Based on hexagonal grid patterns constructed of 30-degree triangles, HOMB represents the ultimate in flexibility. The HOMB building model creates a modular system capable of lifespan space addition and subtraction, residential and commercial applications, flexible and custom floor plan layouts, and eligibility for organic, steep sloped, or small lots.The first HOMB was set in Northeast Portland last Thursday. The 3,900 square foot residence (2400 square feet of modules) is a custom version of HOMB, configured of 28 triangle units. With elements including half-hexagon and triangle custom skylights, 100 square foot cantilevers in front and back, floor to ceiling glazing, custom poured tile, and a double vaulted section that will make up the home’s great room, this home will act as the showcase residence for the HOMB brand.Another core element of the Portland HOMB is the great amount of structural detailing involved: custom steel structural members, detailed structural connections, and an intricate ceiling beam system form HOMB’s frame. All of these elements center around the first component of the project to be set: a custom 26-foot prefabricated steel staircase that was installed the day before the modules. Method worked with site contractor Rainier Pacific to lift the modules over the stairs during the one-day set, with strategic accuracy. The first HOMB will be open for tours following the Portland AIA’s Design Matters tour.Learn more about HOMB Modular
The benefits of prefabricated homes abound—expedited construction schedules, rainproof building conditions, and, usually, energy-efficient elements such as radiant heating and reclaimed materials. Even so, prefab isn’t typically a priority for most homebuyers. Sheri Koones, author of Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid, her sixth book on the subject, estimates that prefab housing makes up just 3 to 5 percent of the housing market. To her, it’s a matter of education. “Anybody who researches and sees what can be done with prefab usually builds prefab,” she says. “There are a lot of misconceptions that it’s synonymous with cheap and junky, but prefab houses are indistinguishable from site-built houses.”Read the full article here
Method recently got a chance to visit with Studio 29 architect Chris Rost about the story behind Method’s newest series of prefab home designs.
Q: What is the history of Studio 29 Architecture? What is your mission?
Rost: I have been working in the Pacific Northwest and San Juan Islands as an architect for 22 years. Studio 29 was founded after the suggestion from a former client. At Studio 29, we strive to design homes that embody the unique character of our clients and embrace the natural beauty of the land they occupy. Living and working in the San Juan Islands has instilled in us a deep respect for the local environment. It compels us to explore sustainable design solutions that will help preserve and protect the local ecosystem for the generations that follow.
Q: How did you come to partner with Method Homes? What was your first collaborative project?
Rost: We discovered Method in 2010 during our search for a strategic partner to build our prefab vacation homes. Method Homes constructed a display model for the Seattle Home Show. Shortly after, we designed and built our first custom home, which provided impetus for the new Cottage Series.
Q: How did the idea for the Cottage Series come about?
Rost: In an effort to find a more ecologically sensitive way to build in the San Juan Islands, we began researching prefabrication (2009). Our research convinced us prefab was the way forward, but also revealed a market populated almost exclusively by modern design. This revelation led to the creation of a series influenced by early rural American coastal and farm communities.
Q: Overall, what sets the Cottage Series apart from other Method models?
Rost: Traditional design sensibility. Plan and aesthetic flexibility. Broad appeal. There is an audience who is looking for prefab and looking for a craftsman-style home. With the cottage designs, the point of reference for prefab gets transferred from the misconceptions of prefab back to the traditional stylings of a home. These are architect-designed homes.
Learn more about Method's new Cottage Series here
Last week, Method set a custom two-story, 2,300 square foot modular home on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Designed by Group Architect, the modern and efficient three-bedroom, two-bathroom prefab was set in one day. The home, situated on a tight waterfront lot, was constructed with cantilevers over the foundation to fit within the site's buildable footprint. Features include Henry Blueskin wrap, cement fiber board and cedar siding combination with rainscreen application, a Daikin Altherma air to water heat pump that services hydronic radiant heat and domestic hot water, a standing seam metal roof, pre-wiring for solar power, pine tongue and groove soffits, custom maple cabinets, strand-woven engineered bamboo floors, custom Italian tile from Statements Tile, and low VOC paints, finishes, and adhesives. The house also has 400 square feet of decks to take advantage of the idyllic waterfront location. This and all Method projects are built using sustainable methods that minimize waste, impact to the site, and prevent the home from having exposure to the elements by building off site at Method’s Ferndale, WA factory location.
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.
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