Net Positive Studio 2019-20 St. John Prototype by Net Positive Studio

BUILD POSITIVE Affordable Net Zero Housing to Strengthen and Sustain Rural Communities

NET POSITIVE Studio Kansas State University | APDesign| 2019-2020 To reflect and exhibit the process of on an entire academic yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of work throughout this design-build challenge, our studio created this document to communicate that message. Our research, communication, designs, and hard work have been placed into these chapters to aid future efforts to address the challenging subject of affordable, netpositive design. It is our hope that, as you read through these pages, the home of St. John becomes more than a studio project. We hope the house reflects the future of St. John as a place of opportunity and sustainability.

Net + Studio ADS 7, ADS 8, ARCH 805, & ARCH 808 www.netpostivestudio.org Kansas State University Department of Architecture 2132 Regnier Hall Manhattan, KS 66506 Editor Catherine Gutman Graphic Designer Jeremiah Vick Authors Jordan Bezdek Brandon Cole Jameson Jones Evan Ollenburger Rebekka Poole Contributors Sergio Birchara Braeden Busenitz Yu He Somnath Mukherjee Gaurav Neupane Prajakta Thipsay Grant Urban Faculty Advisor Michael Gibson Copyright ÂŠ 2020 KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY. All rights reserved. All photographs in this publications were provided by students and faculty with The Net Positive Studio 2019-2020 unless noted otherwise.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Net Positive Studio extends a special â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? and appreciation to Carolyn Dunn and her staff at the Stafford County Economic Development Corporation, and the community of St. John, Kansas for their continual contributions and support to spearhead this research and design into a reality. We would also like to recognize and thank the sponsors, partners, professionals, and academic faculty who contributed their time and efforts to support our design-build process and make this project possible.

INQUIRY

DESIGN

1.1 Preface 1.2 Fifth Year Research Studio 1.3 Our Team 1.4 Mission 1.5 Process 1.6 Design Research Thesis

2.1 Neighborhood Analysis 2.2 Why Net Positive? 2.3 Case Studies 2.4 Field Trips 2.5 Concept Research

3.1 Design Intent 3.2 First Iterations 3.3 Schematic Design 3.4 Design Development 3.5 Casework 3.6 Landscape 3.7 Mechanical Electrical & Plumbing 3.8 Prefabrication 3.9 Detailing

CONTENTS

ORGANIZATION

ANALYSIS

CONSTRUCTION

REFLECTION

4.1 Cost Management 4.2 Passive Design Strategies 4.3 Energy Analysis 4.4 Daylight Analysis 4.4 Structural Design

5.1 Procurement 5.2 Mock-Ups 5.3 Construction Preparation 5.4 Panel Fabrication

6.1 Studio Pivot 6.2 Resilience 6.3 Design Variations 6.4 Future of Affordable Housing 6.5 What We Learned

FOREWORD Rebekka Poole The Net Positive Studio is an interdisciplinary research and design effort in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design at Kansas State University seeking to develop housing prototypes that are affordable, net zero, and strengthen and sustain communities.  Partnering this year with Stafford County Economic Development Corporation (EcoDevo), a non-profit organization, the Net Positive Studio was tasked with the design of a single-family home in the rural town of St. John, Kansas. For the 2019–2020 academic year the studio has researched and developed a design to meet the challenges St. John has been facing. The original goal of the studio at the beginning of the academic year was to design and build a house that was tailored to the affordable needs of the community, allowing the town to replace lost housing units and attract and retain homeowners, ultimately staving off population drain. On March 16th, 2020 Kansas State University announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all classes would move to an all on-line format for the remainder of the spring semester, halting the studio’s goal of constructing the final design of the home. In light of these developments, the studio refocused its efforts to complete documentation of the house and its prefabricated components, in preparation to guide a to-be-determined team during on-site assembly later. Moreover, the studio collected the year’s work of research and knowledge in this text and on the studio’s website so it may be used by others in the future.

01 Figure 1.1.1

ORGANIZATION 1.1 Preface 1.2 Fifth Year Research Studio 1.3 Our Team 1.4 Our Mission 1.5 Process 1.6 Design Research Thesis

1.1 PREFACE

Rebekka Poole

Homes in the U.S. are responsible for a staggering 20% of national energy consumption, consuming more energy than commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings in 2019[1]. Moreover, the cost of housing and utilities increasingly burdens today’s household budgets; an average household’s utility expenditure can exceed $2,000 annually for heating, fuel, and electricity. Today’s average U.S. household emits over twice as much CO2 from utility consumption as it does from driving [1]. A netzero home addresses the energy impact of housing through energy efficiency, and then offsets the energy it uses through renewable energy generation, such as photovoltaic (PV) panels that generate electricity from solar energy.

1/ 5

OF HOMES IN THE US ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OF THE NATIONAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION.

Our studio believes that we should go further than just net zero housing and energy efficiency. Today, our society and our region are facing a critical shortage of affordable housing options, crippling individuals and communities.  Our studio believes that we should go further than just net zero housing and energy efficiency. Today, our society and our region are facing a critical shortage of affordable housing options, crippling individuals and communities.

= 12 | The Net Positive Studio

$150K

$300K

x18

Figure 1.1.1- Homes produce twice Figure 1.1.2- >$300k homes the average CO2 emissions as are being built at 18x the rate as driving, per household <$150k homes

Nearly half of Americans earning under $50,000 per year are now overburdened by housing costs, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Yet for every home built for under $150k, more than 18 homes are built for over $300k. (Source: 2016 U.S. Census) These statistics illustrate the broken system of housing in the U.S, which has evolved to preference larger, expensive, and energyintensive housing. Meanwhile, older housing is not always a ‘bargain’ for new homeowners, with deferred maintenance commonly making mortgages impossible. If you are young, retired, a single parent, a one-income household, or simply have a modest income, affordable housing options are limited, scarce, or even nonexistent in many places.  Housing doesn’t just need to save energy or sell for less; it needs to give back. Housing needs to support comfort, safety, financial security, domestic life, social relationships, and overall well-being for homeowners. Housing needs to achieve social and economic sustainability just as much as environmental sustainability.

HOUSING DOESN’T JUST NEED TO SAVE ENERGY OR SELL FOR LESS; IT NEEDS TO GIVE BACK. The Net Positive Studio takes its name from these foundational principles of sustainability: • Sustaining the environment • Sustaining the economy • Sustaining people and communities. These principles must be addressed and engaged together, and not just one goal at a time. We are designing and building more than just energy

efficiency homes; we strive to design homes that are better living environments and that can improve the lives of occupants and strengthen neighborhoods and communities. Net Positive means going the extra mile to improve the lives of the occupants. Sustainable building certification like Passive House and LEED depend on targets and prescriptive criteria to help realize highly efficient housing. While these systems are appropriate for some projects, the Net Positive Studio focuses on right-sizing the home design while using advanced design and analysis technology to reduce energy use in the home, optimizing the design of the home to balance performance and cost. As a result of this process, we have learned that a well-designed, compact house requires only a modest amount of solar power to offset – and even exceed – the amount of energy it will use. This process allows the studio to design housing whose quality and performance will speak for itself, without a certification system. Using the affordable and sensible strategies to realize net zero housing demonstrates that by way of good design, analysis, and building, almost anybody can afford a Net Positive house.

The Studio set to research, design, and produce construction documents for a Net Positive home

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1.2 FIFTH YEAR RESEARCH STUDIO

Jordan Bezdek

In the decades following the economic and population boom of World War II, a system emerged in the U.S. to provide housing for millions of Americans. This new need for housing, was met by builders, planners, government-backed loan programs, banks, material industries, and architects ready to meet the challenge. Progressive housing designed by designers such as Charles and Ray Eames swept the country, providing the public a picturesque look at what life could be and forever cementing the idea of “Modern” design in the eyes of Americans. However, while many suburban towns prospered with inexpensive, accessible housing in the late 20th century, the increased cost of new housing has not just left ‘dream homes’ out of reach for individuals. Many small Midwestern towns struggle to retain population, but are also losing housing units. In Stafford County, every year since 2000 has averaged 14 houses lost with only about 3 built annually. With new houses too few and too expensive, younger people move to larger towns and cities. This means fewer households to sustain small towns Even though small communities like St. John have stood strong for decades and still offer important jobs, economic activities, services, and amenities. Last Spring, Stafford County Economic Development Corporation reached out to Professor Michael Gibson, and plans began to take shape for a research project to look at the housing challenges in St. John and develop possible solutions. Enter the Net Positive Studio, a team of Kansas State University architecture students with a passion to design a

sustainable and affordable home for St. John. The students began by studying the problems of current housing in St. John, creating a comprehensive inventory of all the houses and vacant parcels in town, along with examining town demographics to better confirm who would likely live in the house. With affordability standards in mind, the studio used this knowledge to program a dwelling affordable, energy-efficient, functional, and attractive. In Arch 805, the students spent time to think of a future home of St. John. This began with detailed research of the town understanding the overall context of the area. After we gained knowledge from the people in the community and our research allowed us to fabricate design integrations for the house. Once we finalized the design of the house, with approval from St. John Economic Development, this led to the prefab documents for the construction of panels for the house. Although the project transitioned into a self-analysis of our housing design following the pandemic that followed in March 2020. The knowledge the studio gained from this project but hopes to inform how affordable, net zero housing can support the communities of Stafford County and beyond.

1.3 OUR TEAM

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Michael Gibson

Jordan Bezdek

Sergio Bichara

Faculty Lead

Ipad Sketch Master

Mock Up Modeler

Guided the students from research to construction and provided insight on sustainable energy throughout the design.

Worked through critical ideas and gave the team a fresh perspective on the project. Leaned heavily on graphic design and worked with the structural team.

Helped build many mock-up construction pieces, physical models, and casework cabinets.

Braeden Busenitz

Brandon Cole

Catherine Gutman

Yu He

Carpenter

HGTV Specialist

Graphic Guru

Detail Designer

Provided his skills in prefabrication. Worked with the crew on mock-up construction and casework cabinetry.

Worked on generating cost estimates as well as graphical design and book editing.

Generated graphics for presentations and analysis and created graphics for the website and book.

Worked with the crew on our mock-up wall constructions and casework cabinets. Helped analyze structural details

Jameson Jones

Somnath Mukherjee

Gaurav Neupane

Evan Ollenburger

Task Master

Sketch God

The Graphic Avatar

Caffeine King

Aided in every step of design and construction, as well as performed energy calculations on the final product.

Provided graphic renderings at every step of design. A great storyteller and always found ways to bring fun to the studio.

Worked on construction details and exploring new possible ways of thinking through the design. Increased social media aspect of the studio.

Worked through cost estimation and the details of the design. Provided input to solve project cost problems that arose throughout the design.

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Rebekka Poole

Prajakta Thipsay

Jeremiah Vick

Grant Urban

Structural Engineer

Marketing Department

The Render Reverent

The Revit Guru

The most significant interest was hands-on work. Helped develop the structural details and led the team in construction of the project.

Worked through all aspects of construction details as well as energy simulations, always thought about sustainability and energy problems.

Worked with graphics and always put in the time to help with any unforeseen complications.

Worked through the design in all aspects and helped keep the project moving forward.

OUR TEAM 1. Michael Gibson - Jefferson County, KS 2. Jordan Bezdek - Abilene, Kansas 3. Sergio Bichara - San Miguel du Tucuman, Argentina 4. Braeden Busenitz -Newton, Kansas

5. Brandon Cole - Liberty, Missouri `

5 1

6. Catherine Gutman - Menomonie, Wisconsin 7. Yu He - Beijing, China 8. Jameson Jones - Wichita, Kansas 9. Somnath Mukerjee - Jamshedpur, India

2 11

14 4 8 12

10. Gaurav Neupane - Itahari, Nepal 11. Evan Ollenburger -Hillsboro, Kansas 12. Rebekka Poole - Holcomb, Kansas 13. Prajakta Thipsay - Mumbai, India 14. Jeremiah Vick - Columbia, Missouri 15. Grant Urban - Manhattan, Kasnas 3

Figure 1.3.3- Demographics of the Studio

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10 13

OUR MISSION

22 | The Net Positive Studio

The studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to research, develop, and demonstrate housing models that can support households and communities through rigorous and sensible sustainable design. We strive to create a safe, high-quality, environmentally sensitive, and functional home while demonstrating broad tenants of sustainability.

2 1 1.5 OUR PROCESS

Jordan Bezdek

Figure 1.5.4- Studio Process

RESEARCH While a professional design firm might draw from knowledge gained from past projects to come up with a quick solution, the Net Positive Studio sought to study the affordable housing problem in St. John from the ground up, to develop a solution that was both innovative but also fit the needs of the town. The team realized that they would need to conduct their own research to better understand the parameters for the project, using schematic design to set up a conversation with the client and the community about what mattered for them. 24 | The Net Positive Studio

The iteration of designs to expand our knowledge of housing and strategies for using in St, John.

SCHEMATIC DESIGN The creation of individual housing designs to expand our knowledge of housing and strategies to use in St, John.

4 5 3 DESIGN CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT The refinement of our final design with details to define the project for construction.

The process of prefabrication, assembly, site-work to fully complete the project and erect the finished house on site.

ANALYSIS A careful look back at our project to see our shortcomings and synthesize feedback from the community of St. John for ways to improve the project in the future.

December

November

October

September OUR PROCESS Figure 1.5.5

Visit to St. John

Alabama Trip

Sept. 6

Nov. 10

Design Development Presentation

Neighborhood Analysis Sept. 16

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Nov. 18

Schematic Design Critique

Build Smart Tour

Oct. 2

Nov. 21

SD Presentations

Design + Research Review

Oct. 18

Dec. 6

May

April

March

January

February

Community Outreach

Workload within studio

Design Finalization

Panel Fabrication

Book Critique

Jan. 29

Mar. 16

April. 17

Order Materials

Studio Work Pivot

Final Critique

Feb. 7

Mar. 16

May 8

Construction Document Set Complete Feb. 17

Prefabrication Set Complete Feb. 24

1.6 DESIGN RESEARCH THESIS

Jordan Bezdeck

America is suffering from a lack of quality housing availability. The goal of the Net Positive Studio is to help towns such as St. John employ a new method of design and construction emphasizing the pillars of sustainability housing stock are necessary to support and sustain future growth in communities.

ST. JOHN FACES A CRISIS IN THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE AND QUALITY HOMES WHICH ARE NECESSARY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT AND SUSTAIN FUTURE GROWTH. Sustainability served as a starting point for the studio, and its pillars were broken down into three main elements: energy efficiency, affordability, and livability. But the studio learned quickly that it is important to achieve these goals in one, integrated design. It isn’t enough to have a green home that normal people can’t afford, an inexpensive house that isn’t durable, a radical home that can’t be maintained, or just a practical house that the occupants don’t love and care for. Today’s off-the-shelf “cookie-cutter” housing does not do enough to solve these problems, and so a new approach to housing is needed to serve communities like St. John. Expanding the pillars in the studio’s thesis shows how these goals can mutually support one another to strengthen the overall sustainability and appeal of project.

SUSTAINABILITY 28 | The Net Positive Studio

Designing a net zero house begins with a well-

01 insulated and tightly constructed envelope, with optimized, continuous insulation in the walls, floors and roof that bring down extreme heating and cooling loads. Simple passive strategies like natural ventilation, passive solar, summertime shading of windows, and daylight further reduce energy use. Together these strategies bring energy demand in the home down dramatically, and what energy is needed is offset by electricity generated by a modest photovoltaic system, saving households hundreds of dollars in utility costs per month versus an older home.

AFFORDABILITY

The more significant problem with current housing is that, while home values continue to rise, the average income of homeowners is becoming less capable of maintaining their property, especially in small towns, with poor housing quality. The use of local materials and companies, prefabrication, and reduced labor and material waste can cut the prices of the home considerably.

AVAILABILITY

Lastly, the design of a home must fit its environment and context. Many houses in St. John and the Midwest are considerably larger and cost more to upkeep and power. By designing a sizable home that is designed to suit the core needs of residents and comfortably allows for the family unit to grow, it lowers costs and benefits the owners over time. We are living in a time where new technology is rapidly evolving to fit the needs of people. The integration of these technologies is slow to integrate these developing systems, making modern middleclass homes cheap and outdated, despite costing

similarly to a home using better technology. To visualize this, think of an apple as a house, and the “apple orchard” like the construction team. The apples come in various colors and flavors, similar to homes. For the apples to grow, the tree must be cared for and appropriately raised, or it won’t produce the fruit that’s needed. Without proper care, we end up with a damaged product. But if we follow the right steps and we give the correct amount of attention, they will produce beautiful, ripe apples. We can’t think of a house solely as a place to live; it must be supportive of its residents. In short, we must be attentive to all the qualities of a home and how the resources we have today can better ensure the excellence of modern design. While millions of people suffer from poor-quality housing, there are ways to ease this overwhelming burden. Through the pillars of sustainable, affordable, and livable construction, we can create a new revolutionize modern housing to aid its owner rather than increase their burdens. Through the Net Positive Studio, we have created a home that can help future residents to live comfortably, while they leave their troubles at the door.

SUSTAINABILITY AFFORDABILITY AVAILABILITY

NET POSITIVE SOLUTION Figure 1.5.6 - Thesis Summary

01 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES Figure 1.1.1- Image created by Rebekka Poole Figure 1.1.2- Image created by Rebekka Poole Figure 1.3.3- Image created by Catherine Gutman, origional Image from: Karantza, F. (2015, May 17). Power Point Figure 1.5.4- Image created by Catherine Gutman and Somnath Mukherjee Figure 1.5.5- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 1.5.6- Image created by Catherine Gutman

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END NOTES [1] U.S. General Services Administration . (n.d.). Sustainable Design. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/designconstruction/design-excellence/sustainability/ sustainable-design

02 32 | The Net Positive Studio

INQUIRY

2.1 Neighborhood Analysis 2.2 Why Net Positive? 2.3 Case Studies 2.4 Field Trips 2.5 Conceptual Research

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2.1 NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS

Somnath Mukherjee, Gaurav Neupane and Jeremiah Vick

Over the course of the project, we conducted thorough research of the town of St. John, which allowed us to inform our final design with issues that were identified through analysis. We collected parcel data through ArcGIS, an on-line data and map resource that features information from the 2019 Census, the county appraiser, and Allied Consultants Inc, a third party. This data was synthesized and used to form conclusions and theories that will be discussed in later chapters. Thanks to these resources, we were able to evaluate: • Town’s history • Demographics • Details of the existing homes (quality, availability, affordability, etc.) The data was a useful tool in forming a thesis to understand the importance of affordable housing in the town and linking this these to new, relevant problems. To understand the condition of the homes in a quantifiable way, we analyzed multiple homes inside St. John using appraisal data. Software called DIVA was also a useful tool to estimate monthly energy costs for comparison homes to better understand how housing quality impacts the cost of living. This information proved how valuable the Net Positive Home could be to St. John and for many other towns facing similar hurdles.

CONTEXT St. John is a small town located in south-central Kansas (see figure 2.1.2 and 2.1.3) with a population of 1,888. According to our research with locals, they have faced population drain and are attempting to reach out and bring new individuals to their small town, yet housing is a barrier for possible newcomers. For instance, the new high school principal had difficulties finding a quality home due to the lack of availability. The town, however, does have the potential to grow and is constantly creating new ways to evolve, but the lack of available, affordable, and quality homes means they need a solution that helps to attract and retain residents. According to the community, the town has always been neighborhooddriven, and in the toughest times they come together to help one another and the town thrive. The town works hard to stay connected with their neighbors through town activities and meetings, and they want to be proactive about their future. When the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local grocery store failed, Stafford County Economic Development Corporation (EcoDevo, our client) led the charge to raise tax dollars and revenue to create a new grocery store. This now provides access to food and fuel to families in and around St. John that would have otherwise suffered, due to the potential food desert that could have led more individuals to leave. St. John has always employed ingenuity, from grocery store to the business incubator that was also launched by EcoDevo. As the community now looks to expand housing options, a sense of community pride continues to grow. Distance to Hutchinson- 55 Miles Distance to Wichita - 100 Miles Distance to Great Bend - 25 Miles Distance to Pratt - 26 Miles

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Kansas City Wichita

Figure 2.1.1 - Map of Kansas

Figure 2.1.2 - Map of Stafford County

Topeka

Great Bend

K 14

U.S. 56 K 96

Lyons

U.S. 281

K 96/ K 14

K 19

Hutchinson

Steward

South Hutch

St. John Macksville

U.S. 50

Stafford

Stafford K

K 14

Radium

Figure 2.1.3 - Context Legend

US 50, US 56 Highways

Town

Rail Roads

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN St. John, originally known as Zion Valley, was formed in 1875 by a group of Mormon settlers. The town is said to have been blessed by an elder of the church, saying the town will never be struck by a cyclone as long as they remained faithful. By 1879, Zion Valley became St. John, named after the Kansas governor, John Pierce [1]. Thanks to developments of farmland and grain mills, the town stood strong and became the county seat for all of Stafford County [1]. From

1900 to 1930, there was a building boom in St. John Kansas. This boom produced forty-six percent of St. John homes, after which new home construction began to fall, reaching low of three percent from 1991 to 2019 (see figure 2.1.4). The boom was also led by the railroad, completed on July 4th, 1886 through Stafford County (nine miles from St. John), along with the large growth in the farm industry. Impressively, the area under cultivation exploded

1875 Founding

1879 Who is St. John

1882 The County Seat

1886 The Railroad

Originally known as Zion Valley, and settled by the Mormons. An elder in the church blessed the site, saying that the town would never be destroyed by a cyclone.

Zion Valley was renamed after then Kansas Governor John Pierce, whom they considered as a Saint.

St. John became the permanent county seat by an act of the Kansas legislature. The county courthouse was built in 1886.

The railroad came to town on July 4, 1886. Atchison Topeka, Santa Fe, and the Missouri Pacific railroads laid tracks through the county.

Figure 2.1.4 - History

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over 260% from 1882 to 1910, with the value of the products produce in that year reaching and impressive $3,303,412, which included wheat, corn, Kafir corn, hay, animals, poultry, eggs, and dairy products [3].During the same period, the hospital opened by Dr. C.A. Ruggles as one of the largest in Kansas, containing approximately fifty beds. St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city plan and layout is largely influenced by its Mormon history; the typical Mormon planning

rules follow a document known as the City of Zion plan, prepared in 1833 by Joseph Smith. The characteristics include a grid pattern with square blocks, wide streets, alternating half-acre lots so houses face alternate streets on each block, brick or stone construction, home setbacks of twenty-five feet, front yard landscaping, gardens in the backyard, farms located outside of town, and the placing of central blocks for temples, schools, and public buildings [2].

