam are all made out of mud brick and about 500 of them are tower houses, which rise 5 to 11 stories high,[2] with each floor having one or two rooms.[3] This architectural style was used in order to protect residents from Bedouin attacks. Threats[edit] Gallery[edit] View of some "skyscrapers"Two buildings on a street inside the town See also[edit] References[edit]