% OF HOUSES BUILT OVER TIME IN ST. JOHN % OF HOMES (522 HOMES TOTAL)

46 %

25 % 14 %

11 %

3% 1870-1900

1900-1930

Figure 2.1.5 - Age of Houses in St. John Graph

1930-1960

1960-1990

1990-2020

YEARS

INCOME PER HOUSEHOLD VS. AGE 400

7.5%

350

AGE <25 AGE 25-44

300

200

39%

POPULATION

250

AGE 45-64

26%

150

100

AGE 65<

27.5%

< $25,000

$25,000$50,000

$50,000$75,000

$75,000$100,000

$100,000<

INCOME PER HOUSEHOLD Figure 2.1.6 - Age of Houses in St. John Graph Note: Data shown is from Data USA and City Data that was collected from the U.S. 2018 & 2019 Census. 40 | The Net Positive Studio

DEMOGRAPHICS St. John is a town of 1,888 people [4]. Within their community, the town has a workforce of 675 people with employment in many different locations [4]. With a limited number of available houses to purchase in town, according to locals, prospective homeowners are either forced to buy a home of poor quality or move to a different community. For those who enjoy the atmosphere of the town and choose to live in St. John, settling in town may be difficult due to the lack of available, quality, and affordable housing. Standing against the clichĂŠ of a shrinking Midwestern town, a majority of community members are between the ages of 25-44 years old. From this demographic, many work at enterprises and institutions within the county, such as the Kanza Coop Grain Mill, Stafford County Flour Mills (makers of Hudson Cream Flour), or St. John Public School. For people in this age bracket, household income is between $25,000 to $50,000 a year, which trends below the area median income (AMI) of $47,000; 11.5% of the population live below the $25,000 poverty line (see figure 2.1.7) [5]. Households, on average, have one to two children with a minimum of two cars and median commute time of nineteen minutes, due to some individuals traveling to surrounding communities for work [4]. Many of the town residents have their roots set strongly in St. John, with eighty percent of the community owning

their homes [4]. Using the prevailing affordability criteria that housing costs should not exceed 30% of net income for a family earning 80% AMI, an affordable home needs to be mortgaged for below $105,000 before accounting for utilities and potential maintenance costs [5]. See Figure 2.1.10 for a detailed breakdown of a typical household budget based on the St. John median household income.

[1] Typical 1500 sq.ft. new home construction for Stafford County area. [2] Mortgaged cost after $25,000 in down payment assistance from the KHRC Moderate Income Home program; assumes total project cost of $112,000 if constructed with a general contractor, including PV array. [3] Stafford County Median Income is $47,075 [Source: U.S. Census] Figure 2.1.7 - Affordability Analysis Table

CURRENT HOMES FOR SALE 9/16/2019 IN ST. JOHN

$150,000

COST

$100,000

$50,000

$0 SIZE (sq.ft.) ASSESSED QUALITY 0% - 25%

25% - 50%

50% - 75%

Figure 2.1.8 - Current Homes for Sale in St. John, KS

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CURRENT HOMES FOR SALE According to Zillow, from 2016-19, sixteen homes have been sold in St. John, and ten properties are currently on the market. Each one has had more than its fair share of use, having been mostly built at the start of the 20th century. However, according to the county appraiser, only one of the listed homes is considered of good quality, with most of the available homes falling between 1,000 and1,500 square feet. This small range of options, paired with quality and size issues, means future homeowners and current residents are forced to wait years for the home they want. Home buyers may also balk at the challenge of mortgaging a lower quality home or knowing they will have to invest significant amounts of money to get such a home to meet living standards. See figures 2.1.9 to 2.1.12 for a short illustration of the current situation in St. John. According to the community and real estate data, we discovered housing and rental options are limited. There are mainly three options â&#x20AC;&#x201C; buy a good quality house (expensive), buy a house and then renovate it to an acceptable living condition, or buy land and build a new house.

Typically, due to risk, banks will not provide mortgages for low value homes. With the value of the home already suppressed, it is also very difficult to finance major improvements or repairs. By considering these conditions, we see how stressful it is for someone who wants to settle in a small town like St. John. This is a scenario that many smaller towns face, and underscores the importance of bringing in new, affordable infill housing like the Net Positive prototype.

MOST INDIVIDUALS EITHER ARE FORCED TO BUY A HOME OF POOR QUALITY OR MOVE FARTHER AWAY.

Figure 2.1.9 “Won’t it be great to finally live close to where we work, and with your parents nearby we can take the kids out of that expensive daycare. With everything going on with the economy now, I’d feel more comfortable if we can start saving some money and paying off our debts.” (Prospective family)

Figure 2.1.10 “The homes that are available are limited and may be of poor quality, repairs may be needed, you may have to wait for the right property to become available” (agent) “What are our next steps?” (Prospective family) “Go and see the bank to see what types of loans you qualify for” (agent)

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Figure 2.1.11 “Hello, we can not loan you the money to purchase the older home, it is not in our best interest” (bank) “What about buying a 1980s home?” (Prospective family) “We can give you a loan for the home, but due to the area we may not give you a loan to fix the property, as it is not in our best interest” (bank) “What about new construction?” (Prospective family)

“You may not qualify for this, due to your income and the average cost of new construction” (bank)

Figure 2.1.12 “We are thinking about potentially moving to an area outside of St. John, but really would like to stay we don’t know what to do?” (Prospective family) “We have a new option available to you, that we are planning on constructing soon, this is a Net Positive prototype, that may be a good fit for your family and will meet your budget” (EcoDevo) “Thats great news, I’ll tell the family!” (Prospective family)

AVERAGE HOME VALUE BY BLOCK - Figure 2.1.13 According to the county appraiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data, the median property value in St. John is $45,000, with the highest value at $281,000. A majority of homes are categorized in the $20,000-$45,000 range. The homes in this range are usually between fifty to one hundred years old and are of low quality, likely due to age and lack of maintenance or repair. If the homes are repaired, they would likely not gain a significant amount of value due to their location and adjacency to homes of lesser value. Based on the area median income, the cost of a higher quality home may prevent some families from being able to afford homes in the area of St. John. Our design in St. John will hopefully mitigate some of the issues and allow residents an affordable yet high-quality option. Legend

$150,000 - $200,000

$100,000 - $150,000

$45,000 - $100,000

$20,000 - $45,000

$0 - $20,000

Municipal Buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

46 | The Net Positive Studio

AVERAGE HOME SIZE BY BLOCK - Figure 2.1.14 From the county appraiserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data, most homes in St. John are between 1,000 to 2,000 square feet, with a typical home having two to four bedrooms on a typical 120-foot-deep lot, with a 25-foot setback. Figure 2.1.14 shows the average square footage of homes in St. John by block. While the map reveals a concentration of larger homes in the center of town, home size is diverse in the remainder of the town. Data on home size helped us determine the target size for the Net Positive Studio prototype. Legend

3000 - 4000+ sq.ft.

2000 - 3000 sq.ft.

1000-2000 sq.ft.

0 - 1000 sq.ft.

Municipal Buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

48 | The Net Positive Studio

QUALITY OF HOMES FOR SALE According to locals, when prospective home buyers look for a place to live in St. John, some families have purchased homes sight unseen because of the lack of availability. The lack of quality homes presents a huge problem for a new resident in St. John. According to typical current banking practices, banks may not provide loans for the purchase of lower quality homes due to risk, and even if purchasing such a home succeeds, it is also unlikely that a household on a budget can scrape together the resources to upgrade a home in today’s construction climate. While St. John has a reasonable number of homes, eighty-one percent of these homes fall below the fifty percent quality category [5]. This quality assessment, given by the county appraiser, alludes to issues such as bad ventilation, weak envelope, plumbing issues, electrical issues, lack of insulation, poorly designed crawl spaces, inefficient and outdated systems, and lastly, old materials [7 & 8]. Combined, these factors can lead to high repair costs, higher utility bills, health hazards, and can lead to medical problems such as sick building syndrome [9]. The prevalence of low-quality homes gives current and future residents few options for healthy homes they might be interested in purchasing; it’s very likely that these homes will need major repair to become livable. The cost of renovation may push residents to seek other options outside of the town of St. John.

Please note each county and jurisdiction calculates the percentages differently and can vary dramatically. This is used to determine how much to charge for tax purposes and is subjective [10]. Figure 2.1.15 & 2.1.16 shows data collected for all 522 homes in St. John broken down by percentage’s given by the county appraiser and again the most important data being that eighty-one percent of homes in St. John fall under the fifty percent quality rating. Legend

75% - 100%

50% - 75%

25% - 50%

0% - 25%

Municipal Building’s ASSESSED QUALITY CHART 2%

18%

ASSESSED QUALITY The assessed quality of homes is specifically for tax purposes, to determine the appropriate value of a home based on assessment comparisons in the area. The assessment is based on construction and finish quality, neighborhood appeal, square footage, distance from the street, curb appeal, the cost to replace the home (if for instance, it burns down), and more [10]. This data is used to quantify the quality of the home compared to another that is similar, based on or near the town. Notably, each 50 |similar The Nethomes Positivein Studio

522 Total Homes in St. John

46%

34%

0% - 25%

25% - 50%

Figure 2.1.15- Assessed Home Quality

50% - 75%

75% - 100%

Figure 2.1.16 - Average Home Quality by Block

VACANT LOTS - Figure 2.1.17 The town of St. John has fifty-three vacant lots at an average price of two thousand dollars per lot, with common sizes of either 60 feet wide by 120 feet deep, or 120 feet square. [5]. The vacant lots listed on our map are all potential locations for new Net Positive homes and some are being considered for development by our client. According to the city of St. John, many standing dilapidated homes are yet to be demolished but development would currently be unlikely to replace them; these additional lots could be perfect future spaces for new Net Positive homes. Because the Net Positive studio and St. John have chosen to create a prototype home that could be replicated throughout St. John, the form and function of the design needed to adapt to different locations and orientations. Later studies were conducted to explore how the prototype could be adapted to some of these vacant parcels, using both one- and twodwelling configurations. Legend

Vacant Lots

Houses for Sale

Houses Sold 2016-2019

Parcel Boundaries

Blocks

Our Site

52 | The Net Positive Studio

ST. JOHN HOUSING OPTIONS OVER TOTAL COST OF MORTGAGE The primary financial tool supporting the development of the St. John prototype home is grants from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation’s (KHRC) Moderate Income Housing Program. In this program, qualifying home buyers and renters qualify when their household income is eighty percent or less of AMI. A way to use these grants is to offer down payment assistance, typically $25,000, towards the reduction of the initial mortgage for newly developed affordable housing. Programs like this intend to support homeownership that benefits communities, and wouldn’t be possible with for- profit development or with speculative building. Mortgaging an older home is difficult for many reasons already discussed, and wouldn’t qualify for this kind of subsidy; these homes also have hidden costs, specifically the high utility bills associated with

older construction. To compare the cost of these options, the studio looked at mortgage and utility costs for older homes, a typical new home, and our Net Positive prototype. From our calculations for the Net Positive prototype, with assistance from the Moderate-Income Housing Program, families will only need to pay a $663 monthly mortgage payment, including the home’s solar panels in the mortgage. For our homeowners, the energy consumed by the home will be approximately $424 per year. However, this will be offset by the solar energy, saving the family money that can go into other areas of their budget. Figure 1.1.21 depicts average home-related expenses for comparison homes from the 1920s, 1980s, and 2020 against the Net Positive home. This analysis shows the economic impact of building affordability while also using net zero design to put utility costs back into households’ budgets.

Figure 2.1.18

[1] Median home value per Stafford County Appraiser Office GIS database. [2] Estimated target cost is averaged at $120,000, between KSU estimated cost of $135,000 and EcoDevo $105,000. Assumed built by general contractor, incl. $25,000 MIHP down-payment assistance. [3] PMI Included in 30-year mortgage; interest rate 4.25% APR; property tax 1.4% property value. [4] Average energy payment based on energy consumption simulations. [5] Unlikely to qualify for Moderate Income Housing Program (MIHP) *Unlikely to be eligible for mortgage 54 | The Net Positive Studio

Net Positive

$644

New Home

A Net Positive home can be affordable for families that make at least 80% of the $1,440 Area Median Income $1,500

1980s Home

$3,480

1920s Home Energy Consumed /Year

Figure 2.1.19- Annual Energy Bill *Note for the Net Positive house the energy bill will be offset by solar panels

Figure 2.1.20 [1] Typical 1500 sq.ft. new home construction for Stafford County area. [2] Mortgaged cost after $25,000 in down payment assistance from the KHRC Moderate Income Home program; assumes total project cost of $112,000 if constructed with a general contractor, including PV array. [3] Stafford County Median Income is $47,075 [Source: U.S. Census]

COMPARISON OF HOMES Researching the typical home in St. John was important for our design. We needed to determine existing conditions, which would then inform our studio of needed improvements given the current landscape. Three types of homes struck us as ideal examples to for our research; these homes are considered typical for St. John and include a home from the 1920s, a home from the 80s, and typical new construction. Using DIVA, a program for daylight and energy analysis (see Ch. 4.3 - Energy Analysis), we were able to produce daylight studies and energy models to compare the energy consumption and costs associated with these options. To understand the energy consumption of the homes, assumed typical construction during the time each home was built, having heard anecdotally from community members that many older homes have not received weatherization upgrades. Using those assumed values, we could compare the typical energy usage of homes of similar size. While the 1920s home does not represent every home in St. John, according to our survey of homes in the community, a majority of homes are from this vintage as are many of those currently for sale [5]. The process to the right shows a breakdown of expenses associated with purchasing and operating different homes in St. John.

56 | The Net Positive Studio

Note: • Values used to calculate project cost • Average Building cost for NET+ residence: (Per last year’s project) $90 per Sq Ft • Average New House Cost: (per Gordian sq.ft. costs 2018) $170 per Sq Ft • Average Renovation Costs: (per RSmeans Estimating building costs) $25 Per Sq Ft (Scope of work and amount will change numbers) • Average Demo Costs: (per RSmeans Estimating building costs) $10 per Sq Ft (any asbestos and mold removal will increase price) • Median Land Cost in St John (land without existing residential unit)(Per our excel) $3,000 • Median Home Cost in St John (Land with existing residential unit) (Per our excel) $45,000

St. John Prototype

EXISTING 1920s (UNIMPROVED) Land Cost Building Cost + Renovation Cost (If any) Total Project Cost

NEW BUILD Land Cost + Building Cost Total Project Cost

Existing 1980s(unimproved) ST.JOHN PROTOTYPE

EXISTING 1920s (UNIMPROVED)

Land Cost Building Cost Total Project Cost

Land Cost + Building Cost Total Project Cost

Figure 2.1.21- Comparison of Homes Calculations

NEW BUILD Typical home construction R-35 insulated ceiling R-13 insulated walls Double pane windows Concrete slab on grade; uninsulated Gas furnace; 78% efficiency A/C SEER 13 efficiency 70 °F heating s/p 75 °F cooling s/p 0.5 ACH infill. Typical electric loads Size: 1,000 SF Project Cost: $183,000

58 | The Net Positive Studio

EUI

Energy $

= 45.3 EUI [kBtu/SF]

= $1,434/yr

In the last thirty years, only thirteen new homes have been built in St. John, representing three percent of the total homes in St. John [5]. These homes typically cost significantly more due to today’s high construction costs. According to construction trends, most newly built contractor homes are built for around $180,000; in Stafford County, such a new home would still use construction and insulation methods similar to those used the 1980s. According to our analysis, a new home of this type would have and EUI of 45.3 kBtu/SF annually, which is approximately $1434 per year in energy expenses on top of the expense of the mortgage. For the user group we were designing for in St. John, the mortgage plus energy costs would be unaffordable.

Note: “EUI is expressed as energy per square foot per year. It’s calculated by dividing the total energy consumed by the building in one year (measured in kBtu or GJ) by the total gross floor area of the building.” [11]

1920s HOME Typical home construction for early 20th cent. Crawl Space No insulation Gas furnace; 78% efficiency A/C” SEER 10 efficiency 70 °F heating s/p 75 °F cooling s/p 2 ACH infilt. (leaky) Typical electric loads Size: 1,000 SF Cost to Buy: $45,000 *Cost to Renovate: $76,000

EUI

Energy $

= 143.2 EUI [kBtu/SF]

= $3,520/yr

*per median material replacement cost

60 | The Net Positive Studio

The 1920s homes in St. John are abundant and represent the majority of homes in town. These homes average around $45,000 in cost, and are usually of low quality with minimal improvements, especially in the area of energy efficiency. These homes are not weather-sealed well and likely contain little to no installed insulation [8]. They tend to be built with crawl spaces, which are associated with energy loss, moisture problems, and sick building syndrome if not property sealed and insulated [7 & 9]. A common health risk from crawl spaces comes from air infiltration into the occupied part of the home, causing damp, stagnant, unfiltered air to enter the home [7]. The mechanical systems in these homes tend to be older and thus less efficient than modern systems as well, with many homes using electric baseboard heating and window air conditioning as replacements for old coal

furnaces [8]. The cost to renovate a 1920s home is estimated to be approximately $76,000, which is not affordable for most individuals [11]. For those looking to purchase a home like this, they may find difficulties getting a loan from the bank to purchase and renovate the property, due to the risk level associated with the property by the bank; such a low-value home would be considered inadequate collateral , and the bank may deny the loan. These homes are estimated to have and EUI exceeding 100 kBtu/SF annually; our analysis yielded and EUI of 143.2 kBtu/SF) annually with a total energy cost of approximately $3,520/yr.

1980s HOME Typical home construction Slab on Grade R-19 insulated Ceiling R-11 insulated 2x4 Walls Double pane windows Gas furnace; 78% efficiency A/C SEER 11 efficiency 70 °F heating s/p 75 °F cooling s/p 1 ACH infilt. (Somewhat leaky) Typical electric loads Size: 1,000 SF Cost to Buy: $118,111

62 | The Net Positive Studio

EUI

Energy $

= 48.3 EUI [kBtu/SF]

= $1,510/yr

Homes from the 1980s typically have better insulation than homes from the 1920s, but energy bills remain a concern for middle income households. These homes are somewhat drafty, and would tend to have modern but lower efficiency mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems with high repair costs for repair and upgrading. Such a home in St. John would typically cost $118,000 and we estimate for it an EUI of 48.3 EUI kBtu/SF annually with energy costs of approximately $1,520/yr. This home is slightly more affordable; however, these homes lack availability in St. John, and may still be a lower quality home in which mortgaging is difficult.

Figure 2.1.9 64 | The Net Positive Studio

CONCLUSION By researching the town of St. John and its community, Net Positive Studio gained insight into what options would best serve the town. We wanted to give St. John everything they needed within the limitations we took on from the client and from our own research into affordability. The objective of this project is to provide the town with a usable prototype that can, and hopefully will, be replicated over the course of several years. By creating this affordable prototype, we hope to address the housing crisis that St. John faces.

We hope that by designing the Net Positive prototype, more towns will involve architects, planners, and other design thinkers to more carefully consider housing. Our goal is not limited to St. John’s and we hope the research and analysis conducted here will help future individuals and communities build housing that solves the difficult problems of sustainability and affordability together. Careful research and design are crucial for towns seeking to discover the root of the problems they may be facing regarding growth and sustainability.

The Net Positive Studio is a great model for small towns to utilize for community growth, because we were able to examine many aspects of the housing problem to develop a solution that fits the town, while also looking ahead towards the future.

By looking at our proposed prototype critically against other home options, we have set a standard for ourselves, a standard that we need to meet to demonstrate the true benefits of Net Positive housing. The process of finding the best solution during the year took us through multiple re-designs, new research, and several community meetings. Like many carefully designed architecture projects, the studio also looked beyond its own work to find other projects to learn from too. To learn more, we needed to observe case studies of projects with similar goals and challenges, including the 20k houses by Rural Studio at Auburn University.

In this way, affordable housing is not just about the “now” but also about the future, and giving future residents places to settle and grow their families, and invest in their communities.

THIS MODEL IS A WAY FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT TO TAKE PLACE WHERE IS HAS BEEN STAGNANT FOR YEARS ALLOWING TOWNS TO GIVE FUTURE RESIDENTS PLACES TO STAY AND GROW THEIR FAMILIES.

WHY 66 | The Net Positive Studio

2.2 WHY NET POSITIVE? Jeremiah Vick Before considering solar panels, geothermal, or any other type of energy-saving system, our priority should be building a good home. Before we began designing, we knew that passive design strategies would be important to the project, because passive design often comes at a much lower cost than technological solutions. Passive design strategies use the sun, wind, natural light, and basic building science to keep occupants comfortable before mechanical systems step in. The result is that the building uses less energy and the heating and cooling systems need to work less, and can be generally smaller. For the project we prioritized the following passive design strategies: • Tight envelope, minimizing infiltration • Reducing heat gain and loss in the walls and roof • Using thermal mass to temper the thermal environment of the home • Natural ventilation to cool the home when conditions permit • Using a moderate number of windows in the home and designing them appropriately for passive solar heating, summertime shading, and daylight. Altogether, using passive design to lower the energy consumption of the home also reduces the number of solar photovoltaic panels needed to offset the energy used and achieve net zero. Older homes purchased in St. John would need

significantly larger photovoltaic systems to produce enough energy to offset their bills. It would take decades for a homeowner to see their investment returned on such a large photovoltaic system, meaning little long-term benefit. However, our systems are included in the mortgage of the home and would have an immediate financial impact on the household. “Our studio believes that we should go further than just net zero housing and energy efficiency. Today our society and our region are facing a critical shortage of affordable housing options, crippling individuals and communities.” [1] Lower or even non-existent energy bills would quickly prove the worth of a net-zero build over a traditional home, allowing the household to put resources into other critical areas of their budget. The smaller photovoltaic system paired with our rightsized home would also have a much quicker payback, estimated to be around just ten years. One could choose to put a similar photovoltaic system on an existing home in St. John, but due to the inefficiency of older homes, the system would only make a small dent in energy costs. Therefore, building better from the start can maximize the investment in the photovoltaic technology. Even more, they get a new, well-designed home instead of an older home with the potential for maintenance on the horizon. Thanks to the policies of many states and

Municipalities, owning solar panels allows the resident to do more than offset their energy consumption while their panels are generating electricity. With an arrangement called net metering, they can sell their surplus energy back to the utility for a credit, where it enters the power grid. Importantly, this type of system doesn’t require batteries to store energy; you just send the extra energy back to the grid. When the system isn’t generating energy, you still get power from the grid like any utility customer. This arrangement allows high production months, like the summer, to offset lower production months in order to ‘net out’ energy usage for the year. This is where ‘net zero’ buildings get their name.

“

Our studio believes that we should go further than just net zero housing and energy efficiency. Today our society and our region are facing a critical shortage of affordable housing options, crippling individuals and communities. (M. Gibson)

.”

Quality QUALITY Well-designed and well-constructed housing like the St. John prototype is advantageous in terms of overall quality, leading to benefits like less maintenance for homeowners and prevention of sick building syndrome and reduction of indoor allergies. Our homes are our sanctuaries, so it’s important to design a healthy environment that promotes good ventilation and prevents pollutants from building up inside the building. The quality of a home can significantly affects the financial health of a household, as maintenance concerns that can drain money from savings or trigger costly debt to keep the home running. Plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and overall construction deficiencies can lead to thousands of dollars in future costs. By designing the building correctly, thinking about details, durability, and serviceability in the home, some of these issues can be mitigated. Quality-related problems aren’t only a problem for old homes, as new homes are constructed more for the builder’s or developer’s bottom line, rather than prioritizing the health and prosperity of the homeowner. With a skillfully built and designed net-zero home, many of these normal quality concerns can be addressed along with issues of energy efficiency and overall sustainability, promising that homeowners would not only save money but live healthier and safer lives. 68 | The Net Positive Studio

AFFORDABILITY The St. John prototype home demonstrates an alternative to conventional housing by leveraging the possibilities of design first: by designing a home that is much smaller than the average American home, but giving it the feel and the amenities of a bigger, more premium home. Through this goal, we can help make the home affordable by designing it efficiently the first time. Cost-saving systems like photovoltaic panels or high efficiency systems seem like an expensive add-on, but for a home that is already right-sized and efficient, these improvements can be afforded for all to utilize. Designing the home around the studio’s Net Positive philosophy allows the resident to enjoy the benefits of a more expensive ‘green home’ at a lower cost, while opening up room in their budget for other things. We believe most residents can live within a smaller area if their home is functional and provides adequate storage, leaving possibilities to expand the home or add things like carports in the future. By selecting affordable and low maintenance materials and systems from the outset, the residents have less to worry about in the future. It’s no longer enough to design a beautiful building; we need to provide the user with a sustainable, attractive home that they can also afford.

AVAILABILITY

SOLUTION

The Net Positive Studio believes that making a difference in affordable housing also means designing a home that can be built faster and more efficiently than traditional methods. Designing sustainable housing is not just about the energy savings; maintenance, repair, and constructibility have to be successful, or sustainable housing will remain just an exotic idea. If our Net Positive home takes too long or is too difficult to build for a standard contractor, then replication may not occur; defeating one of the main goals for the project in St. John. Therefore, beyond spending time on the design and engineering of the home, we also focused on developing our own construction methods that utilize prefabrication to maximize efficiency. By proposing a better, faster system for building we are also addressing the shortage of housing, which is one of the drivers of the housing affordability crisis in towns like St. John.

By creating a Net Positive home for St. John, we hope to solve three problems: affordability, availability, and improving the overall quality of homes. In our design, the studio is creating a prototype for the town to continue to adapt and grow into something greater. The challenge is accomplishing this goal while learning from the process, and using these lessons to help replicate the project in St. John and possibly in other rural Kansas towns facing similar housing problems. Overall, research is important in order to identify housing-related problems that may be different for every town. Our early research in St. John and its housing stock proved valuable in better framing the needs for both the community and its residents.

2.3 CASE STUDIES Yu He, Jeremiah Vick & Jameson Jones

The case studies discussed in this chapter were used to inform our design and make critical decisions about how to approach the schematic design phase. When researching for case studies we looked for reoccurring features and methods such as: • ventilation • solar energy • shading • water management • systems and management • Construction methods • low maintenance • cost, and scale/size. For every design process, it is important to have a starting reference point. Sometimes it was difficult to find data and information, especially project cost, for many of the case studies we used: a common problem in the world of sustainable design, where potential ‘benchmark’ information is often protected. Our goal with this project is to be as transparent as possible with our process, so that our design can be used as a case study for other homes in the future that seek to address affordability and sustainability together.

OUR HOME WILL INFORM THOSE IN THE FUTURE INTENDING TO USE NET+ AS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTION. 70 | The Net Positive Studio

Helpful insights were gained from studying other student designed and built designs done by the

University of Kansas’ Studio 804 and those by Auburn University’s Rural Studio. Both programs are well-established design-build studios that operate at different scopes. Studying projects by Studio 804 was helpful because of the similarities between our two universities, and they provided precedent for other Kansas-based projects. Some of the most important data from case studies came from the 20k Houses by Rural Studio, who have useful open information pool for these projects, and visiting the 20k Houses in person was informative. Listed are challenges that the Rural Studio attempts to combat with every 20k House:

1. “Wild fluctuations in energy costs that create unpredictable monthly burdens” [14]

2. “Unexpected maintenance” [14] 3. “Unexpected health-related events” [14] 4. “Unexpected disruptions in their income due

to job loss or reduced hour” [14]

-Auburn

These categories are similar to what we tried to focus on in our schematic and design development phases, even before the meeting with Rural Studio. This shows the importance of referring to and searching for case studies to help to improve or confirm the correct path to designing a building, especially given the challenge of affordability that this studio is concerned with.

LLOYD CLOSE HOUSE Designer: Koru Architects Location: East Sussex, England Size: 2000sf/ 3bed 2bath Year Built 2011 The Lloyd Close House, designed by UK based firm Koru Architects, is effectively zero-carbon and can run entirely on renewable energy. This home is outfitted with solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, and a wood-chip biomass boiler, which all help the home to produce more energy than it consumes. In fact, this home creates enough of its own energy to bring in a net income of ÂŁ2650 per year. In addition, the home relies on passive solar design, energy efficient appliances, a well-insulated envelope, and airtight construction to reduce its energy consumption to half that of the typical UK household. [15]

Figure 2.3.22- View into the Living Room

Figure 2.3.23- View into the Kitchen

Figure 2.3.24- View into the Courtyard 72 | The Net Positive Studio

TAKEAWAYS: LOBBY

GARAGE

A diagram produced by the architects to show the passive strategies, environmentallyUTILITY conscious efforts, BEDROOM and energy efficient factors present in the design. KITCHEN/DINING

UTILITY

BATHROOM

The Lloyd Close House (LCH) provided the studio BATHROOM with insight into how we could incorporate passive design strategies into our own home. Studying how the LCHLIVING uses a southern orientation to “take BEDROOM BEDROOM advantage of the sun’s heat and natural lighting to reduce energy demands,” was especially enlightening [15]. As the studio considered the design of the St. John Prototype, it became clear that passive strategies like those used in the LCH would be the best way to reduce the energy demands our own home.

KITCHEN/DINING

LIVING

OUTDOOR YARD

Figure 2.3.25- Connection to the Outdoors

Roof at optimum angle to capture solar energy High summer sun is excluded from entering the living spaces by timber sun louvres and roof overhangs

Photovoltaic panels capture solar energy and convert it into electricity for lighting and power. Will produce 65% of electricity demand

Solar thermal panels capture solar energy and provides hot water for

All rooms and circulation spaces have natural daylight to reduce demand for artificial lighting Smaller, triple-glazed windows to the North to minimise heat loss

High level ventilation via rooflights encourages passive stack effect for natural summer ventilation of whole house

Low winter sun penetrates deep into the house

Existing trees provide screening to the road

Larger windows to the South to maximise passive solar gain

Annual delivery of wood pellet fuel for the biomass boler for under floor heating and domestic hotwater supply. Carbon emissions will be virtually zero.

Indigenous planting to increse biodiversity Trees planted to provide screening to neighbours gardens. Deciduous trees allow winter sun to penetrate and provide shading from summer sun

Rainwater collected from roofs and stored in a rainwater harvesting tank under the garden. water is used to flush WCs and supply washing machine. Water consumption reduced by 50%

Figure 2.3.26- Sustainable Design within the Lloyd Close House

High levels of insulation and air tightness to roof, walls and floor to minimise winter heat loss and summer overheating

Factory made timber wall and roof panel construction reduces on-site waste and reduces foundation size

Natural materials including locally grown hardwood cladding and lime render to minimise embodied energy

BIRCH HOUSE Designer: Bundle Design Studio Location:Bellingham, WA Size: 2065sf/ 3bed 2bath Year Built: 2013 Produced by Bundle Design Studio, the Birch House is a zero-energy certified home. Both the first and second floors were designed to be identical in order to allow the home to change its use over time. Thus, it can easily change from a three bed, two bath home to two separate one bedroom, one bath units. A dominating feature of the home is an indoor solarium used as a passive solar sun-room that “bridges the gap between indoors and out.” Located on the second floor is the green roof that connects the home to nature and adds insulation to the roof. To help bring down its energy consumption, the home makes significant use of passive solar gain. Most of its windows face south, with only on the east and west to allow for cross ventilation. Two window face to the north to reduce heat loss. The roof was carefully designed to provide the best pitch for the solar panels, which also created space for sleeping lofts and mechanical equipment. To create energy savings the “building envelope was designed to eliminate nearly all thermal bridges and air infiltration.” Additional measures include 100% LED lighting, and heat recovery, from hot water and air used for ventilation which is collected for useable heat that can be recycled back into the home. [16]

Figure 2.3.28- View into the Kitchen 74 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 2.3.27- Front Facade

Figure 2.3.29- View of the Porch

TAKEAWAYS:

KITCHEN/DINING

LIVING

BATHROOM BEDROOM

The Birch House taught valuable lessons about adaptability, whose influence can be seen in the modularity and adaptability of our home design. Of course, it also taught us about passive design strategies like solar gain, south facing windows, and cross ventilation; characteristics that are all common in energy efficient homes. Another important takeaway was that a roofâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pitch is important, in our own design we studied the pitch of the roof to make certain that it would not impede our efforts to harness solar energy.

Figure 2.3.30- Birch House Floor Plan

Figure 2.3.31- Birch House Section

1301 NEW YORK Designer: Studio 804 Location: Lawrence, KS Size: 2000sf/ 2bed 2bath Year Built: 2015 The home at 1301 New York in Lawrence, Kansas is a solar-powered home with both LEED Platinum and Passive House Certification, that was designed and built by Studio 804 (a studio of 5th year students) at the University of Kansas. Its energy efficient strategies begin at the building envelop, which is tightly-sealed and highly insulated. [17] The design also promotes “passive solar gain and daylighting through high performance triple paned windows along its south elevation” [18]. Since reducing energy consumption is its main goal, the home incorporates “energy-efficient light fixtures, appliances, and highperformance mechanical systems, such an energyrecovery ventilator and an insulated hot-water recirculation system” [17]. Using recycled materials also became a goal of the studio, as they sourced their Western Red Cedar siding from dismantled railroad bridge trestles, while their counter-tops were reclaimed marble slabs from a demolished office building.[18] All of this was accomplished within a simple building form.

Figure 2.3.33- View of the Entryway 76 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 2.3.32- Front Facade

Figure 2.3.34- View of the Living Room

TAKEAWAYS: 1301 New York showed the studio what a team of 5th year students like ourselves could do if we channeled all our efforts into a singular project. These students were able to incorporate efficiency into their construction system, make use of passive design strategies, and reduce energy demands with high-efficiency appliances and systems. The simple building form that they used was quite telling. It showed that simple design can still be good design and can help to reduce the cost of the project. This Studio 804 design gave us confidence that we could achieve the some of the same ideals within a single school year, and potentially improve upon the precedent that they had set.

Figure 2.3.35- Prospectus Section

ZEB PILOT HOUSE Designer: Snohetta Location: Larvik, Norway Size: 2150 sf/ 3bed 2bath Year Built: 2014 The ZEB Pilot house was built as a prototype to facilitate the exploration of how integrated systems, passive design, and spatial planning and geometry can result in a house that fulfills its inhabitants living and energy needs. The major feature of this house is the central atrium which allows light to be dispersed deep into the spaces, for the main public spaces of the house to have direct outdoor access, and an opportunity for the center-most wall to act as a thermal mass to regulate the interior temperature. With careful attention to roof slope and direction, solar collectors, and geothermal energy from energy wells in the ground create enough energy to power the house. Careful attention has also been given to “retaining home-like qualities through nonquantifiable properties,” with “emotive comfort and sense of wellbeing driving the design process [19].

Figure 2.3.36- View of the Entryway

Figure 2.3.37- View of the Living Room

Figure 2.3.38- Front Facade 78 | The Net Positive Studio

TAKEAWAYS: Not only did the ZEB Pilot house teach us about integrated systems and passive design, it made us realize how important the notion of home is to the occupant. This realization was reflected in the research that we did to explore what made a house a home, and what a home could do to stimulate the health and well-being of each person that resides within. We were able to incorporate what we learned from this case study and our research into the conceptual underpinning of our design.

02 Figure 2.3.39- Zeb Pilot House

Figure 2.3.40- Zeb Pilot House Passive Design

SOLACE HOUSE Designer: SOLACE HOUSE Location: Waraw, Poland Size: 484sf Year Built: 2018 Project Cost: € 25,00

Recognizing the increasing gap in inequality between the lower and middle classes and the need for affordable housing, SOLACE, a start-up based in Warsaw, Poland, has developed an “energy-neutral flat-pack house targeted at people aged 28 to 38.” The small homes are prefabricated, sold, and shipped to the site by SOLACE. What they have achieved is a home that produces more energy than the average family consumes aided by solar panels. [20] With prefabrication of the construction, interior wall cladding, and façade elements, the design can guarantee quality performance and speed of construction. The modularity of the home is driven by the ‘container’ concept, whereby all elements of the home can be fit inside a 20ft container and shipped anywhere. Once delivered, the home can be assembled by four people using a crane. [20,21]

Figure 2.3.41- View of the Entryway

Figure 2.3.42- View of the Living Room

Figure 2.3.43- Front Facade 80 | The Net Positive Studio

TAKEAWAYS: Prefabrication was a major theme of the Solace House that greatly influenced our own housing prototype. We too needed to achieve a prefabricated panel system that could be easily shipped to our site and assembled by a team without heavy equipment. Through our structural calculation and problem solving we were able to create a panel system that would work for both our walls and roof. This prototype also showed us how beneficial prefabrication could be to the project budget and our ever-shortening timeline.

Figure 2.3.44- Solace House Fabrication Sheet

20k ANN’S HOME Designer: Rural Studio Location: Newbern, AL Size: 800sf/2 bed 1bath Year Built: 2019 This home is the 23rd version in a long line of 20k homes, with this iteration specifically focusing on “aging-in-place.” To achieve this, the student designers provided spaces that are “flexible and remain suitable as a family expands and contracts during the different phase of life,” endeavoring to create a home for the entire life of its occupant. This adaptability is partly allowed by a living room that can transition into a third bedroom. A connection to the exterior was also important, manifesting in a porch that creates accessibility and space for families to gather. [22]

Figure 2.3.45- View of the Entryway

Our own studio took inspiration from this design team and began to focus on how furniture would be placed in our spaces, and how we could provide flexibility through space planning and the inclusion of modular casework elements. We also paid close attention to how the home can become adaptable, which is reflected in our home’s ability to change its number of bedrooms on a case by case basis. Figure 2.3.46- 20K Ann’s Home Floor Plan

Figure 2.3.47- Front Facade 82 | The Net Positive Studio

20K BUSTERS’S HOME Designer: Rural Studio Location Perry County, AL Size: 800sf/2 bed 1bath Year Built: 2017 Another iteration of a 20k home, Buster’s Home is focused on accessibility along with active and passive energy systems. The project’s design team studied previous 20k homes to gather data on how occupants used their spaces, with special attention paid to furniture arrangement. Their data led them to “minimize circulation and the development of a square floor plan” in the hopes that this would allow for more flexibility. To reduce heating and cooling demands, the design also incorporates passive energy strategies. Buster’s home is built on an insulated concrete slab, setting itself apart from the concrete pier precedent. A radiant barrier in the roof and tightly insulated walls and ceiling contribute the efficiency of the home. [23]

02 Figure 2.3.48- Front Facade

This home gave us the clue that minimal circulation could be the key to developing the flexibility we so desired in our own design. We were also able to see how an insulated concrete slab would be a better option than the typical slab on grade foundations. Figure 2.3.49- 20K Busters Home Floor Plan

Figure 2.3.50- View of Entryway

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2.4 FIELD TRIPS

Braeden Busenitz & Rebekka Poole

During the semester, the Net Positive Studio had the opportunity to take several field trips to various areas in the Midwest, and even traveled outside the area, venturing into the Southeast.

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ST. JOHN SITE VISIT - 09.06.2019 We visited St. John, Kansas multiple times to see the town and experience the community first-hand. While visiting St. John High School, the new Whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foodliner grocery store, and wandering about the town, we not only gained an appreciation for this quaint little town, but we also connected with the people that make up St. John. As the year went on, our studio traveled back to St. John three more times to share our progress and gain additional insight from the local community. This established an avenue for us to receive constructive feedback and some needed input regarding the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision for a netzero, low cost, prototype home design.

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ALABAMA - 11.10.2019 The Net Positive Studio had the opportunity to visit Auburn Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rural Studio in Newbern, Alabama to see how they approached design-build. This was an amazing opportunity to meet, learn, and share with another well-established program on how they achieved their goals in affordability and construction. We were able to attend one of their presentations as well as visit several of their past completed projects, which gave us better perspective on the issues that could arise in a student-built home. Observing how they went about problemsolving and were able to succeed in producing a striking structure with artistic architectural elements was vital. Fine details can so easily be lost in the restrictive parameters often placed on a design-build studio, and seeing them executed by our peers made our own ideas that much better. It was wonderful to observe such a design build program like Auburnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but at the same time it challenged us to create something similar at Kansas State University.

On the return trip, the Net Positive Studio stopped in Springfield, Missouri, to visit Dake Wells Architecture, a firm founded by Kansas State Architecture graduate, Brandon Dake, and his partner Andrew Wells. This allowed us to share with him what we were working on as a studio and to gain his input on how to approach some of the challenges and hurdles we faced.

The long road trip was not only about meeting and learning from fellow students experiencing similar undertakings to those of our studio, but also about uniting our own group through building deeper bonds. As we traveled from Kansas to Alabama, road games kept spirits high and made the hundreds of miles feel like nothing. During this travel, we experienced new towns, food, and even the experience of staying in two historic southern mansion Airbnbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, which we argue were haunted. These fourteen hours bonded the studio on a different level. 89

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ST. JOHN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - 11.18.2019 Our last field trip to St. John provided us with the opportunity to present our design and ideas to the public. The entire St. John community was invited to attend and was well represented. This allowed us to receive constructive feedback from a variety of demographics, each providing unique insights and identifying shortcomings that needed to be addressed and considered. This was a positive experience as it took the project beyond the drawing board and shared it with the potential neighbors and constituents of our design.

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BUILD SMART - 11.21.2019 The Net Positive Studio was also fortunate to visit Build SMART in Lawrence, Kansas, a company that has developed a panelized prefabrication system, constructing pre-insulated wall panels for projects all around the U.S. On this visit we were able to see how manufacturing prefabricated building panels was accomplished on a much bigger scale. We toured their factory and saw every step of their process, from their testing facilities to the jigs used to build and create panels. We were able to hear some of the things they have struggled with in the past and observe the solutions they developed to overcome manufacturing obstacles. We then visited Studio 804 at the University of Kansas, also in Lawrence, and observed what they have been working on. This included good, interactive discussions with some of their studio members and a tour of their shop. These discussions led to our KU peers giving us an inside look at similar hands-on projects. It was interesting to tour another design-build program and gather ideas that hopefully will help make Kansas Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program a new presence among similar studios across the country. Above: Build SMART V.P. Paul Grohovac shows the basic parts of the Build SMART wall panel on the factory floor. Below: Build SMART V.P. Paul Grohovac and Market Development Director John Ware explain how Build SMART interfaces with architects, developers, and builders to implement their prefab product. 93

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2.5 CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH

Evan Ollenburger

As the studio transitioned into developing key design concepts for the home, teams came together and agreed that a Central Social Space would be an important over-arching design strategy. We believed that this idea of the Central Social Space would improve the daily lives of the users inside the home and create a heart of activity among the surrounding spaces. We started our conceptual research by first seeking to understand what a “home” meant to our studio. Concluding that process, we structured our three main concepts of design around what we learned about the possibilities of home.

PLACES MATTER. WE ARE ALWAYS IN ONE. The Net Positive Studio not only wanted to respond to the housing crisis St. John faces with availability, affordability, and quality, but we also wanted to address experiential and mental wellness factors that are currently lacking in residential design today. In the book Place Advantage, Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture, author Sally Augustin opens by stating that the design of a physical place influences the mental, physical, and emotional state of the people in that space. [24] “Design Psychology” is defined as the psychological connection between person and place. [24] We felt as a studio it was important to design home that embodies this concept of connection between person and place. Traditionally, we look to homes to provide the

attributes of comfort, communication, privacy, and community. With technology now shaping the way we use homes, we believe that there is a lack of reinforcing the psychological construct of home in today’s times. Living with technology at home can introduce isolation and a lack of faceto-face communication. Within a report published recently by the American Psychological Association (titled “Connected and Content: Managing Healthy Technology Use”), it is argued that technology makes it easy to stay in touch, but it can distract you from connecting with people you’re with in real life. [.27 CITE] Therefore, our research showed us the value of designing our home d around the potential for living spaces to contribute to our mental and social wellbeing.

“

.”

We begin to expect more from technology and less from each other. [25] To avoid losing the true meaning of a home, the studio established three main concepts to reflect our intention to create a supportive home. Derived from our studio’s values and research, these three concepts set forth a framework for our design. These concepts are: • Central Social Space • Privacy without Isolation • Outdoor Connections 95

CENTRAL SOCIAL SPACE

PRIVACY WITHOUT ISOLATION

Our primary concept for the Net Positive home is the formation of a Central Social Space. The central social space is designed to support the importance of communication, social contact, family, acceptance, tranquility, and order. These attributes come from an article written by Steven Reiss, titled “Multifaceted Nature of Intrinsic Motivation: The Theory of 16 Basic Drives” [28. CITE] This space provides a generous and flexible central core, where a family can be a family. Here, they can communicate with one another, hang out together, and escape the outside world together in the heart of the house. In this way, the Central Social Space is the foundation that supports the family.

Our second concept for the Net Positive home is the notion of creating privacy without Isolation. We must ask the question, “How do we establish appropriate boundaries between self and others within our dwellings?” In the book Some Place Like Home: Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Places, Toby Israel answers that question by explaining that people need to be able to maintain different degrees of spatial distance. We create territories that satisfy our need to be both connected, as well as separate from those around us. [26] In our design, we wanted to create spaces where one can have the privacy they deserve when they need it, yet they would never feel isolated from the rest of the family. We believed that having central access to all the bedrooms, by way of our central core, would create spaces that can be made private by just shutting the door.

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This design allows for spaces to be made private, semi-private, and connected. If a user wants to make their space completely private, shutting their bedroom door would allow for that. Creating a semiconnected space, the user can be in their bedroom but keep the door open. This creates communication to the core, while users are still in different rooms of the house. Creating a fully connected space, the user can just step out of their bedroom directly into the central shared space. This allows for direct connection with others inside that same space.

OUTDOOR CONNECTIONS

CONCLUSION

Our third and final concept for the Net Positive house is the creation of an indoor/outdoor connection. Creating indoor/outdoor connections allows users to have spaces that benefit both their mental health and wellness.

By exploring the problems inside the home through our conceptual research, we took steps to learn what must be essential in the future of home design. We believe our design will provide a home in which individuals can achieve strong mental, physical, and emotional health. Establishing our main design concepts around a Central Social Space, Creation of Privacy Without Isolation, and Outdoor Connections will promote beneficial mental health and wellness and will allow for growth in personal health and wellbeing.

“When individuals are exposed to natural sunlight, the vitamin D in their skin helps to elevate their moods.” Our team worked deliberately to accomplish a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces. We framed the important views and focused on having outdoor spaces that allow for both public and private interaction. Relating back to Reiss’s 16 basic drives, curiosity and tranquility are both attributes that are created in our connections to the outdoors. [28] The home’s design includes both public and private spaces that perform in a variety of ways to maintain this connection to outside, allowing for relaxation that can help with releasing stress and tension, while providing opportunity for curiosity.

02 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES Figure 2.1.1- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 2.1.2- Images from Stafford County History 1870-1990. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.kshs. org/p/stafford-county-schools-bibliography/13683 Figure 2.1.3- Image created by Rebekka Poole, Information from Google Maps Figure 2.1.4- Images assembled by Jameson Jones, Images from Stafford County History 1870-1990. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.kshs.org/p/ stafford-county-schools-bibliography/13683 Figure 2.1.5- Image created by Gaurav Neupane, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.6- Image created by Gaurav Neupane, information from Data USA and City Data that was collected from the U.S. 2018 & 2019 Census. Figure 2.1.7- Image created by Jeremiah Vick, Information from U.S. Census Figure 2.1.8- Image created by Gaurav Neupane, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.9- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 2.1.10- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 2.1.11- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 2.1.12- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 2.1.12- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 2.1.13- Image created by Gaurav Neupane, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.14- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ 98 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 2.1.14- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.15- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.16- Image created by Gaurav Neupane, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.17- Image created by Catherine Gutman, Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.18- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.19- Image created by Catherine Gutman Information from: Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.20- Image created by Micheal Gibson Information from: Data USA. (````n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/ profile/geo/st.-john-ks/ Figure 2.1.21- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 2.3.22-26- Wang, L. (2017, March 6). Zerocarbon home generates income by making more energy than it needs. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://inhabitat.com/zero-carbon-home-generatesincome-by-making-more-energy-than-it-needs/ Figure 2.3.27- 31- International Living Future Institute. (2019, April 3). Birch House | Living-Future. org. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://living-

END NOTES future.org/lbc/case-studies/birch-house/ Figure 2.3.32- 35-Studio 804. (n.d.). 1301 New York. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://www. studio804.com/2015-1301-new-york.html Figure 2.3.36-40 - Snohetta. (n.d.). ZEB Pilot House. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://snohetta.com/ project/188-zeb-pilot-house Figure 2.3.41-44 - SOLACE. (n.d.). DESCRIPTION – SOLACE. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from http://solace. house/about/ Figure 2.3.45-50 - Auburn Rural Studio. (2020b, January 27). 20K Buster’s Home. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from http://ruralstudio.org/project/20kbusters-home/

[1] City of St. John. (n.d.). City History. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from https://www.stjohnkansas. com/residents/city-history [2] STAFFORD COUNTY, KANSAS HISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://genealogytrails.com/kan/ stafford/history1.html [3] Richard, J. H., & Ludlow, D. H. (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York, NY: Macmillan. Retrieved from https://contentdm.lib.byu. edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5603 [4] Data USA. (n.d.). St. John, KS. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://datausa.io/profile/geo/st.-johnks/ [5] City-Data. (n.d.). St. John, Kansas. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.city-data.com/ city/St.-John-Kansas.html [6] Budgets Made Easy. (2020, March 27). What Should Your Budget Percentages Be? Retrieved September 10, 2019, from https:// www.budgetsmadeeasy.com/household-budgetpercentages/ [7] Basement Systems. (2017, April 11). 5 Ways Your Crawl Space Can Affect Your Health. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www. basementsystems.com/company/news-andevents/28590-5-ways-your-crawl-space-can-affectyour-health.html

[8] Wiebe, J. (2016, October 19). Busted: Common Problems in Older Homes-Broken Down by Decade>. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www. realtor.com/advice/buy/common-problems-in-olderhomes/

[15] Wang, L. (2017, March 6). Zero-carbon home generates income by making more energy than it needs. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https:// inhabitat.com/zero-carbon-home-generates-incomeby-making-more-energy-than-it-needs/

[9] Joshi, S. M. (2008, August 12). The sick building syndrome. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2796751/

[16] International Living Future Institute. (2019, April 3). Birch House | Living-Future.org. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://living-future.org/lbc/case-studies/ birch-house/

[10] Kagan, J. (2020, January 29). Learn What Assessed Value Means. Retrieved March 20, 1n.d., from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/ assessedvalue.asp [11] EnergyStar. (n.d.). What is energy use intensity (EUI)? Retrieved March 15, 2020, from https:// www.energystar.gov/buildings/facility-owners-andmanagers/existing-buildings/use-portfolio-manager/ understand-metrics/what-energy [12] Heidenry, M. (2020, January 20). How Much Does It Cost to Renovate a House? Bathroom, Kitchen, and Beyond>. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.realtor.com/advice/homeimprovement/how-much-does-it-cost-to-renovatea-house/ [13] Basement Systems. (2017, April 11). 5 Ways Your Crawl Space Can Affect Your Health. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www. basementsystems.com/company/news-andevents/28590-5-ways-your-crawl-space-can-affectyour-health.html [14] Wang, L. (2018, August 8). Rural Studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20K Homes Reveal the Systemic Problems Behind Affordable Housing. Retrieved from https://www. dwell.com/article/rural-studio-20k-affordablehousing-67326205 100 | The Net Positive Studio

[17] Studio 804. (n.d.). 1301 New York. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://www.studio804. com/2015-1301-new-york.html [18] Wang, B. L. (2020, May 13). 1301 New York Passive House by Studio 804. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://inhabitat.com/kansas-universitystudents-build-net-zero-home-with-leed-platinumand-passive-house-certification/1301-new-yorkpassive-house-by-studio-804-2/ [19] Snohetta. (n.d.). ZEB Pilot House. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://snohetta.com/project/188zeb-pilot-house [20] Collins, C. (2018, August 13). Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/flat-pack-homesand-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainablehousing-affordable_en [21] SOLACE. (n.d.). DESCRIPTION â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SOLACE. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from http://solace.house/ about/ [19] Snohetta. (n.d.). ZEB Pilot House. Retrieved May 13, 2020, from https://snohetta.com/project/188zeb-pilot-house

[20] Collins, C. (2018, August 13). Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/flat-pack-homesand-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainablehousing-affordable_en

[29] Preston, Susanne. “Spending Time in Nature for Your Health - How Outdoor Activities Improve Wellbeing.” South University, 23 Aug. 2016, www. southuniversity.edu/news-and-blogs/2016/08/ spending-time-in-nature-for-your-health-howoutdoor-activities-improve-wellbeing-102984.

[21] SOLACE. (n.d.). DESCRIPTION – SOLACE. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from http://solace.house/ about/ [22] Collins, C. (2018, August 13). Flat-pack homes and profit-sharing retrofits are making sustainable housing affordable. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/flat-pack-homesand-profit-sharing-retrofits-are-making-sustainablehousing-affordable_en

[23] Auburn Rural Studio. (2020b, January 27). 20K Buster’s Home. Retrieved May 14, 2020, from http:// ruralstudio.org/project/20k-busters-home/ [24] Augustin, S. (2009). Place advantage: applied psychology for interior architecture. Chichester: Wiley [25] Turkle, S. (2017). Alone together: why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books. [26] Israel, T. (2010). Some place like home: using design psychology to create ideal places. Princeton, NJ: Design Psychology Press. [27] Ballard, D. (Ed.). (2017). Connected and Content: Managing Healthy Technology Use. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/connected-content [28] Reiss, S. (n.d.). Reiss Motivation Profile®: RMP swiss. Retrieved from https://www.rmp-swiss.ch/en/ reiss-motivation-profile/#grundlagen 101

03 102 | The Net Positive Studio

DESIGN 3.1 Design Parameters 3.2 First Iterations 3.3 Schematic Design 3.4 Design Development 3.5 Casework 3.6 Landscape 3.7 Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing 3.8 Prefabrication 3.9 Detailing

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3.1 DESIGN PARAMETERS

Brandon Cole

DESIGN INTENT

LOT CONSIDERATIONS

As a studio, we intended to produce a home that considers the needs of St. John and other towns facing similar housing crises. Through net-zero design, we matched the importance of low-energy impact housing with the necessity of affordable living.

For many architects, the design of the home begins with the site they’re designing for. While studying our site, two things were apparent: there is plenty of space for more than one building, and the topography that exists is notably flat. The large lot meant multiple units of our project could be built, while the flatness of the site suggests drainage must be addressed in the home’s foundations and site design.

While transitioning from researching St. John to creating a net-zero design, we knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. The issue wasn’t necessarily about designing for our client’s full range of wants and aspirations but negotiating towards a design that met their needs while also accomplishing criteria we knew were important for affordable housing. As we shifted our focus on fabrication, the studio had to agree on a specific set of design parameters that would guide our project towards a replicable prototype. In the coming months, we would work on dozens of iterations exploring dozens of possible directions this home could take, leading us to the final design for the St. John home.

LOT CONSIDERATIONS ADAPTABILITY

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

NET POSITIVE SOLUTION 104 | The Net Positive Studio

ADAPTABILITY From the beginning, a major issue for this home is that it needs to cater to residents in the income ranges defined by the client, who are looking to make St. John their home. As introduced earlier, these households would be at 80% of the median income in the county or below, which would include working families, professionals, and retired. However, we also have to design a solution for long-term residency. It can’t just be a starter home for a narrow type of user. We agreed that this home needed to welcome all

ENERGY EFFICIENCY As our studio name suggests, energy expenditure is a major concern for our team. Many older homes are considerably costly to operate, energy bills will continue to grow as our data trends indicate, and older homes will need regular repair and upgrading. Meanwhile, new construction has marginally lower utility costs but rarely tries to solve the growing problem of affordability. Net-zero housing solves both of these problems. While we build with sustainability in mind, the financial benefits from energy efficiency can add up quickly for any household on strict budgets.

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Figure 3.2.1 - Early Schematic Design 106 | The Net Positive Studio

3.2 FIRST ITERATIONS

Brandon Cole

After in-depth research and case studies, our studio began developing the first set of design ideas. We agreed that the first step should be individuallydeveloped schemes, which would then be analyzed further to understand what St. John truly needs out of this affordable home. To further expand the different avenues that could be taken for our project, we each took on a different base concept that would drive our designs. “Mass versus void,” “sun-rooms,” “elevated crawlspaces,” and other ideas became seeds for exploration. Understanding the variety of ways, a simple 1,000 square foot home could be designed allowed us to not only improve our ideas, but question what a home is. Is the front porch important to the family or is it just a symbolic feature? Can bedrooms serve more uses while still being comfortable? Do families benefit from attached garages or is it just a convenience? These questions were pursued through 14 unique projects. Once these designs were developed, we worked with each other and consulted professors from outside our studio to find the core factors that separated each design. We contrasted these core ideas from one another and found common ground among them. That common ground led us to form six new concepts for phase two: schematic design.

TAKEAWAY

Figure 3.2.2- Consolidation of Concepts

While still needing more development, our design iterations were a solid foundation for our future work. We were able to understand what ideas could become a tangible structure and the impact of the many goals of both St. John and our studio. Thanks to our fourteen totally unique ideas, we created a pool of knowledge for our upcoming Net-Positive home. 107

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3.3 SCHEMATIC DESIGN

Brandon Cole and Yu He

At this stage of the process, we began combining our collective knowledge by working in groups. This stage was crucial, not only because we could produce work faster, but we all had different perspectives that allowed our studio to move towards a final design. Our studio was divided into three groups, based on who shared common themes in their early iterations. The yellow, blue, and red team each developed schematic designs for a two- and a three-bedroom layout. Research helped us better establish the user for a home of this type, along with some of their design needs. Through this research, the studio concluded that the primary users for this house would be a family of 4, who would prefer a balance between multiple private rooms and public spaces, want 2 baths, and place a large amount of importance on a connection to their backyard. We gained valuable feedback from St. John residents through direct feedback: our client, Stafford Eco Devo, displayed the posters outside the town’s community room for 3 weeks, where they collected sticky notes from community members, who left them attached to our presentation boards. Their feedback ranged from “I love the open floor plan” to “this exterior is much too modern.” The input, while varied, allowed us to understand how citizens felt about the home and our studio’s work as a whole. As we absorbed feedback from the client and the town, we had six schemes, plenty of input, and 14 students ready to keep working. We took a step back and analyzed common themes in the projects. Certain programmatic elements became clearly necessary, such as three bedrooms, an open and connected public space, and a desire for the custom casework and the storage it offered. We realized we needed to combine these approaches into a single, clear concept. 109

HOUSE + HOME 3 BEDROOM Catherine Gutman, Jameson Jones, Jeremiah Vick, and Yu He COST: $120,000 AREA: 1098 SF EUI: 13.0 [kBtu/SF] ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $457/yr In the 3-bedroom scheme, the team wanted to create an architecturally unique space that allowed for the bedrooms to be somewhat separate but still connected by the central social space. This made the space feel larger than it was and brought in more natural light due to its elongated plan. This home was the central idea of the central social space and is the most ideal for open communication and privacy. This home provided an interesting architectural plan and faรงade adding value for a lower cost home. Our price calculations showed a possible option for a more architecturally unique design with a slightly larger cost, but still within reach.

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Figure 3.3.1

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E 8th Ave

Figure 3.3.2 - Elevations

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South Elevation

Figure 3.3.3 - Site Plan

N Broadw

Floor Plan

Figure 3.3.4 - Floor Plan

West Elevation

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Time of Day

Time of Year Figure 3.3.7

Annual Energy Consumed (kWh Fuel) Figure 3.3.5

Figure 3.3.6 - Section 114 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.8

Figure 3.3.10

Figure 3.3.9

Figure 3.3.11

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Figure 3.3.12 - Living Room View South 116 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.13- Living Room View East

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HOUSE + HOME 2 BEDROOM Catherine Gutman, Jameson Jones, Jeremiah Vick, and Yu He COST: $139,767.52 AREA: 1095 SF EUI: 43 kWh/m^2 ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $424 In the 2-bedroom scheme, the team decided to compact the building, limiting square footage down to its core, and attempt to share one wet wall for efficiency. This also allowed for the central social space to be the entire public space as everything was connected fluidly and created a very simple floor plan. By having a very compacted design this allowed for a lower budget and better cost savings. The building being so compact could allow it to adapt or expand in different ways.

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Figure 3.3.14

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Figure 3.3.16 - Site Plan

E 8th Ave

Figure 3.3.15 - Elevation 120 | The Net Positive Studio

West Elevation

N Broadwa

Floor Plan

Figure 3.3.17

North Elevation

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Time of Day

Time of Year

Annual Energy Consumed (kWh Fuel) Figure 3.3.18

Figure 3.3.19 - Section 122 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.20

Figure 3.3.21

Figure 3.3.23

Figure 3.3.22

Figure 3.3.24

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Figure 3.3.25 - Kitchen View North - West 124 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.26- Living Room View East 125

SOCIAL SUNROOM 3 BEDROOM Braedy Busenitz, Gaurave Neupane, Evan Ollenburger, Rebekka Poole, and Grant Urban COST: $125,250 AREA: 1095 SF EUI: 14 kWh/m^2 ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $505 In the 3-bedroom scheme, the team created pockets of space on the exterior of the building by pushing and pulling the faรงade inward and outward, allowing the boundaries of the interior spaces to bleed into the outside and vise versa. This allowed for the interior living space to physically expand into the outside, increasing the square footage of the public spaces of the home without adding construction costs or operational costs to the home design. The same material strategies used in the 2-bedroom scheme were also used in this 3-bedroom scheme, furthering that connection between indoor and outdoor space.

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Figure 3.3.27

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Figure 3.3.28 - Site Plan

Figure 3.3.29 - Elevations 128 | The Net Positive Studio

03 Figure 3.3.30 - Floor Plan

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Figure 3.3.31

Figure 3.3.32 - Section 130 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.33

Figure 3.3.34

Figure 3.3.36

Figure 3.3.35

Figure 3.3.37

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Figure 3.3.38 - Living Room View West 132 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.39 - View of the Kitchen North - East

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SOCIAL SUNROOM 2 BEDROOM Braedy Busenitz, Gaurave Neupane, Evan Ollenburger, Rebekka Poole, and Grant Urban COST: $125,250 AREA: 940 SF EUI: 15 kWh/m^2 ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $455 In the 2-bedroom scheme, the team used the idea of material continuity to create the blending between interior and exterior space. Similar materials were used for the flooring and overhead planes between the interior and exterior, creating a visual connection that gave the illusion that the interior spaces are bigger than they are. An unconditioned sun-space on the south side increased the occupiable square footage without having to heat and/or cool the space, saving money on construction and operation while giving the residents more room to expand their living area

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Figure 3.3.40

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Figure 3.3.41 - Site Plan

Figure 3.3.42 - Elevation 136 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.43 - Floor Plan

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Figure 3.3.44

Figure 3.3.45 - Section 138 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.46

Figure 3.3.47

Figure 3.3.49

Figure 3.3.48

Figure 3.3.50

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Figure 3.3.51 - Living Room View East 140 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.52- Living Room View West 141

FIFTH SPACE 3 BEDROOM Brandon Cole, Prajakta Thipsay, Sergio Bichara, Jordan Bezdeck and Somnath Mukherjee COST: $118,000 AREA: 1113 SF EUI: 13 kBtu/sf ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $415 In the 3- Bedroom Scheme, we connected the home with a central axis that bisects the home vertically. This pathway allows the bedrooms to nestle into the north side of the house and creating a central activity space on the south side. On the West side of the house is the patio that gives clears views and outdoor excess from the kitchen. This concept achieves a basic layout and provides more private space.

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Figure 3.3.53

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Figure 3.3.54 - Site Plan

Figure 3.3.55 - Simple house profile that blend in surrounding

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Figure 3.3.56 - The house split into two spaces i.e. Public and Private

TOILET 2 7'6"X 5'3"

BEDROOM 2 11'0"x 12'3"

BEDROOM 1 10'0"x 12'3" TOILET 1 7'6"X 6'6"

KITCHEN AND DINING SPACE 15'3"X 14'0"

VESTIBULE 11'3"X 4'9"

LIVING ROOM 12'6"X 16'3" PATIO 13'0"x 19'3"

PATIO 9'9" x 13'3"

03 Figure 3.3.57 - Floor Plan

Figure 3.3.58 - The spaces staggered to create patios as an important gathering spaces

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Annual Energy Consumed (kWh Fuel) Figure 3.3.59

Figure 3.3.60 - Section 146 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.61

Figure 3.3.62

Day Light Factor= 4.9 WWR= 15%

Figure 3.3.63 - Diagram showing the cross-ventilation and day lighting scheme 147

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FIFTH SPACE 3 BEDROOM Brandon Cole, Prajakta Thipsay, Sergio Bichara and Somnath Mukherjee COST: $118,000 AREA: 984 SF EUI: 12.58 kBtu/sf ANNUAL ENERGY COST: $411 In the 2 Bedroom Scheme, the house has liner access running east and west that links all of the rooms. The house is made up of three rectangular modules; each provides its own activities s and needs. The first is a private meditation room on the East-side. The second is the core of the home for chores and social gatherings. And the third is the Bath and bedrooms that occupy the north side of the house. On the south side of the home is a horseshoe patio that accomplishes both the private and public needs of the user. This concept is directed to meet the needs of the users and provide varying levels of privacy.

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Figure 3.3.66

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Figure 3.3.67 - Site Plan

The spanning in this structure is achieved through trussed Figure 3.3.68 152 | The Net Positive Studio

WALK-IN WARDROBE 5'3"x 6'9"

PATIO 14'0"X 23'9" BEDROOM 2 9'6"x 10'6"

BEDROOM 3 8'9"x 10'6"

TOILET 2 8'9"X 6'6"

HALLWAY 5'0" WIDE

BEDROOM 1 9'6"x 10'3"

TOILET 1 8'9"X 5'9"

LIVING ROOM 19'9"X 14'9" KITCHEN 9'6"X 14'9"

03 PARKING SPACE

Fifth Space

Figure 3.3.69 - Floor Plan

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Diagram showing the cross-ventilation and day lighting scheme Figure 3.3.70 153

Annual Energy Consumed (kWh Fuel) Figure 3.3.71

Figure 3.3.72

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Figure 3.3.73

Figure 3.3.74

Day Light Factor= 4.9 WWR= 15%

Figure 3.3.75

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Figure 3.3.76 - Bedroom View East 156 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.77 - Living Room View West

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THE FIRST ST. JOHN PROTOTYPE COST: $118,000 AREA: 1113 SF EUI: 13 kBtu/sf ENERGY COST: $415 We gained valuable feedback from dozens of residents throughout St. John. Sticky notes covered the sheets of drawings with feedback ranging from “I love the open floor plan” to “this exterior is much too modern.” The input, while widely varying, allowed us to understand the feelings of the town about this house and our studio’s work as a whole. Now where do we go from here? We had the six schemes, plenty of input, and 14 students ready to keep working. We took a step back and analyzed common themes in the projects. Certain elements became clearly necessary, such as three bedrooms, an open and connected public space, a higher importance in custom casework, and a need for all of us to realize a single, solid concept.

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Figure 3.3.78

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N Broadway St. E 8th Avenue Figure 3.3.79 - Site Plan 160 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.80 - Floor Plan 161

Time of Day

Time of Year Figure 3.3.84

Annual Energy Consumed (kWh Fuel) Figure 3.3.82

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Figure 3.3.81 - Section

the clerestory

the private spaces Central Core

the bedroom separation without isolation 2 Bed 1 Bath

1 Bed 1 Bath

Privacy

expansion potential Hierarchy

connection to exterior

Expansion

the parcel split the porch and patio Outdoor Views

Outdoor Physical Connection

Figure 3.3.82

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Figure 3.3.83 - View of Living Room South 164 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.84 - Living Room View From the North 165

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3.4 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Brandon Cole

After researching precedents, creating iterations, and constructing mock-ups of walls for the St. John home, we were ready to push forward with our single, developed project. We had learned the criteria for achieving an affordable home, the advantages of a net-zero design, and the many great insights of the people of St. John. We were finally able to use the information we had gathered to push forward into a tangible idea. We used various methods to begin this final push. Using masking tape, we laid down a full-scale plan of the project inside the APDesign building to understand how our design felt as a life-size space. Simultaneously, we were creating mock-ups of potential wall and roof construction systems. These exercises allowed us to make decisions about our structural system, and the thermal capabilities of our walls. Mock-up construction led into further development of material application, from a complete color palette to finished details on the exterior façade. At this time, we began to collaborate with an interior architecture student to design unique built-in cabinetry and storage elements. Lastly, we created our final set of graphics, details, plans, and anything else we needed to present the project to the client and the community of St. John. The community was hesitant about the idea of “affordable housing “and the stigma of low-income developments. However, through net-zero design and prefab construction, we were able to not only convince St. John of this project’s validity but get them excited about this new home.

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CAUSE FOR REDESIGN At the end of the fall semester, it came time to present our work to professors and professional architects for our final design critique. After unveiling our work for the semester, we were wholly confident in the home we had created. However, that didn’t mean our design was perfected yet. Especially in the design of affordable homes, there is a fine line between aesthetic and economic viability. Feedback from the practicing professionals in our review helped us to identify some aspects of our project that would present challenges to our work in the spring. Although these changes seemed minor, they opened new avenues to improving the design that we hadn’t yet tested. With these new considerations, we were able to evolve the design to a refined project from our prior iterations that reflected the many challenges of the year.

SIMPLIFY

This was a big consideration. While unnecessary expenditures, such as corners or unassigned, empty space, aren’t the end of the world, they create difficult moments in construction and waste materials and labor time that are needed to ensure energy efficiency, especially for prefabrication. We needed good reasons to justify the extra material needed to create eccentric areas in a design where efficiency was crucial.

STREAMLINE

After months of hard work, our clean concept for the home had been muddied by many necessary 168 | The Net Positive Studio

changes to increase effectiveness of the design. As architects, our goal must be twofold. The user must be comfortable, both in how they interact with and feel in their home, beauty meets utility. We needed more work in how this home could be streamlined for the builder, beautiful to the neighborhood, and accessible to the user. good reasons to justify the extra material needed to create eccentric areas in a design where efficiency was crucial.

CLERESTORIES

For our public space, this element was a key component of the experience we created. However, we also needed to ask ourselves, “Are these windows the best experience we can offer and are they worth the investment?” We found that while the lighting created a beautiful aesthetic, we had a better solution that provided an equal experience at a fraction of the cost.

THESE CHANGES SEEMED MINOR, THEY OPENED NEW AVENUES TO IMPROVING THE DESIGN THAT WE HADN’T YET TESTED. After a thoughtful discussion from our critique and some difficult realizations, we knew work still needed to be done. Sketchbooks in hand, we took our existing floor plan and began rearranging the main elements, considering which components were most important in our project. After some long nights at the studio, we were able to produce a revised design that combined our months of research and design into an improved prototype for St. John.

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ST. JOHN PROTOTYPE (Final Design)

R42 Roof w/ 3” of R10 insulation R32 Walls w/ 3” of R10 cont. rigid insulation R10 cont. insulation around footing and frost protected slab U = 0.26 windows, argon infill low-E glass High efficiency HVAC Tank-less water heaters Size: 1100 SF Estimated Project Cost: $88,000 EUI: 17.9 [kBtu/SF] Energy : $0/yr ($457/yr utility costs offset by solar panels)

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Figure - Location Project Site In St. John 172 | 3.4.2 The Net PositiveofStudio

SITE ANALYSIS An essential factor of any project is its site. The parcel for the project was ideal for a repeatable home design, as the lot was a nearly blank slate for our netzero design. From the earlier research of the studio, it was clear that the site had offered the crucial criteria for achieving a net zero home for the climate, with a strong southern sun and open space for air movement. The design also needed an adaptable entry in case it was built on a different site with different conditions. Because of the flat landscape, a

bioswale was introduced in the northwestern corner to help to infiltrate stormwater into the ground from the lot and from the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roof. At the same time, there is ample wind and sunlight along the southern side of the lot, as the only potential obstruction to solar access is a tree grouping north of the lot. Southern exposure suggests our photovoltaic system will operate at a high efficiency, and beneficial southern winds will be available for natural ventilation.

Figure 3.4.3 - Site Analysis

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DESIGN CONCEPTS

CENTRAL CORE Figure 3.4.5

In order to create a relevant and functional design, the Net Positive Studio needed to pinpoint the requirements of the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential user. For that reason, our design was informed by guiding principles that came from our earlier analyses of St. John and conversations with community members. Designing for user needs will ensure prospective home buyers have a home that is at a price they can afford yet is also tailored to a range of appropriate needs.

In order to create an open space that could allow ease of access to the entire home, we recognized the importance a central core space to household activities. Much of the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s floor area is dedicated to making this central space desirable and airy, and it contains the kitchen, living, and dining room spaces that the household shares. The private bedrooms and bathrooms branch from the public core without meandering hallways, encouraging connection and creating spatial efficiency.

Legend

Private space Private Space

Public Publicspaces Space

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PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

Figure 3.4.6

While the public core allows for any size of gatherings, there is a great need for personal space. As we describe in section 2.4, very few homes are properly designed to balance the psychological needs of the user between active gathering and peaceful solace. This necessity for balance especially rings true in a compact home. An important element in our design was understanding where the separation between an expansive public and comfortable private space can meet to create a united, relaxed home. To further establish personal space in the small floorplan, the master bedroom was separated from the other two bedrooms, giving it increased privacy as well as the opportunity to use this separate bedroom as a home office or similar retreat.

OUTDOOR CONNECTION

Figure 3.4.7

Everywhere you go, mental illness is a hot button issue. Many Americans live in environments that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t constitute healthy living. Lack of sunlight or interaction with people or the outdoors can lead to chemical imbalances that can lead to bigger issues. While designers have acknowledged this issue, it is rarely a main priority. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why our design is so crucial. Living in a smaller town often means a greater reliance on the home as a social and active space. Sitting on the porch, grilling, or watching their kids play, citizens of St. John value their outdoor space and the emotional wellness it provides to their families. A clear visual connection to the outdoors on both sides of the house connects inside and outside, providing emotional restoration, promoting natural ventilation, and encouraging outdoor activities.

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Figure 3.4.8 - Floor Plan

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To balance these principles, we had to consider every wall, cabinet, appliance, connection, and more importantly, the way that these components come together to create a quality, stimulating, and enriching home environment. The improvements to the final design, discussed below, helped the home achieve our newly crystallized design principles.

EXTENSION OF PUBLIC SPACE Entry into the public space was expanded to allow for better use of the multiple living and dining functions. An exposed ceiling allowed for the true height of the house to be expressed, meaning less vertical congestion and a more comfortable home overall. Each element of this room was fine-tuned to maximize its use. HVAC systems were integrated with casework to maintain an exposed ceiling, while storage units were better utilized to reduce wasted circulation on casework.

EXTERIOR SPACE DESIGN Local input made the importance of the backyard to homeowners clear, and how outdated the concept of a front porch was for them. We recognized the benefits of the porch, such as stopping rain when you have an arm full of groceries, but the families were

devoting much of their outdoor time to grilling and playing in the yard. We realized the design needed to mediate between both of these needs. Along the southern wall, a porch facilitates access to the home from the east and west while providing a layer of modesty as well as shading to the large living room window. Ample space allows residents to observe the entirety of their front yard from the covered space, while two large louvered barn doors allow ample shading during hot months or increased privacy from the neighbors. On the north side of the house, a walk-out patio is provided to give a place for larger outdoor activities. If so desired, the homeowner may add on a trellis or type of canopy to both shade and create a different experience of the space. yard from the covered space, while two large barn doors allow ample shading during sunny days or increased privacy from the neighbors.

CLEAN FLOOR PLAN Countless design iterations lead us to a slimmed down, efficient design without awkward voids or wasted space. While the final design is the same size as earlier iterations, it was able to add more space to the common areas in the central core, giving this space even more flexibility and grandness.

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LIVING ROOM VIEW SOUTH Figure 3.4.9

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KITCHEN VIEW NORTH - EAST Figure 3.4.10

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LIVING ROOM VIEW - NORTH EAST Figure 3.4.11

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LIVING ROOM VIEW - NORTH WEST Figure 3.4.12

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3.5 CASEWORK

Braeden Busenitz

Early on, the studio decided to build custom casework for our design project. Since we are designing a residence with a very small footprint, we were faced with providing storage in a home in which it is essential to utilize the square footage efficiently. We strive to provide a place for people to not only store their belongings but also to have places to display things, while maintaining a minimalistic design. We worked to provide bookshelves, closets, and built-ins to alleviate the need and desire for homeowners to fill up their living space with unwieldy furniture. We focused on many things from functionality to aesthetics to ease of assembly while accomplishing this goal. Additionally, heating and cooling ductwork will be integrated into the upper valences of the casework; this allowed the ceilings to be exposed and ductwork to be hidden from view. In the toe-kick areas of the casework, electrical cabling will be run in non-metallic conduit to ensure that receptacles are available along the casework walls.

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KITCHEN When designing the kitchen, we were faced with the challenge of how to make a functional kitchen in a very small space, while meeting the needs of the user. Multiple design iterations explored various options in an attempt to provide sufficient continuous usable counter space. As the appliance arrangements must provide a workable flow, we quickly came to the realization that counter space and utility were difficult to achieve. By placing the sink in the best location, followed by the appliances, it allowed for a smooth and continuous appearance when adjusting the cabinetry. To take advantage of the natural light, the cabinets and counters close to the window and sliding doors are at a lesser depth, allowing maximum light to illuminate the area. To complete the design, we utilized the depth our refrigerator to create deep cabinets that provide additional pantry storage, without further encroaching from the overall kitchen space.

ISLAND To compensate for the lack of continuous counter space and workable surface area, the remaining open area in the kitchen needed to provide both counter space and storage. As the kitchen is often dynamic and needs to be adaptable for different occasions, a fixed island would have been limiting. By having a movable, multi-functional kitchen island, the homeowner can position it according to the situation and get the most out of the space.

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Figure 3.5.2 - Kitchen Casework

All casework to be cut using a CNC router.

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Figure 3.5.2

Figure 3.5.3

ENTRYWAY CASEWORK

ENTERTAINMENT CASEWORK

As the entryway provides the first impression of the house, it was imperative to design a clean, uniform, and minimalistic design, keeping a connection with the rest of the casework. Being in rural Kansas, we wanted to provide an entryway hall that doubled as a type of mudroom. The storage requirement for coats and shoes close to the front door was incorporated into a bench area that provides ample flexibility.

To continue with a clean and uniform design, we made the entertainment casework adaptable to changing technology. The casework is designed with maximum flexibility in mind. This was accomplished by providing an area that can easily be reconfigured to meet the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment desires and a variety of equipment while maintaining the uniform design flow of the house. Electrical receptacles will be located along the lower shelf of the casework, where screens and components will likely be located.

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Figure 3.5.4

Figure 3.5.5

DINING SPACE CASEWORK

CENTRAL SPACE & BEDROOMS

Once again with the goal of uniformity throughout the casework of the home, we wanted to provide for storage and enhanced entertaining in the dining room, while eliminating the need for spaceconsuming furniture. This was accomplished by designing a storage piece with an accompanying bar area that could be used for any entertainment situation.

The bedroom casework is built into the space in order to eliminate the need for the user to coordinate large wardrobes or dressers within a space of limited square footage. By having specifically designed casework for each room, the space is efficiently utilized while exceeding the storage capability of a traditional closet. The design, though minimalistic, resulted in efficient and potentially cost-saving design for the future user.

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FABRICATION Throughout fabrication, we will be using standard cabinetry construction practices. However, a departure from convention for this project is the selection of half-inch furniture grade plywood when possible and the elimination of traditional fascia boards to reduce material costs. To ensure a clean aesthetic, the doors of the casework will have a flush appearance, with clean lines and minimal gaps utilizing elements such as European-style hinges. Certain sections will be joined using dadoes and pocket screws for additional rigidity and strength, and ease of assembly. With this construction practice, we can customize the casework and reduce costs, providing an eye-pleasing product that will enhance the living environment.

CONCLUSION The proposed casework efficiently utilized the limited square footage of our design. We provided a place for storage and display while keeping the casework simple and clean in appearance. By building closets, bookshelves, and built-ins we alleviated the need for the homeowner to fill up their living area with space-consuming furniture. We were able to incorporate functional aesthetics, reasonable cost, and ease of assembly all while maintaining a high standard of quality. Moreover, the appearance of the casework throughout the house will offer the interior added warmth, color, scale, and a chance for the homeowner to express themselves through the display of their belongings.

Figure 3.5.6 - Casework Cutsheets

Notes

Figure 3.5.7 - Casework Cutsheets

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Case Work Fabrication Set

Figure 3.5.8 - Casework Cutsheets

F3.6 193

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3.6 LANDSCAPE Grant urban As the Net Positive Studio began the landscaping design process for the St. John Prototype, it was important to understand plant and material selections and locations in relation to the overarching design concepts for the project. The main design concept that relates to exterior and landscape design is the expansion of usable and enjoyable public space from the interior into the exterior. This includes a long, linear front porch that would act as the outdoor preface to the entryway of the home, with large sliding barn doors for situational shading and privacy. This space would be able to be furnished with small tables and chairs that overlook East 8th Avenue, as well as potted plants to accent the front face of the house. This design concept also warranted an open backyard patio opportunity that can be used for family gatherings, a quiet or private space to relax, friendly get-togethers and other outdoor events. With these concepts driving the inception of exterior spaces extended from the main core of the home, it was the studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s responsibility to determine a landscape and hardscape solution that would accent and compliment these ideas. The studio approached Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Leslie Wren to begin the initial schematic design process and planting inspiration around the home and its outdoor spaces. Professor Wrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s valuable input ranged widely from the rationale of planting locations for screening, shading and points of interest, to the importance of plant hardiness and soil conditions. This development began with many trace paper site plan sketches and perspective renderings to create the preliminary landscaping ideas and their execution. This was then pushed further into design development with the transition from hand-drawings into Revit, a computer software, in order to produce a site plan in greater detail. 195

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LANDSCAPE PLAN In partnership with Dustin Stoddard of Blueville Nursery, Inc., a Manhattan, Kansas landscaping company, specific trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials were then selected based on their hardiness within the appropriate ASHRAE Climate Zone (4A). This corresponds with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6, which defined the specific plant species that could be selected and grown well in the St. John region. Hardy plants that grow well in dry soil conditions were superb for the St. John home because of their ability to withstand extensive heat and periods of drought without the necessity for irrigation installation. In areas that required heightened privacy from adjacent properties, taller trees and shrubs were selected, such as Taylor Junipers and Orange Rocket Barberries. Ornamental trees such as Royal Raindrop Crabapples were chosen for their unique vibrant colors as a point of interest beyond the front porch and back patio. Tall, fast growing shade trees such as Frontier Elms were selected for their dense foliage and ability to shade exposed southern sunlit areas such as the driveway and the front sidewalk entry. Lastly, low-growing perennials were selected and designed to be placed below the bedroom windows as to not obstruct views to the exterior and not interfere with egress safety.

THE MAIN DESIGN CONCEPT IS THE EXPANSION OF PUBLIC SPACE FROM THE INTERIOR INTO THE EXTERIOR.

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TREES

SHRUBS Taylor Juniper Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’ Evergreen Tree; Semi-soft, blue-green foliage and narrow columnar form

Deciduous Shrub; Coralorange spring foliage, medium green color in summer and red leaves in autumn

Black Hills Spruce Picea glauca ‘Densata’

Green Velvet Boxwood Buxus x ‘Green Velvet’

Evergreen Tree; Dense, bright green foliage with symmetrical conical form

Deciduous Shrub; Fullbodied, all-year green foliage suited for dense, low hedges

Frontier Elm Ulmus parvifolia ‘Frontier’

Little Devil Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Little Devil’

Deciduous Shade Tree; Single trunked, uprightpyramidal form with smooth, grey-green bark and re-purple fall foliage Royal Raindrops Crabapple Malus x ‘JFS-KW5’

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Orange Rocket Barberry Berberis thunbergii ‘Orange Rocket’

Deciduous Ornamental Tree; Pink to red spring flowers, burgundy summer foliage, and bright, orange-red fall leaves

Deciduous Shrub; Full branching form with deep burgundy stems, burgundypurple leaves and green undertones

PERENNIALS

GRASSES Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ Ornamental Grass; Fast growing feathery stalks that emerge reddish brown in spring and turn to gold color in fall Shenandoah Switchgrass Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ Ornamental Grass; Fast growing green leaves that emerge with red tips in spring, darken through summer, and turn a rich burgundy in fall

Patriot Hosta Hosta x ‘Patriot’ Herbaceous Perennial; Bold, dark green foliage with gleaming white edges, high heat tolerance

Dark Towers Penstemon Picea glauca ‘Densata’ Herbaceous Perennial; Bronze-red leaves on deep red stems, topped by masses of tubular light pink flowers, tolerates high heat and humidity Autumn Fire Sedum Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Fire’ Herbaceous Perennial; Clumping foliage displays large flower clusters that start pink, then age to red in the fall May Night Salvia Salvia x sylvestris ‘May Night’ Herbaceous Perennial; Tall spikes of indigo blue flowers top compact mounds of soft, green foliage

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CONCLUSION This landscape selection and design can be easily replicated for the future St. John home prototypes at an inexpensive rate and simplified installation. This option may be easily manipulated to address the distinctive orientations and characteristics of the individual sites that are developed for prototype homes, and flexibly adapted to meet any other additional code compliance requirements. As the prototype is considered for other sites, the landscape design will be an important tool for creating semi-private outdoor spaces that are an important enhancement to small homes such as the prototype. Even more crucial will be implementing this kind of approach for development that puts two or more dwellings on a lot, since landscape will help to define ownership and use of yards, entries, and pathways when parcels are shared. Overall, the beautification of residential properties through thoughtful landscape and hardscape designs form an additional aesthetic that not only increases the value of the home, but also adds to the enjoyment of their occupants and neighboring community.

200 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.6.2

Figure 2.1.1

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3.7 MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING DESIGN

Somnath Mukherjee

In the St. John Prototype, we considered not only insulation, openings, and orientation, but also considered efficient MEP systems to accomplish our energy performance goals. Keeping in mind the emphasis on affordability, we considered products that would not only save money due to efficiency in the long term but are affordable to begin with. We were also able to cut our energy use and carbon emissions through LED lighting and high-efficiency Energy Star appliances. The photovoltaic solar panels used for this house will produce enough clean energy to offset the home’s total energy consumption, even accounting for lower outputs in the winter and on cloudy days. One challenge that was overcome with detailing is the provision for running electrical cabling in the house, since the studio decided that the foam insulation in the panels shouldn’t be cut out to install cabling: a process that risked undermining the thermal performance of the panels and possibly also making a mess. To provide a place for cabling, we decided to offset the interior drywall from the panel using wood furring, creating a 3/4-inch passageway for cabling and minimizing the intrusion of electrical boxes into the panels.

WE CONSIDERED PRODUCTS THAT WOULD NOT ONLY SAVE MONEY DUE TO EFFICIENCY IN THE LONG TERM BUT ARE AFFORDABLE TO BEGIN WITH.

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Benefits of LED: • Life Span • Energy Efficiency • Reduction in heat gains, which lowers cooling loads and prevents overheating in the cooling season • Ecologically-sound • Durable • No UV emissions • Design Flexibility - Range of colors, shades, brightness, and distribution • Work Instantly • Work in extreme Temperatures

5" Round Ceiling and Wall Mount For uniform illumination without shadows or hot-spots. 24V RGB Color Changing LED Tape Light with 50,000 hour rated life.

Bathroom Sconce With thin edge-lit LED panel.

Figure 3.7.1

Figure 3.7.2

Figure 3.7.3

Plenum

11” x 11” Return Duct

Return Duct

ERV SUSPENDED FROM ABOVE

Exterior Wall Cap

Figure 3.7.4 - MEP Diagram

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EQUIPMENT Air handling units, or AHUs, heat, cool, and filter conditioned air and distribute air throughout the house through ducts. The AHU also has a return duct which delivers used air back to AHU where it is filtered and conditioned. For our Net Positive house, we selected a Mitsubishi - M-Series Air Handler for its cost and efficiency. Secondary benefits of this AHU system are its small size, its washable and reusable filter, and its ability to operate in a dehumidification-only mode (‘eco mode’) which will increase the ability of the home to use natural ventilation and keep occupants comfortable at more economical temperatures. The small footprint of the house and its highperformance envelope also provided a good match for a high-efficiency air-source heat pump, also sourced from Mitsubishi. An air-source heat pump uses the refrigeration cycle in reverse to extract heat from outside air, using the same process as high-efficiency geothermal heating systems but at a fraction of the cost because no heat exchange loops need to be constructed in the ground. Heat pumps don’t generate intensely hot heating air like fuel-based furnaces, but they are over 300% more efficient in terms of heating output. For this reason, the modest output of the heat pump and its high efficiency are a great fit for the prototype home, because the heating loads are a fraction of what would be encountered in a typical house. New computer-based controls built into the heat pump system will maintain its high efficiency throughout the range of cold temperatures seen in the Kansas climate. The envelope of the prototype home was also designed to minimize air leakage, which greatly reduces energy loss versus a conventional home. Beneficial airtightness, however, makes it important to bring in fresh air to maintain a healthy environment. In high-performance homes, 204 | The Net Positive Studio

mechanical ventilation typically comes in the form of an ERV or Energy Recovery Ventilator, which recovers some of the lost energy from air that is leaving the house by transferring this energy to the incoming fresh air. The ERV system in the Net Positive house is placed independently of the main heating and cooling system and is equipped with two fans: one which draws fresh air into the house while the other pushes stale air out. We implemented the ERV not only for better indoor air quality, but also to help moderate the temperature and humidity of incoming filtered air, creating a more comfortable space. We choose the Panasonic Intelli-Balance™ 100, which will not only stand up to our requirements, but is affordable and has lower maintenance requirements. The ERV will also run as a full-time exhaust in the main, shared bathroom in the house, ensuring that humid air from the bathroom leaves the house and doesn’t contribute to mold or condensation. Tank-less water heaters are generally more energyefficient than traditional water heaters with storage tanks. Because tank-less water systems provide water on demand, they eliminate the need for a large storage tank, which is susceptible to standby energy losses (i.e. dissipation of heat from the water over time as it sits unused in your tank). A tank-less water heating system will generally help the user to save money over the system’s lifetime, and keeping energy costs low. A considerable advantage of tank-less units is their longer lifespan and ability to be serviced. A standard, high-quality water heater will last roughly a decade, whereas tank-less models’ function for twice as long. Tank-less water heaters are also much smaller than bulky tank heaters, requiring less mechanical space: an important benefit for the prototype home. We will be using two tank-less water heaters, an EcoSmart ECO 11 for the independent bath and an EcoSmart ECO 18 for the master bath, kitchen and washer. Because the tank-less water heaters do not rely on a reserve of hot water to meet demand, the entire house has an equal supply of hot water 24/7.

AHU - Mitsubishi - 30k BTU - M-Series MultiPosition Air Handler The SVZ-KP air handler includes an ECM blower

motor to provide more efficient and more intelligent airflow for your home. With a removable blower, the air handler can be easily cleaned and maintained. The air handler also includes a washable filter to ensure the air in your home is as fresh as can be. [1]

Figure 3.7.5 - Air Handler

ERV – Panasonic Intelli-Balance™ 100 Panasonic Intelli-Balance™ 100 is ideal for single family homes and multi-family units. It is a customizable, high performance, high efficiency Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) that’s designed to help you meet ASHRAE 62.2 requirements. This unique and cost effective ERV was engineered for total versatility and installation flexibility, in any climate zone. [2]

Figure 3.7.6 - ERV

EcoSmart ECO 18 18-kilowatt tank-less electric water heater [4]

Figure 3.7.7 - Water Heater

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Water Heater

Figure 3.7.8 - Plumbing Water 206 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.7.9 - Plumbing Waste & Vent 207

3.8 PREFABRICATION Rebekka Poole, Prajakta Thipsay From the beginning of the project, the studio knew that the best way to keep costs low and meet the budgetary needs of the client would be to prefabricate as much of the house as we could. Not only did this allow us to reduce costs but it also allowed us to control the construction of walls and roofs more than traditional on-site stick frame construction would allow, helping us achieve the efficiency needed to create a net-positive house.

A B A Figure 3.8.2 - Modular Plan

Figure 3.8.1 - Prefabricated Wall and Roof Panels 208 | The Net Positive Studio

The construction system proposed for the house uses prefabricated panels with a reinforced, insulated concrete slab-on-grade foundation. The prefabricated panels consist of RAYCORE Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) and manufactured by RAYCORE Inc. of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The RAYCORE SIPs being used in this design consist of 2x4 studs, 16â&#x20AC;? O.C. with polyurethane foam insulation between them. This polyurethane foam has a high R-Value, providing us with our desired thermal capabilities and has the bonus of being extremely light in weight. The RAYCORE SIP blanks are produced in standard rectangular panels in their factory, with the liquid foam injected between the studs with a foil radiant vapor and air barrier wrapping both sides. The radiant barrier assists the envelope in rejecting heat gains and losses, in addition to the thermal resistance of the insulation. [5] The RAYCORE SIPs come in 4-foot-wide panels much like typical sheets of building materials. Thus, the house was designed around this module, providing a constraint for designing the building footprint and locating the openings in the design. Using the fourfoot module of the RAYCORE panel also resulted in minimal material waste. An added benefit of the RAYCORE SIPs is their dimensional predictability and stability; by using the RAYCORE we were able to save time and resources that would otherwise be spent sorting studs for straightness.

Figure 3.8.3 - Panel Diagram

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BUILDING ENVELOPE The materials selected for construction were chosen to best balance cost, constructability, and performance. Because the structure and insulation in the exterior walls and roof are usually a permanent element of the house and so crucial to the home’s performance, it was important to get this part of the house right the first time. Ultimately, using these materials, we achieved installed R values of 26 for the walls and 41 for the roof (in units ft2·°F·h/ BTU). To ensure the best thermal performance possible, special attention was paid to the continuity of the insulation layer to avoid thermal bridging through framing, discussed in the next section with detailing. The in-shop construction of the exterior wall panels and roof panels includes the framing of each panel as well as the application of the sheathing elements: the structural layer, insulation layer, and air and weather barrier layer. Windows, doors, and flashing will also be applied in the shop environment to provide an added level of control in the installation of those components.

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Raycore OSB Structural Sheathing XPS Insulation

ZIP Nail Base

Figure 3.8.4 - Panel Envelope

PANEL ASSEMBLY

STEP 1: Cutting and arranging the raycore and (2”x 4”) structural studs as per the fabrication drawings

STEP 2: Gluing and nailing all the members together

STEP 3: Nailing the 7/16” OSB structural sheathing to the structural studs

STEP 4: Nailing the 1.5” XPS insulation to the 7/16” zip nail-base. The joints in XPS and zip/OSB should be staggered

STEP 5: Nailing the 7/16” ZIP nail base to the OSB sheathing

Figure 3.8.5 - Panel Assembly

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

5'-9"

9'-8"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

9'-5"

S6 S5 Figure 3.8.6 - North Wall

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

9'-5"

5'-9" S2

5'-9"

9'-8"

6'-10 4" 9'-8"

5'-9"

5'-10 21"

5'- 10 21"

1" 32

Figure 3.8.7 - South Wall

Note: The above elevations illustrate how the larger wall assemblies are made up of the panelized system. 8'

5'-10 21"

5'- 10 21"

6'- 10 41"

3 21"

1" 32 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

5'-10 21"

5'- 10 21"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

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4' 3 21"

1" 32

Figure 3.8.8 -8' East Wall

S1 9'-8"

9'-5"

6'-10 41"

8' 3 21"

5'-10 21"

4' 1" 32

Figure 3.8.9 - West Wall

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

10 41"

5'- 10 21"

RODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

0 41"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESKPRODUCED STUDENT VERSION

6'- 10 41"

9'-5"

1" 5'-102

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

1" 32

1" 6'-104

1" 32

1" 6'-104

I11

I12

W2 I8

S6 8'

S5 5'-9"

S4 9'-8"

Figure 3.8.10 - Prefab Plan

Similar to the exterior walls, the interior walls have been panelized.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

213

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

I10

CONSTRUCTION METHOD One drawback to using prefabrication in construction is that the general contractor for this and future builds must commit to realizing the added value of prefabrication in order for its cost savings to be fully realized. Historically contractors have been averse to prefabricated systems, as inexpensive framing subcontracting has been a staple for residential builders’ profits for much of recent history. Secondly, prefabricated assembly must be coordinated in the field; while this process is faster than stick-building, it requires the contractor to address construction staging, material handling, and field-correction of errors in a different way. Together, these issues can result in a price increase if contractors are forced to work with prefab. Thus, it is important to make sure the contractor selected for the project will be willing to work with the prefab system rather than penalize the owner with cost increases. For the initial St. John prototype build, the client will be filling the role of general contractor and the studio will be assisting in the assembly of panels on site, so concerns about

214 | The Net Positive Studio

increased costs for prefab have been eliminated for this project. The benefits of prefabricated construction are:  • Quicker and easier construction than building in the field • Less work on site which results in cost savings and avoidance of weather and sequence-related delays •  A more affordable construction method  • More control in envelope materials and methods, to ensure optimized energy efficiency without cost penalties • RAYCORE achieves higher R-Value in its insulation without added thickness. Therefore, the overall depth of the wall/roof is decreased while achieving greater insulation performance than traditional construction • Envelope design results in a more energy efficient construction, decreasing infiltration and thermal bridging

Figure 3.8.11 - Construction Diagram

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3.9 DETAILS

Gaurav Neupane, Jameson Jones, Prajakta Thipsay, Jordan Bezdek, Yu He

Detailing was a crucial component to our design process, as it allowed us to translate design decisions from concepts into the critical language of construction, with layers of materials, sequences of assembly, and means of connection. This exercise allowed us to foresee potential problems that could occur during construction and address them at full scale in the design process, down to the scale of screws and nails. After creating specific detail views using our integrated Revit model, like a plan detail of an exterior corner, we then drew the detail by hand at full-scale. Each time we completed a detail we became more confident in our design. These details also helped us to construct full-scale mock-ups using the actual building materials we would be using later in the construction of the house. Our detailing process was driven by our prime objectives to make our house affordable, easy to construct, and energy efficient. Our studio went through the rigorous process of detailing because detailing is often a test, used to detect possible issues with our proposed construction assemblies During this process we discovered problems that may have developed with the configuration of material layers or the location of fasteners.

Gypsum Wall Board Furring Strips Raycore OSB Sheathing XPS Insulation

Zip Nail Base Corrugated Metal Panel

Figure 3.9.2 - Wall Panel

Standing Seam Metal Roof ZIP Sheathing XPS Insulation OSB Sheathing Raycore CDX Plywood Furring Strips

216 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.9.1 - Roof Panel

217

Figure 3.9.3 - Details

To achieve a high-performing envelope we will used continuous exterior insulation from the roof to wall, and from wall to the foundation. Continuous exterior insulation is important primarily to prevent thermal bridging. Thermal bridging occurs when a more conductive or poorly insulating material allows an easy pathway for heat flow through an insulated assembly and can reduce the effective thermal resistance of that assembly. Our envelope designed used R-7.5 and R-15 continuous insulation on the walls and roof, respectively, which is not interrupted by soffits or any other structural elements. In addition, having this continuous insulation also made it possible to make the infiltration-preventing air barrier and water-intrusion-preventing weather barrier similarly continuous. With the addition of a 218 | The Net Positive Studio

fully insulated slab and by paying close attention to joints and corners in the exterior walls, the design achieves a robust envelope that will support both affordability and performance. Careful detailing at joints and corners ensured that control layers for thermal, air, and water could be taped or sealed while the envelope was being assembled. Overall, this approach will maximize the envelopeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thermal and structural performance. Beyond creating a high performing building envelope using insulation, we also needed to ensure that the water control layers such as flashing (sheets of thin, impervious material used to prevent water penetration) was in the correct locations. Water control was most important along the roof edges and around windows and doors.

Figure 3.9.4 - Details

Detailing also helped reveal problems that we may have had with our structural elements if we had not enlarged these areas and interrogated them in terms of construction. For example, the sliding panels that flank the porch, each weighing roughly 247 lbs, needed to be supported by the porch structure. Working out how the sliding panel rail system would attach led us to resize the beam that was already supporting the porchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roof overhang, and resolve conflicts between the gutter, the supporting rail of the doors, and the structure behind it. Our detailing exercises were sometimes a back and forth process, but they allowed us to understand the consequences of our decisions which ultimately improved our design.

This was a powerful process that aided in discovering some of the best ideas and solutions to our design problems. Architectural drawings are about communicating ideas, whether it is solving initial design problems or working through ideas and technical details. It helps to convey ideas, demonstrate functionality, and illustrate how the project works at the scale of materials. Detailing assists in discovering potential issues and solutions early on. Because of these efforts we gained confidence that our homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction has been well-planned to the high standards and quality and can be built without improvising hasty solutions in the field.

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03 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES Figure 3.2.1- Image created by Jordan Bezdek Figure 3.2.2- Image created by Michael Gibson Figure 3.3.1- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.2- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.3- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.4- Image created by Yu He & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.5- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.6- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.7- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.8- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.9- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.10- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.11- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.12- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.13- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.14- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.15- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.16- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.17- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.18- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.19- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.20- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.21- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.22- Image created by Jeremiah Vick Figure 3.3.23- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.24- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.25- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman 220 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 3.3.26- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.27- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.28- Original image by Google Maps and modified by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.29- Image created by Gaurave Neupane & Grant Urban Figure 3.3.30- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.31- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.32- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.33-Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.34- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.35- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.36- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.37- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.38- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.39- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.40- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.41- Original image by Google Maps and modified by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.42- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.43- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.44- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.45- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.46- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.47- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.48- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.49- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.50- Image created by Evan Ollenburger Figure 3.3.51- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.52- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.3.53- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.54- Original image by Google Maps and modified by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.55- Image created by Jordan Bezdeck Figure 3.3.56- Image created by Jordan Bezdeck

Figure 3.3.57- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.59- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.60- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.61- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.62- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.63- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.64- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.65- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.66- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.67- Original image by Google Maps and modified by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.68- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.69- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.70- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.71- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.72- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.73- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.74- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.3.75- Image created by Jordan Bezdeck Figure 3.3.76- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.77- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.3.78- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.79- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.80- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.81- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.82- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.3.83- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.3.84- Image created by Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.4.1- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.4.2- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 3.4.3- Image created by Jordan Bezdek Figure 3.4.4- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 3.4.5- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.4.6- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.4.7- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay

Figure 3.4.8- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.4.9- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.4.10- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.4.11- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.4.12- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.5.1- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.5.2- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 3.5.3- Image created by Catherin Gutman Figure 3.5.4- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 3.5.5- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 3.5.6- Image created by Braedy Busenitz Figure 3.5.7- Image created by Braedy Busenitz Figure 3.5.8- Image created by Braedy Busenitz Figure 3.6.1- Image created by Grant Urban Figure 3.6.2- Image created by Jeremiah Vick and Gaurav Neupane Figure 3.7.1- Image created by WACLighting.com Figure 3.7.2- Image created by WACLighting.com Figure 3.7.3- Image created by WACLighting.com Figure 3.7.4- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.7.5- Image created by ecomfort.com Figure 3.7.6- Image created by panasonic.com Figure 3.7.7- Image created by ecosmartus.com Figure 3.7.8- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.7.9- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 3.8.1- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.2- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.3- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.4- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.5- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.6- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay 221

03 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES

END NOTES

Figure 3.8.7- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.8- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.9- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.10- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.8.11- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.9.1- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.9.2- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 3.9.3- Image created by Gaurav Neupane & Jameson Jones Figure 3.9.4- Image created by Gaurave Neupane

[1] ecomfort. (n.d.). Mitsubishi SVZ-KP30NA - 30k BTU - M-Series Multi-Position Air Handler - For Multi or Single-Zone. Retrieved January 2, 2020, from https://www.ecomfort.com/Mitsubishi-SVZKP30NA/p96245.html [2] panasonic. (n.d.). Intelli-Balance™ 100 Balanced Air 50 - 100CFM. Retrieved January 2, 2020, from https://na.panasonic.com/us/home-and-buildingsolutions/ventilation-indoor-air-quality/energyrecovery-ventilators/intelli [3] panasonic. (n.d.). Exterior Wall Cap for WhisperComfort™ ERV. Retrieved January 2, 2020, from https://na.panasonic.com/ca/home-buildingsolutions/ventilation-indoor-air-quality/ventilationaccessories/exterior-wall-cap-whispercomforttm-erv [4] ecosmartus. (n.d.). ECO 11. Retrieved January 2, 2020, from https://www.ecosmartus.com/product/ ecosmart-ECO-11-13-kW-Electric-Tankless-WaterHeater [5] Insulated Roof and Wall Panels - Roof Insulation: RAY-CORE SIPs ™. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://raycore.com/insulated-roof-panels- wall-panels/

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ANALYSIS 4.1 Cost Management 4.2 Passive Design Strategies 4.3 Energy Analysis 4.4 Daylight Analysis 4.5 Structural Design

225

4.1 COST MANAGEMENT

Brandon Cole & Evan Ollenburger

While the design is a core element of our work, we also need to understand the implications of what we’ve created. Cost management allows us to understand and gain control of this aspect of the project. For a time-sensitive project, ow we build it and with what materials are crucial questions for developing an accurate characterization of project costs, whereby the conceptual form is molded by the lens of realism. Hours of labor, material types, quantities, and sizes; procurement; and costs, turn an abstract project into something tangible. Just as importantly, looking at costs critically helps us to understand how the details, materials, and approach to prefabrication in our Net Positive home compare to typical construction.

THROUGH A FEW KEY FACETS OF ESTIMATION WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF OUR WORK AND HOW THE QUALITY OF A DESIGN CAN CHANGE ITS COST AS WELL. A growing issue for housing is the constant changes in construction costs. As prices for materials and labor go up and down with the overall economy, contractors often characterize construction with terms such as “cost-per-square foot” to obfuscate actual project costs. A rigorous cost analysis not only sheds light on the details of project costs but can also be valuable information for organizations that are interested in adopting similar construction methods. 226 | The Net Positive Studio

By using “unit-level cost estimating,” precise

“takeoffs” of material quantities can be taken from the BIM model, and we can manage and keep track of the price of specific building elements and categories. Cost estimating began with RSMeans Residential Construction Cost Data using takeoffs, and then was supplemented by precise numbers as we selected materials and products from specific sources. Through this process, we could provide a precise construction cost for the studio’s scope of work (without labor), while also estimating costs for what a future build with a contractor might cost. Through rigorous cost estimation, we keep updated estimates on the design as well as use cost information to make decisions along the way, helping to keep close to cost targets.

ENERGY OPTIMIZATION

Another important consideration is the balance between savings through energy efficiency and the initial cost of the building envelope. Materials such as insulation offer energy savings as thickness and thermal resistance increases. it in terms of affordability, one must also analyze when adding insulation starts offering diminishing long-term savings. Using energy and cost analysis together kept the insulation levels in the envelope reasonable in terms of cost, yet still delivering net zero performance.

REDUCING WASTE

An advantage of the prefabrication process is the fine-tuning that goes into planning each fabrication panel. While typical construction leads to cutting multiple pieces of insulation and lumber to unusable lengths, our prefab process allows us to find a location for each component before we even begin construction.

PREFABRICATION

Along with reducing waste, prefabrication also minimizes construction time. While weather variables constrain conventional projects, panels can be built indoors at any time, and the process of making them can be streamlined by efficiencies that are possible in the shop but not in the field. This faster process means the home can be built on site in a matter of days rather than weeks or months, depending on site conditions.

LEAN SYSTEMS

Because e of systems such as our thickened-edge slab foundation type, combined roof and ceiling assemblies, and integration of casework as partition walls, we can reduce overall material usage. Redundant systems such as nonstructural walls for closets, multiple concrete pours for conventional foundations, and separated ceiling and roof assemblies increase costs and construction time. By designing the home around lean construction, we can put resources into maximizing the home’s size and the quality of its materials and finishes, while keeping the final cost low. Overall, with cost management, we can build the project we design before construction takes place. We can verify the amount of work our home will take and how much it will cost us and collect this knowledge to ensure future iterations remain on budget. Furthermore, we don’t need to sacrifice beauty for affordability. Cost management helps us to prove that quality housing can exist at a reasonable price. 227

Net Positive Studio - AY2019-20

Cost Estimating Workbook Estimating Summary (RSMeans Residential Assembly Designations) Project Net-Positive Studio Material Completed By: Studio Existing Conditions $0.00 Date: 4/6/2020 1 Site Work $2,474.88 Estimating Summary (RSMeans Residential Assembly Designations) Material 2 Foundations $6,895.28 Existing Conditions $0.00 3 Framing $4,136.51 1 Site Work $2,474.88 4a Exterior Walls - Prefab/KSU $8,144.26 2 Foundations $6,895.28 4b Exterior Wall Cladding & Finishes $0.00

Labor $0.00

Subtotal Cost Notes $0.00

$4,884.02 $7,358.90 COST ESTIMATION FOR ST. JOHN PROTOTYPE HOUSE Figure 4.1.1

3 5a 5b 4a 4b 6a 6b 5a 5b 7

Framing Roofing - Prefab/KSU Exterior Roof Cladding & Finishes Exterior Walls - Prefab/KSU Exterior Cladding & Finishes InteriorsWall - Prefab/KSU Interior - onsite Roofing - Prefab/KSU Exterior Roof Cladding & Finishes Specialties

6a 8 6b 9 7 10 8

Interiors - Prefab/KSU Mechanical (Plumbing and HVAC) Interior - onsite Electrical Specialties Landscaping Mechanical (Plumbing and HVAC)

$4,136.51 $9,926.54

$0.00

$8,144.26 $0.00 $5,000.00

$0.00 $0.00

$9,926.54 $3,320.44

$0.00 $0.00

$5,000.00 $0.00

$0.00

$1,220.22 $3,320.44 $3,175.00 $0.00

$2,637.80 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Stafford Co Eco Devo Costs $1,220.22 $2,637.80

9 Electrical 10 Landscaping

Labor $3,822.48 $0.00 $0.00 $4,884.02 $0.00 $3,822.48 $0.00

$3,175.00 KSU Studio $0.00 Costs Total Net Positive Studio Build Costs - AY2018-19 Stafford Co Eco Devo Costs

KSU Studio Costs Total Net Positive Studio Build Costs - AY2018-19

Subtotal Cost Notes $10,717.76 $0.00 $4,136.51 $7,358.90 $9,213.51 $10,717.76 $2,000.00 $4,136.51 $11,132.29 $2,400.00 $9,213.51 $2,000.00 $5,000.00 $2,800.00 $11,132.29 $2,400.00 $3,320.44 $5,000.00 $19,386.00 $2,800.00 $3,858.02 $3,320.44 $1,887.50 $19,386.00 $54,433.18 Material + Sub Labor for categories 1, 2, 8, 9, + 5% $3,858.02 contingency; tax, assembly labor and markup not included. $1,887.50 Material for categories 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 + 5% contingency $37,369.76 $91,802.94 MRC + KSU Costs $54,433.18 Material + Sub Labor for categories 1, 2, 8, 9, + 5% contingency; tax, assembly labor and markup not included. $37,369.76 Material for categories 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 + 5% contingency $91,802.94 MRC + KSU Costs

COST ESTIMATION FOR A GENERAL CONTRACTOR Figure 4.1.2 Subtotal Cost Notes $97,802.94 $6,000 + for appliences added $4,160.55 5% of project cost Based on 48.7% of ave. construction costs for typ 1-story Subcontractor Labor and Markup

on KSU Studio Items $14,796.18 home [Source: RSMeans 2018] Cost Notes Sales Tax (mat'ls & equip) @ 8.6% Subtotal $3,809.21 Net Positive Studio Build Costs (from above) $97,802.94 GC Overhead $9,800.71 $6,000 10% + for appliences added General Conditions (Div. 1) Allowance $4,160.55 GC Profit $4,900.36 5% 5% of project cost Based on 48.7% of ave. construction costs for typ 1-story $0.00 Misc Fees Subcontractor Labor and Markup

on KSU Studio Items $14,796.18 home [Source: RSMeans 2018] Design Fees $0.00 Sales Tax (mat'ls & equip) @ 8.6% $3,809.21 3.2 kW Grid-Tied Photovoltaic System $9,056.00 GC Overhead $9,800.71 10% $2,000 Est. from AY18-19 NPS Lot Costs (Paid by Owner) GC Profit $4,900.36 5% $2,000 Financing Costs $0.00 Misc Fees Design Fees $0.00 228 | The Net Positive Studio $144,325.94 Project Cost for Conventional Build 3.2 kW Grid-Tied Photovoltaic System $9,056.00 $2,000 Est. from AY18-19 NPS Lot Costs (Paid by Owner) $2,000 Financing Costs Net Positive Studio Build Costs (from above) General Conditions (Div. 1) Allowance

04 KSU Contribution

Stafford County Economic Development Contribution

Figure 4.1.1- The image above is the complete cost estimate summary for the St. John Prototype. Utilizing BIM and unit level cost estimation,â&#x20AC;? this process allows for a more precise and accurate estimation of costs for the project. For the studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current build, the cost of the project was divided between our studio and Stafford County Economic Development. Figure 4.1.2- Additional costs for a future build with a general contractor are also provided, with the total home cost for the homeowner shown at the end of the summary, including financing and development fees. The studio believes that future builds will be able to bring down the cost of the home further to approach a total cost of around $120,000.

229

4.2 PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES

Jameson Jones

To begin with, the goal of sustainable design is to diminish negative impacts on the environment while improving the health and comfort of building occupants, thus improving building performance. The goals of sustainability are to “reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy productive environments.” [1] The sustainable design principles that are particularly important to this studio are the: • optimization of site potential • the minimization of non-renewable energy consumption • the enhancement of indoor environmental quality. With these principles in mind, we saw an opportunity to incorporate passive design strategies into the design of the prototype to optimize the gains and losses for the south-central Kansas climate. Accordingly, a passive building is designed and built per five principles: • employment of continuous insulation to reduce thermal bridging • an airtight building envelope, preventing infiltration of outside air and loss of conditioned air • using high-performance windows and doors – solar gain is managed to exploit the sun’s energy for heating purposes in the heating season and to minimize overheating during the cooling season • use of balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation • the use of a minimal space conditioning system.

230 | The Net Positive Studio

Each of these principles aids in creating long-term benefits to the home’s environment in addition to energy efficiency. Having well-insulated, airtight

CLIMATE RESEARCH FOR ST. JOHN

construction can provide comfort even in extreme weather conditions. In addition, the continuous ventilation of fresh, filtered air provides outstanding indoor air quality. Early on in our research process, we knew that utilizing passive design strategies was crucial in achieving a net-zero energy home. [2]

During the research phase we utilized software called ClimateConsultant to examine the wind patterns, temperature, and the sky coverage of south-central Kansas using typical weather data. Our early energy simulations predicted that a home using passive strategies would not require heating or cooling during one third of the year. Coordinating our knowledge of sustainable design and our passive design research led us to incorporate five main strategies into our final design. These strategies are: • passive cooling through cross ventilation • using passive solar through daylighting and shading • bringing in controlled daylight to offset electric lighting • passive solar heating through a thermal mass floor • harnessing solar energy through a photovoltaic array.

Figure 4.2.3 Sky Coverage

Time of Day

OUR EARLY ENERGY SIMULATIONS PREDICTED THAT A HOME WE DESIGNED USING PASSIVE STRATEGIES WOULD NOT REQUIRE HEATING OR COOLING FOR 1/3 OF THE YEAR.

Time of Year

04 Figure 4.2.4 Sky Coverage NW

Winter

Summer

S Humidity

Wind

Figure 4.2.5 Wind Rose

231

PASSIVE STRATEGIES

Figure 4.2.6 Cross Ventilation

Figure 4.2.7 Passive Solar Heating

Figure 4.2.8 Supplemental Active Systems

232 | The Net Positive Studio

Taking advantage of the strong prevailing Kansas winds (see Figure 4.2.5) will allow the home to reduce its dependence on air conditioning. Altogether, this approach in the final energy simulation predicting that the home would not need heating or cooling for 56% of the year. (See Figure 4.2.4 for a visualization of the heating and cooling dependent periods of the home.) Besides reducing dependency on active heating and cooling, the HVAC system that the prototype will be equipped with is capable of ‘eco mode, dehumidification only’ cooling which will ensure summer time thermostatic set points to remain comfortable up to 80°F by drying the air when it is more efficient than cooling it. In terms of passive solar, controlling the high summer sun through shading will prevent the home from overheating, while the low winter sun can be used to heat the home. ‘Thermal mass’ describes a material’s capacity to absorb and release heat. The continuously insulated concrete slab floor will calm the extremes in daytime temperatures. It achieves this by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it in the evening when the excess can be either released through natural ventilation, or it can be used to heat the space as the outside temperature drops. Our last, and perhaps most obvious strategy was to use solar energy production to reduce the utility costs of the home. The generally clear skies of Kansas will promote the effectiveness of the photovoltaic arrays, as will the orientation of these panels towards the south in the current design.

As stated before, the incorporation of these strategies will help to the design achieve our goal of a net positive prototype. More than just delivering energy efficiency and overall building performance, these strategies will positively impact the health and comfort of the occupants.

Figure 4.2.9 Thermal Mass

Figure 4.2.10 Photovoltaic Electricity Production

BASED ON FINAL ENERGY SIMULATIONS 56% OF THE YEAR THIS HOME DOES NOT NEED HEATING OR COOLING The next two sections of the book will explain the analysis we preformed to lead us to solutions to accomplish our goal of a net positive home. We preformed both daylight and energy analysis using DIVA-for-Rhino, a daylighting and energy modeling plug-in for Rhinoceros, a NURBS modeling software. With these studies we hoped to discover the optimal window placement, the most efficient building materials for a tight envelope, how to use shading to our benefit, and how the climate would affect our design specifically. We were also seeking to learn more about how an energy efficient home could have an economic impact on the resident through data on energy use and cost per year of energy.

Figure 4.2.11 Wintertime Passive Solar Heating and Summertime Solar Control 233

4.3 ENERGY ANALYSIS

Jameson Jones

It is not enough to build using typical construction methods and materials and hope that it is energy efficient. Our team is concerned with the price of energy and sustainability, driving us to take into consideration every aspect of design in an integrated process, with the goal of reducing energy consumption while enhancing the occupants’ experience of the home. Energy modeling allow architects to design better buildings by accurately simulating the performance of a design through for a given climate, considering the energy used by lighting, equipment, and HVAC systems, even factoring in the efficiency of the HVAC equipment in producing heating and cooling for a given fuel. The models also incorporate the thermal properties of the building envelope (walls, roof, ceilings, floors) as well as the thermal properties of windows and doors, including how much solar gain is admitted into the building or blocked. These simulations can be run as many times as needed to understand what aspects of the design improve or decrease efficiency. Each analysis yields an estimate of how much energy a building requires per year, the outputs enabling side-by-side comparisons of design options and alternatives helping to quantify and visualize energy use in order to make more informed design decisions.

WHY DOES ENERGY EFFICIENCY MATTER FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING? Energy analysis was an important tool to guiding our design towards the goals of net zero performance, 234 | The Net Positive Studio

while also comparing the home’s energy performance to other housing vintages that would lack passive design and efficient systems. We performed both daylight and energy analysis using DIVA-for-Rhino, a daylighting and energy modeling plug-in for Rhinoceros, a NURBS modeling software. With these studies we hoped to evaluated and optimized window placement, the cost-benefit balance in insulation, how to use shading to our benefit, and how the local climate would affect our design specifically. We were also seeking to examine the economic impact an energy efficient home could have on households by looking not only at energy used, but the annual costs of that energy. Why does energy efficiency matter for affordable housing? Low-income households contend with high energy costs and poor thermal comfort if their homes lack insulation or use outdated or inefficient systems. It is often found that low-income households experience energy burdens as they pay an unequal share of their income to energy. Their energy burdens can be worsened by inefficiencies caused by a landlord’s lack of interest in making repairs and the use of poor building materials and less efficient appliances. The impact of the cost burdens associated with energy varies by socioeconomic status. A study conducted to explore the effect of energy efficiency improvements, collected data from 20 households located in a low-income community in New York City. These households reported seeing marked improvement in “thermal comfort, enhanced health, and safety and reduced energy costs.” [3]

The result of poor conditions, inefficiencies, and the disproportionate amount of household income devoted to utility bills can lead to energy insecurity. Poor building conditions and high energy costs can force families to choose between paying their utility bills or for food or medical care. Families should not have to be faced with these choices, especially if affordable housing can relieve their burdens. It is for these reasons that our team is striving to create a healthy, energy efficient environment that has a positive socioeconomic impact. [3, 4]

Figure 4.3.13

04 Figure 4.3.14

Figure 4.3.12 Energy Bill Burden

Figure 4.3.15 Wintertime heat leakage in a poorly insulated home, which contributes to expensive energy bills 235

ENERGY SIMULATION To conduct our energy analysis, we wanted to compare some of the typical home types available to St. John residents with our prototype home. The types defined for this comparison were: • new build (typical construction for a rural area) • 1920s unimproved (lacking insulation and with lower efficiency systems) • 1980’s unimproved (with insulation and systems typical of that period) • St. John Prototype. Comparisons were made using a metric called Energy Use Intensity (EUI), a measurement of a building’s annual total energy consumption relative to its gross square footage and given in energy units per square foot per year. The 1920’s unimproved home is the least desirable of the options, as an annual EUI of 143.2 kBtu/SF per year and annual utility costs at $3,520. While this example may seem extreme, it would be typical for many of the rented homes in town which rely on costly electric baseboard heating. Both a typical new build and an unimproved 1980s home bore similar results, with EUI’s of 45.3 EUI kBtu/SF and 48.3 EUI kBtu/SF respectively. While this may be puzzling, this similarity is because typical new construction in rural Kansas has not changed very much from the homes built 40 years ago. Most locales do not enforce energy codes or even basic residential building codes. Newer equipment makes the home slightly more efficient, but U.S. regulations on equipment efficiency are not very aggressive and a rural home would tend to have minimally efficient systems. The total energy costs for these two types of homes is estimated to be about $1,500 annually. 236 | The Net Positive Studio

Comparatively, our Net Positive prototype option has an estimated EUI of 17.9 kBtu/SF, resulting in an annual energy cost of $644. This annual energy cost is 60% less than that of a comparable new, samesized 1000 square foot house. The previous EUI comparison looked at houses that were all the same size as the St. John prototype design. Another way to look at this is comparing it to an average household’s energy consumption, which captures the way a typical home size (which is almost twice as large the prototype) would use energy. In these terms, the average household currently consumes 25,562 kWh of energy annually. The St. John prototype home uses just 22% of the energy used by this typical American house. A final point is that using photovoltaic panels to offset energy use is quite affordable because of the prototype home’s level of efficiency and its size: the $644 in utilities will be offset by a 3.8 kW solar array, which will bring the homes annual energy costs down to $0 and in mild years can even generate a surplus. A typical American home would need a photovoltaic array that is four to five times bigger to reach net zero Most important of all, the disparate energy burdens discussed previously economically struggling households would no longer be a factor in this household, and the monthly costs of energy can be redistributed in the household’s budget. This extra money could translate into more savings, more security, and even more time raising children or taking care of family – ultimately making a difference in the quality of life of the residents.

Passive Solar & Solar Control Control the Sun

Us e

HIGH SUMMER th

LO e Sun W W

3.8 kW Photovoltaic Array R-41 Roof Assembly

Natural Ventilation

R-26 Wall Assembly 0.26 U-Value Windows

Thermal Storage R-10 Continuously Insulated Concrete Slab for Thermal Storage Figure 4.3.16 Passive Design within the St. John Prototype

237

ENERGY CONSUMPTION COMPARISON The comparison of annual energy consumed between all the housing options (see Figure 4.3.174.3.20) demonstrates how much more efficient the St. John Prototype will be. The 1920s house with its unimproved building envelope and inefficient systems has the worst overall performance. Cold winters can result in very high heating costs and the house will overheat quickly in warmer months, requiring a significant amount of air conditioning to stay comfortable. The 1980s house has improved insulation and its energy costs are overall lower, but heating and cooling still dominate energy consumption. Heating and cooling costs are still significant even though the house is new, and the home still needs heating or cooling throughout the year. The Net Positive homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high-performing envelope and the use of passive design strategies reduces heating and cooling loads significantly throughout the year, and during the swing seasons (spring and fall) it will frequently be comfortable without the need for heating or cooling. For that matter, passive strategies like winter sun and natural ventilation to do more work to keep occupants comfortable during the year, leaving the loads for the HVAC system to be much lower. This allows the high-efficiency HVAC system to be smaller and more affordable and also reduces the chances of discomfort. With daylight and high efficiency LED lighting fixtures, heat gains in the house are kept low, which makes it easier to keep it cool in warm months. Most of the energy used by a home will be electric appliances and tank-less water 238 | The Net Positive Studio

heating. In summary, this home will use a fraction of the energy of a typical home. Through overall efficiency and passive design, it becomes easy to offset the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual energy use with a relatively modest photovoltaic array that fits neatly on the roof and can be mortgaged with the house. St. John is faced with a shortage of good quality, affordable housing; through comparative energy analysis, it has been shown that the least expensive housing options in St. John could have severe financial impacts on households, when energy costs are factored in. Being able to provide St. John with an energy efficient house would allow new homeownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relief from energy burdens, allowing them to dedicate those funds to other areas of their lives along with a positive impact on the health and safety of the residents. Ultimately, its healthy, energy-efficient environment will have a greater socioeconomic impact on the St. John community by leaving its occupants financially stronger and more resilient, with an incentive to stay and invest in their community.

ANNUAL ENERGY CONSUMED (kWh FUEL)

Figure 4.3.17 - Unimproved1920s Home Note: graph scale is 8000 kWh

Figure 4.3.18 - Unimproved 1980s Home

Figure 4.3.19 - Typical New Construction

Figure 4.3.20 - St. John Prototype Home

239

4.4 DAYLIGHT ANALYSIS

Jameson Jones

Our team used a combination of daylighting analysis tools and daylighting metrics to look at daylight in new ways—with important implications for design. We started by using our intuition and creating 3D visualizations to attempt to understand daylighting in design, but they cannot answer all daylight-related questions. While visualizations can be reasonably accurate, they’re still incomplete: illustrating a point in time, but not signaling whether that moment is unique or typical. This additional level of analysis is critical for us to understand as designers, because daylight is not just a romantic notion—it’s also practical.

DAYLIGHT IS NOT JUST POETIC, IT’S PRACTICAL.

240 | The Net Positive Studio

Most spaces have lighting requirements linked to the activities we perform in them. Is there enough light in my kitchen for precise work? Is there enough light in my living room to read—but not so much that my TV screen is washed out? And how much of these lighting requirements can be met through daylighting alone? According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2012, the United States averaged just over 1,700 kWh per home per year for lighting [5]. This number is meaningless, unless it is compared to the average number of kilowatthours being devoted to lighting in a net positive home. Earlier this book discussed the energy analysis we conducted to determine our home’s annual energy usage; now we can isolate the kilowatthours used purely for electric lighting from the total usage. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2018, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential

utility customer was 10,972 kilowatt-hours (kWh), the daylight factor percentage. The properties to an average of about 914 kWh per month [6]. The consider include but are not limited to the size and St. John Prototype was estimated to use 947 kWh arrangement of the space, and quantity of glazing annually for lighting, showing a significant decrease areas. [7] We must be careful with how many window 4'$"#/ /*- ) '4.$. *$)/ $) $( ''0($) ) җ'03Ҙ / шҝсрѶ т+( in usage compared to the average American home. openings we provide, because too much light can result in summer overheating or excessive heat loss - . ) - /# #*( Ѿ. 2$) *2. #$ 1 How were we able to achieve such a significant in winter, as the thermal performance of the glazing $''0($) /$*) ' 1 '. *! фпп '03Ѹ '' )/ !*- decrease? The answer lies in the3 daylight analysis layer is typically lower than the rest of a wall. But !* 0. / .&. we conducted. The annual daylight metrics we must also be careful to avoid a lack of glazing, 4'$"#/ /*- ) '4.$. 3Ҙ / шҝсрѶ т+( produced summarize the daylight performance of because the absence of natural light inside a building a building throughout an entire year, considering can raise its electric lighting demand and lead to - . ) - /# #*( Ѿ. 2$) *2. #$ 1 design, location, and weather. These metrics help health concerns for occupants. The higher the DF, $''0($) /$*) ' 1 '. *! фпп '03Ѹ 3 '' )/ !*- us determine how our design compares to specific the more daylight is available in the room. If a room !* 0. / .&. daylight targets, or to another design. achieves a DF of 2% of more it is daylit, but electric lighting may still be needed to perform more precise visual tasks [8]. The daylight analysis for our design or greater of illumination during 1"ѵ 4'$"#/ ! /*-Ѷ *- "- / - *! $''0($) /$*) рфп - #$)" - *(( ) has estimated our Daylight Factor to be at 1.94%, daytime hours, 0-$)" 4/$( #*0-.Ѷ exceeding 4'$"#/ ' 1 '. $) /# '03 3 $)" *(( ) which suggests that our home will hit the sweet spot recommended minimums

). . '$( / ($)$(0(. between excessive daylighting and the lack thereof. This means that our design includes no more and no less window openings than it needs; a total of 7 1"ѵ 4'$"#/ ! /*-Ѷ *! $''0($) /$*) or #$)" greater of ) illumination during areas of glazing. Our resulting visual produced by the *(( /$( #*0-.Ѷ 4'$"#/ ' 1 hours,exceeding '. $) /# daytime analysis can be seen in Figure 4.4.22. - *(( )

). . '$( / recommended minimums • the size, distribution, location, and transmission properties of the façade, roof, and windows Figure 4.4.21 Passive Design within the St. John Prototype • the size and configuration of the space The design team used these annual metrics to • the reflective properties of the internal and external surfaces understand the daylighting potential and glare risk of overall building form, glazing ratios, and shading • the degree to which external structures obscure the view of the sky. strategies. Our first step in analyzing our homes daylight potential is to determine its Daylight Factor (DF), a measurement that uses a percentage to We must be careful with how many window openings predict the “amount of daylight available inside of we provide, because too much light can result in a room (on a horizontal surface) versus the amount summer overheating or excessive heat loss in winter of unobstructed daylight available outside” during (as the thermal performance of the glazing layer is cloudy days. For this to be meaningful, we must typically lower than the rest of a wall). But we must consider the building properties that can influence 241

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Areas near the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s windows achieve illumination levels of . This amount of light is excellent for reading and other focused tasks, but is low enough to avoid harmful glare. Shading protects the interior from harsh direct sunlight.

Figure 4.4.22 - Point-in-Time Illuminance (Lighting Levels in Lux) at 9/21, 3pm

Figure 4.4.23 - Daylight Factor Analysis

The core of the house easily achieves over 150 lux of illumination during the day, a standard for daylight in houses that supports a whole range of activities. This will allow the house to go without electric light when it is occupied during the day. Effective daylight will also support alertness good circadian health for the occupants.

The average daylight factor of the home is 2%, reaching recommended daylight levels for homes in the Kansas climate. This will ensure that daylight remains useful even when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cloudy outside. Daylight is distributed to the rooms that need it the most, while keeping the amount of glass low to save construction as well as heating and cooling costs.

242 | The Net Positive Studio

also be careful to avoid a lack of glazing, because the absence of natural light inside a building can raise its energy demand and lead to health concerns for occupants. The higher the DF, the more daylight is available in the room. Rooms with an average DF of 2% of more can be considered daylit, but electric lighting may still be needed to perform visual tasks. [8] The daylight analysis for our design has estimated our Daylight Factor to be at 1.94%, which suggests that our home will hit the sweet spot between excessive daylighting and the lack thereof. This means that our design includes no more and no less window openings than it needs; a total of 7 areas of glazing. Our resulting visual produced by the analysis can be seen in Figure 4.4.22. The most important area of glazing in the design is the large picture window located in the living room along the home’s southern façade. A 5-foot overhang covering the porch will help to shade the southern façade during the summer, preventing the sun coming through the southern glazing from overheating the home.

OUR DESIGN INCLUDES NO MORE AND NO LESS WINDOW OPENINGS THAN IT NEEDS. Besides calculating our daylight factor, we also used time-of-day visualizations to get an idea of how our house would perform. All metrics discussed previously make predictions on the macro-level, whereas time-of-day visualizations speak to the experience of the space. This allowed us to answer questions like: What does the space feel like? How

does the experience change over time? What is the light like in the middle of winter or the height of summer? These questions can be answered by looking at point-in-time illuminance (the measure of light to determine daylight availability in the interior), which is the equivalent of putting a light meter in the space. Taking direction from standard LEED methods for climate-based daylighting, we analyzed illuminance on September 21st at 3 pm, using the sky condition for a typical meteorological year for our regional location, including luminous contributions from both clouds and direct sunlight. According to LEED, the target illuminance for residences is 150 lx. [9] As Figure 4.4.23 displays, the illuminance values exceed the target throughout the areas of the home where daylight is desired. Critical to the energy efficiency of the home is the fact that the prototype can decrease its artificial lighting usage to just 947 kWh annually, when every other average American home is sitting at 914 kWh for just one month. Notably, when electric lighting usage is very high in the warm months when air conditioning is being used, the extra waste heat from the lighting becomes an additional load for cooling. Thus, unnecessary electric lighting in a home costs a homeowner twice: in electricity for lighting as well as cooling. Lighting is one of the four critical areas of energy usage, including equipment, heating loads, and cooling loads as demonstrated earlier when the annual energy of the four different housing types were compared. It takes a decrease in all four areas for this prototype to overcome its energy burdens and become truly net positive. Undertaking this effort to improve the impact of natural daylight and reduce the dependency on electric lighting, is an example of the studio using all the tools in its arsenal to design a home that responds to the problems of traditional housing. 243

4.5 STRUCTURAL DESIGN

Rebekka Poole and Prajakta Thipsay

The goal for the structural system of the St. John Prototype was to keep the design affordable and simple. For this reason, the home’s structure came from a simple rectangular volume, with a roof that would also function as the finished ceiling for much of the house. This configuration would direct loads from the roof to the exterior walls, while only needing two columns within the interior space to support the roof. This was accomplished through using the 2x4 construction with RAYCORE SIPs for the walls, 2x12 rafters, an engineered wood ridge beam, 4x4 columns, and OSB sheathing. Directing the loads to the exterior walls allows for more flexibility in the design. As part of the wall assembly, We used the RAYCORE panels with their integrated studs were supplemented by additional studs and headers, themselves as the primary structure for the walls and roof with additional studs/rafters framed around them as necessary to compose the walls and rough openings. Further, the porch structure is composed of a ladder frame which is connected back to the house, rather than constructed of cantilevered rafters. Using a ladder frame simplified prefabrication of the house while also ensuring that insulation could continue unbroken at the transition between wall and roof, preventing potential thermal bridging and air leakage. The south side of the porch is supported by a builtup beam that rests on steel pipe columns that will be prepared off-site with base plates and brackets to speed construction. Roof loads bear primarily upon the RAYCORE SIPs, which are flanked on each side by 2x12 rafters in 244 | The Net Positive Studio

the panelized roof construction devised for the project. This provides the primary path for loads to travel to the center ridge beam and the exterior walls. In the case of the ridge beam, interior columns hidden within interior walls carry loads down to the foundation and underlying footings. For the perimeter, loads are transferred through the exterior walls down into the thickened slab edge. The rafters are mechanically graded with something called Machine Stress Rating (MSR), and we ordered these from a truss plant. They have an allowable bending stress rating of almost three times standard lumber. If we did not have them our roof/ceiling would not be possible. The cost of these rafters was reasonable and can be implemented into future projects easily. The practical and thermal benefits of using RAYCORE SIPs have already been covered in previous sections of this book, but a benefit that has yet to be discussed is the structural aspects of the panels. By integrating framing into the panels, the RAYCORE SIPs comply with standard residential wood framing code. Yet the polyurethane insulation infill also has secondary structural capacity, leaving the panels light but extremely rigid during assembly and as part of the panel. The RAYCORE panels in the roof will also allow the roof to be walked on prior to being sheathed in the field. For resisting lateral loads from wind, the home used the ‘intermittent braced wall panel’ method incorporated in the International Residential Code. In this method, the lateral loads of walls and roof are translated into lengths of required wall bracing for each wall that serves as bracing. The resultant lengths of bracing prescribe sheathing with OSB with

The interior panels are not constructed with RAYCORE and are standard wood framing that are framed 24â&#x20AC;? on center. These panels were split if needed to stay within dimensional restrictions.

Figure 4.5.24 - Panelized System

245

246 | The Net Positive Studio

specific nailing requirements. Bracing can further be divided into segments, or ‘braced panels.’ To simplify construction, walls that do not serve as bracing are still be sheathed with OSB but with less restrictive nailing requirements. Lastly, the unbraced exterior walls are limited to 12 feet in height to comply with prescriptive structural requirements of the code. With regards to uplift, a continuous load path to the ground is provided throughout the structure using engineered steel structural connectors at all rafters, at the base of walls, at interior columns, and at connections along the ridge beam. These metal connectors generally far exceed the minimum uplift resistance at their connections and will give the house added resilience against high winds.

STEP ONE: The overall dimensions of the house were standardized in order to use the RAYCORE panels as economically as possible. The St. John prototype is 44’ by 25’. Originally, the home had odd dimensions, but we adjusted the floor plan to fit within the structural modules. It is more cost effective to have a larger building and fully utilize the full module, than it is to cut away excess material. STEP TWO: We placed a 4’ by 4’ grid over the floor plan to determine where SIPs panels ended. Conflicts with the structure was identified, including the locations of doors and windows. STEP THREE: Any panels that did not align with

The St. John Prototype has been designed around the 4’ module of the RAYCORE panel, as previously discussed, taking several steps to implement in the overall design: 1. Assessing the overall dimensions of the house

the 4’ grid was either moved or shifted to allow space for a full RAYCORE panel. The less material that was cut, the less waste. There are a few panels we knew we would have to frame ourselves due to the size, including the two doors and the large window in the living room.

2. Assessing the locations of windows and doors

STEP FOUR: We combined the RAYCORE

3. Standardizing panels to reduce waste 4. Design each wall panel, adjusting openings and braced wall panels to work within the boundaries of each prefab panel.

panels with conventional framing to create the wall panels. Our panels could not be larger than 8’-6” in their narrowest dimension due to transportation restrictions and concerns about the weight of the panel. As panels were designed, the location of braced wall panels and non-structural sheathing were studied carefully to ensure that sheathing was ‘landing’ on solid framing at all sides and required wall bracing was not compromised by the panel layout.

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9'-5"

2'-93 4"

W4 I10 W3

7'-43 4"

I1 1" 4'-44

I7 I5

I11

I12 E3

1" 3'-114

W2 I8

3'-2"

1" 3'-02

4'-103 4"

1" 3'-84

3'-93 4"

S6 8'

S5 4'

S4 11'-5"

Figure 4.5.25 - Braced Wall Framing Plan The interior panels are not constructed with RAYCORE and are standard wood framing that are framed 24” on center. These panels were split if needed to stay within dimensional restrictions.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

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S3 8'

S2 4'

S1 8'

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3'-03 4"

1" 5'-102

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VE

19'

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

E3 N2

E2 N1

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

17'-5"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3'-9 34"

1 19'-4" 3'-0 2"

19'-4"

4' 4'

4'- 10 34"

19'-4" 17'-5"

S2 W2

7'-4 34"

8' 8'

5'-10 21"8'

2'- 9 34"

Figure 4.5.28 - South Wall Braced Elevation E4

3'-0 21"

4'- 10 34"

7'-4 34"

5'-10 21"

3'-0 21"

5'-10 21"

4'-4 41"

3'-11 41"

3'- 2"

3- 8 41"

Figure 4.5.29 - West Wall Braced Elevation 2'- 9 34"

3'-0 21"

W3 4'

4'-4 41"

W23'-11 1" 4

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3'-9 34"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

7'-4 34"

Figure 4.5.27 - East Wall Braced Elevation PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

8' 8'

S4 N4

4'- 10 34"

UTODESK STUDENT VERSION

S5 N5

3'-0 21"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

S6 N6

3'-9 34"

Figure 4.5.26 - North Wall Braced Elevation PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3'- 2"

W13- 8 1" 4

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

To counter shear forces, the braced wall system has been carefully designed to not only exceed code requirements but in such a way as to work more effectively with the prefabricated systems of the house. 3'-0 21"

4'- 10 34"

7'-4 34"

5'-10 21"

2'- 9 34"

3'-0 21"

4'-4 41"

3'-11 41"

3'- 2"

3- 8 41"

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3'-9 34"

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While the wall construction and bracing in the house was designed using prescriptive parts of the International Residential Code, the unique structural system in the roof had to be individually sized, including the rafters and the ridge beam. The porch beam and the larger window headers were sized this way as well. First, we calculated the total load on member. Then calculate what the moment, bending, and deflection of the member will be. Once these numbers are determined they must be compared to allowable values, set by building and construction codes, to see if the size, the species, or type of member performs within the allowable values.

MTL ROOFING 1.0 PSF 1/2" OSB 1.6 PSF 3" XPS 0.6 PSF 1/2" OSB 1.6 PSF 1/2" OSB 1.6 PSF 2x4 RAYCORE1.7 PSF 1 1/2" XPS 0.3 PSF 2x12 DIM LUMB 2.4 PSF 1/2" PLAYWOOD 1.6 PSF TOTAL 12.4 PSF W/ CORRECTION FACTOR OF 1.05 FOR ROOF SLOPE: 13.02 PSF NOTE: 15 PSF DL USED

'17

8' - 7"

ALL OTHER ROOF LOADS: 15 PSF DL + 20 PSF SNOW 15 PSF DL + 20 PSF SNOW + 5 PSF PV

2" 1/

15 PSF DL + 20 SPF SNOW '10

'15

13 '-

31 /2"

NOTE: SEE S2.1 - ROOF FRAMING PLAN FOR STRUCTURAL CONNECTORS

18 '-

HIGHEST LOADED SPAN, SEE CALCS THIS DWG

81 /2"

12 '-

1 RIDGE BEAM DIAGRAM AND CALCULATIONS S3.3

SCALE: 3/16" = 1'-0"

0' - 11 1/4"

(2) 2x12 P.T. PORCH BEAM BENDING AND DEFLECTION CALCULATIONS

0' - 7 1/4"

0' - 1 3/4" (2) 1 3/4" x 7 1/4" LVL DOUBLE HEADER WORST CASE 0' - 1 1/2"

Figure 4.5.30 - Calculating Loads

Overall, there were many benefits of using analysis and coordination in the design of the structural system for the home. These include: • A simplification of structure • Easily reproducible structural bays • Reduced work on-site and reduced costs • A more aesthetic structure suitable for exposure While the use of engineered materials like the RAYCORE SIPs and engineered wood members come at a cost increase versus the cheapest approaches to construction, the savings from reduced material and labor costs will offset the investment in better materials and advanced planning. 250 | The Net Positive Studio

2 PORCH BEAM CALCULATIONS S3.3

SCALE: 3/4" = 1'-0"

Figure 4.5.31 - Structural Calculations

3 HEADER CALCULATIONS S3.3

SCALE: 3/4" = 1'-0"

GENERAL NOTES

1. ROOF DESIGNED FOR 20 P.S.F. ROOF SNOW LOAD

3 1/2" x 14" 2.0E PSL RIDGE BEAM BENDING AND DEFLECTION CALCULATIONS

2. RAFTER END UPLIFT FORCES ARE 155 LBS PER IRC TABLE 802.11 3. RIDGE BEAM WORST CASE UPLIFT 2480 LBS TOTAL FOR 16 RAFTER CONNECTIONS, OR 1240 LBS EA. END

APDesign | Kansas State University AY 2019-2020 Faculty Lead: Prof. Michael Gibson, AIA, NCARB, LEED A.P. ph: (785) 532-5953 (Architecture Department) mdgibson@ksu.edu

Client: Stafford County Economic Devolopment 210 E. 3RD COURTHOUSE ANNEX P.O. BOX 233 ST. JOHN, KS 67576 PH: (620) 549-3527

EFFECTIVE TRIBUTARY AREA FOR EA MEMBER: 2' x 15' = 30 SQFT

LOAD BEARING WALL (1) 4X4 COLUMN

DBL 2x12 S.S. RAFTER 48" FROM OUTSIDE EDGE

Project:

St. John, KS Affordable Net+ Prototype Home '15 4'

-0 "

REVISIONS

LOAD IN BEARING WALL (PANEL S3)

(1) 2x8 SINGLE HEADER WORST CASE LOAD IN BEARING WALL (PANEL E3)

2020-03-14

0' - 7 1/4"

0' - 1 1/2"

(1) 2x12 S.S. RAFTER BENDING AND DEFLECTION CALCULATIONS

Issue Status:

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

Date:

March 14, 2020

4 RAFTER DIAGRAM AND CALCULATIONS S3.3

SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0"

S3.3

3/14/2020 5:17:32 PM

Structural Calculations

251

04 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES

END NOTES

Figure 4.1.1- Image created by Evan Olenburg Figure 4.1.2- Image created by Evan Olenburg Figure 4.2.3- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.4- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.2.5- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 4.2.6- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.7- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.8- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.9- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.10- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.2.11- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.3.12- Image created by Micheal Gibson Figure 4.3.13- Image created by Micheal Gibson Figure 4.3.14- Image created by Micheal Gibson Figure 4.3.15- Image created by Micheal Gibson Figure 4.3.16- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.3.17- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.3.18- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.3.19- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.3.20- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.4.21- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.4.22- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.4.23- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 4.5.24- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.25- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.26- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.27- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.28- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.29- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.30- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 4.5.31- Image created by the studio

[1] U.S. General Services Administration . (n.d.). Sustainable Design. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/designconstruction/design-excellence/sustainability/ sustainable-design

252 | The Net Positive Studio

[2] Passive House Institute US, Inc. (n.d.). The Principles: Passive House Institute U.S. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://www.phius.org/what-ispassive-building/passive-house-principles [3] Hernรกndez, D., Arantani, Y., & Jiang, Y. (2014, January 29). NCCP | Energy Insecurity among Families with Children. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_1086.html [4] Hernรกndez, D. (2013, April 1). Energy Insecurity: A Framework for Understanding Energy, the Built Environment, and Health Among Vulnerable Populations in the Context of Climate Change. Retrieved April 13, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673265/ [5] Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, & United States Department of Energy. (2012). Residential Lighting End-Use Consumption Study: Estimation Framework and Initial Estimates. Retrieved from https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/ publications/pdfs/ssl/2012_residential-lightingstudy.pdf [6] U.S Energy Use Information Administration. (2019, October 12). How much electricity does an American home use? Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=97&t=3

[7] VELUX Group. (n.d.). Daylight calculations and measurements - Daylight, Energy and Indoor Climate Book. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www. velux.com/deic/daylight/daylight-calculations-andmeasurements [8] Oxford: Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. (2002). CIBSE (2002) Code for Lighting. Oxford, England : Butterworth-Heinemann. [9] U.S. Green Building Council. (n.d.). Daylight. Retrieved April 21, 2020, from https://www.usgbc. org/credits/eq8

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05 254 | The Net Positive Studio

CONSTRUCTION 5.1 Procurement 5.2 Mocks - Ups 5.3 Construction Preparation 5.4 Panel Fabrication

255

5.1 PROCUREMENT

Evan Ollenburger

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To produce a set of construction documents, our studio utilized collaborative computer modeling software known as Revit to transform our work from design development into a technical drawing set. Revit is a type of software referred to as Building Information Modeling (BIM), where the elements of the model have embedded information that is valuable for a wide range of applications. This process allowed each individual in the studio to focus on a specific component of the house design, analyze its construction, create 3D visualizations, assist in preliminary cost estimation of materials, and coordinate multidisciplinary project scopes within one comprehensive digital model. Revit enables the creation of a construction drawing set by organizing overall site and building drawings as well as technical detail drawings onto sheets that aid contractors and builders in the precise methodology and installation of construction. Revit also allows changes in the model to propagate across views and schedules automatically, which helped to coordinate early work on the construction drawings, when changes were frequent. In total, the use of this type of model is also referred to as Integrated Modeling: where as much information as possible is coordinated into one model. In addition to a set of construction documents provided to the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contractors and corresponding trades, the studio needed to draw and compile a complete set of fabrication drawings in Revit for the wall and roof panels, as well as casework. The creation of this fabrication set and the high level of detail embedded within it provided us with the ability to use it directly in our material ordering process. We could record the quantity of materials for each panel, providing us more accurate numbers than if we were using paper drawings. We

PV Panels

Structural Model Casework Model

Roof Panels

Site Architectural Model St. John Prototype Combined Model

Structure

Casework

Interior Walls

Exterior Walls

Combined Model

Figure 5.1.1 Integration of Models

257

were able to understand each panel’s material needs individually. Whether it was the framing, sheathing, nail-base sheathing, or finish materials, we could accurately record the precise quantity needed. In procuring materials, we first emphasized items that had the longest lead time. By coordinating between our fabrication set and our preliminary cost estimate, we were able to determine which materials we would need to order first. The RAYCORE panels had the longest lead time at about two weeks. By ordering them early on, it allowed us to move on to competitively quoting other products to ensure we were getting the best price. By staying local for the rest of our materials, the lead time to our shop hovered around one to two days, which meant prefabrication could begin almost immediately after we made an order.

INTEGRATED MODELING WAS CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE STUDIO. The fabrication documents would also become essential to the studio’s shop operation, when 30 wall panels, 22 roof panels, and custom casework would be constructed before their on-site installation. The fabrication set minimized construction errors and created a clear framework for reference during the fabrication process. It was important that the fabrication drawings were made by the same people that would build the panels too, in order to create the feedback loop and put the studio’s work in BIM to the test. Every piece of lumber, screw, nail, and dimension was accounted for to coordinate the construction of each panel with accuracy. 258 | The Net Positive Studio

Integrated modeling, therefore, was crucial to the success of the studio to produce the amount of technical precision and documentation required to catch mistakes and find opportunities to simplify and improve the virtual St. John house. This form of digital collaboration is integral to projects that seek to achieve affordability and sustainability. The intention to maximize functionality and reduce environmental impact, with the minimum amount of materials possible, would be nearly impossible without the control, management, and analysis offered by integrated modeling. Studios that use collaborative modeling software can work beyond 2D derivatives and use the integrated 3D model to discover and eliminate issues early in the design stage to avoid undesired surprises later. This tool significantly assisted our studio in creating the digital representation and documentation of the St. John home, setting the stage for a streamlined construction process and schedule.

259

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5.2 MOCK-UPS Sergio Bichara Before preparing for final construction of the prefabricated components, the team needed to make sure we could easily execute and repeat the necessary steps in our panel construction. If anything in the digital model did not work or needed to be modified, this was the perfect time to identify the problem and resolve it. The studio began building mock-ups of different detail elements and wall and roof assemblies. Using the same materials as the actual build and studying the details at 1-to-1 scale allowed us to analyze how those elements worked and where, if any, problems would arise.

261

The use of RAYCORE was a new material to all involved in our studio. We began our explorations by developing an understanding of exactly what was required to integrate these structural insulated panels (SIPs) into a prefab assembly and how the layers of building material interfaced with this system. An issue that immediately arose was the complexity of how corner details would come together. This prompted the build of one of the studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest mock-ups, a detail of a corner wall connection with roof assembly. The complications we ran into while building this mock-up allowed us to rethink and restructure some of the joinery details of the construction and provided solutions to how these components would be assembled on-site. As we continued to mock-up details and began panel construction, we better understood the ease of constructing in this new way. While structural requirements varied between wall and roof panel assemblies, such as more substantial rafters being a key element in the roofing construction, it took a short amount of time for our entire team to become proficient in building these components.

Figure 5.2.3 Mock-Up Model

262 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 5.2.2 Roof Detail

263

264 | The Net Positive Studio

CABINETS 1

Another important detail that required further exploration was the casework. A base kitchen cabinet was selected to be mocked-up for these studies since the same principles utilized in designing and constructing this single element would be repeated in almost all other casework.

8 9

6 4

The construction of this mock-up, and the subsequent final casework of the design, involved using a CNC to cut and engrave all pieces 9 1 router for assembly. A CNC relies on CAD (computer aided design) generated geometries to complete its processes. This resulted in the need for a 3D computer model to be made specifically for the purpose of fabrication: a model that had to be built in such a way as the cabinet would be built in reality. This essentially allowed us to mock-up the cabinet twice: once in a digital format and second physically.

Figure 5.2.4 -CNC Router File for Casework Concept

Figure 5.2.5 Casework Concept

Early in designing the casework, the studio experimented with several ideas to use as little material as possible to create the cabinet, thus greatly reducing costs. We chose to restrict ourselves to using a single sheet of plywood to fabricate a standard sided cabinet. By using the CNC to cut out waved-shaped strips arranged in a strategic pattern, it allowed the sides and back pieces of the cabinet to still maintain structural integrity while providing sculptural strips to create the front of the cabinet. The idea was to then back-light the interior of the cabinet, so the kitchen presented itself as an interesting focal point from the living area. Although this initial design proved to be a bit more impractical than first thought, it did lend many insights into joinery details as well as properties that we would further explore in the design of the kitchen island.

265

266 | The Net Positive Studio

5.3 CONSTRUCTION PREPARATION Grant Urban Preparing for fabrication consisted primarily of the order, delivery, and organization of materials before in-shop panel and casework construction. Using the refined material estimate, we purchased elements of the panel and casework assembly from local retailers and distributors, which included specified lumber, adhesives, and fasteners that we organized to correspond with their assembly location and machinery requirements for construction. Machines and assembly stations were set up strategically around the shop to maximize efficiency and streamline the fabrication process. While this prefabrication system was developed, multiple students also received specialized training in overhead crane operation prior to panel construction to aid in the lifting and movement of assembled finished panels.

267

268 | The Net Positive Studio

The preparation and organization of materials and assembly stations as a studio was vital to the panel and casework prefabrication operation, so to maximize our production with a significantly accelerated timeline. This process allowed for complete flexibility to construct custom panels and casework, as well as expedite fabrication of similar panels and casework, all in a controlled environment under one roof not subject to weather delays. Sitebased construction is linear, requiring completion of the foundation before you can proceed to framing. The St. John prefabricated prototype would allow for the pouring of the foundation to be done independently of wall and roof panel fabrication, so that the panels in their entirety could arrive and be assembled on-site once the foundation curing is complete. It also promotes and controls fabrication consistency and accuracy, as well as reducing overall construction waste as compared to typical on-site construction methods. This preparation and procedure can save months as compared to a standard construction schedule, and will inevitably reduce months of construction noise, traffic, and mess.

269

270 | The Net Positive Studio

5.4 PREFABRICATION PROCESS Prajakta Thipsay and Rebekka Poole The studio started construction on the panels on March 3rd, and by March 6th, the last day of classes before spring break, we had framed 12 of the 20 exterior wall panels (these 12 panels make up the north and south walls). Although the number of hours worked and people available varied from day to day, the studio averaged about five hours each day we were in the shop, with an average of seven students working. While these 12 panels had yet to receive their sheathing, exterior insulation, and nail-base sheathing, framing the panels is perhaps the first and most difficult stage; once the panels have been successfully framed, they are like full scale drawings and the additional layers can simply be added with minimal measurement. Considering the amount of construction that was done by the studio in such a short period, it highlights why we chose our materials and construction methods. It shows of the advantages of building in a well-prepared shop environment versus is the on-site, stick-framing that is currently used in the residential construction industry.

271

Constructing the exterior wall and roof panels includes two main processes: the framing of the panel (the cutting and assembly of studs and RAYCORE) and its sheathing (the application of OSB structural sheathing, rigid XPS insulation, and ZIP nail base). For interior wall panels, framing is all that is needed, since interior finishes will be added onsite. Each panel has a unique fabrication document providing instruction and installation direction for both framing and sheathing processes.

8' - 0"

1' - 2 1/2"

4' - 0"

CONT. 2x4 CAP PLATE

DBL HEADER 2x8 #2 PINE TRIMMED TO FIT

0' - 1 1/2"

0' - 0 3/4"

0' - 1 1/2"

0' - 9 1/2"

2' - 2"

R.O. W/O PLYWOOD

ATTACH 2x4 TOP PLATE

3' - 8" 7' - 9 3/4"

SEAL JOINT, TYP

0' - 1 1/2"

2x4 PLATE

3' - 1 1/4"

2x4 EDGE STUDS

2' - 2"

1' - 2 1/2"

4' - 0"

RAYCORE INFILL

RAYCORE PANEL

3' - 4 1/4"

3' - 8"

R.O. W/O PLYWOOD

2x4 PLATE

7' - 10 1/2"

8' - 0"

0' - 1 1/2"

0' - 7 1/4"

0' - 1 1/2"

PRESSURE TREATED 2x4 SILL PLATE

1 Panel Framing Elevation - N4 F2.N4

SCALE: 1" = 1'-0"

LEGEND

LE FRAMING MEMBERS ADDED DURING FABRICATION RAYCORE FRAMING

INTERIOR 8' - 0" 0' - 1 1/2"

0' - 1 1/2" 0' - 1 1/2"

2' - 2"

0' - 1 1/2"

0' - 3 1/2"

R.O. W/O PLYWOOD

0' - 1 1/2" 1' - 2 1/2"

4' - 0"

RAYCORE PANEL

2x4 END STUDS

RAYCORE PANEL

SEAL JOINT, TYP EXTERIOR

2 Panel Plan - N4 F2.N4

272 | The Net Positive Studio

SCALE: 1" = 1'-0"

Figure 5.4.6 Fabrication Sheet

0' - 4 1 ZIP

WALL PANEL NOTES

8' - 0"

0' - 4 1/2"

3' - 11 1/4"

1' - 4"

2' - 8 3/4"

ZIP/ OSB

EXTERIOR WALL PANEL NUMBERING BEGINS AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER AND CONTINUES IN CLOCKWISE ORDER.

CONTINUOUS 2x4 CAP PLATE SHOWN IN DRAWINGS IS TO BE ATTACHED ON-SITE.

APPLY ADHESIVE AND FOAM SEALANT BETWEEN ALL RAYCORE JOINTS, AND WHERE RAYCORE INSULATION ABUTS STUDS

4'x8' OSB SHEATHING, INSULATION AND ZIP BOARDS APPLIED DURING PREFABRICATION SHALL BE 3/4" BELOW THE TOP OF THE TOP PLATE, AND EXTEND 2-1/4" BELOW THE BOTTOM OF THE SILL PLATE.

FASTENING COMPLIES W/ IRC 2012 MINIMUM. SEE FASTENING SCHEDULE ON F0.1

SHEATHING EDGES SHALL BE NAILED TO SOLID WOOD MEMBERS OR BLOCKING

SHEATHING+NAILBASE SHALL BE GAPPED 1/8" AT JOINTS

PANEL TO PANEL JOINT WILL BE SEALED IN FIELD

ZIP NAILBASE SHALL BE TAPED AND/OR FLASHED IN THE FIELD

Client:

10.

XPS INSULATION JOINT IN BETWEEN SHOULD BE STAGGERED SO THEY DO NOT FALL AT ZIP JOINTS

Stafford County Economic Devolopment

2' - 2"

R.O. W/O PLYWOOD

INTERIOR

CONT. 2x4 CAP PLATE DBL 2x8 HEADER

APDesign | Kansas State University AY 2019-2020 Faculty Lead: Prof. Michael Gibson, AIA, NCARB, LEED A.P. ph: (785) 532-5953 (Architecture Department) mdgibson@ksu.edu

210 E. 3RD COURTHOUSE ANNEX P.O. BOX 233 ST. JOHN, KS 67576 PH: (620) 549-3527

2x4 TOP PLATE

Project:

1/2" CDX PLYWOOD

St. John, KS Affordable Net+ Prototype Home

EXTERIOR

2x4 SILL PLATE

3 Sheathing Elevation - N4 SCALE: 1" = 1'-0"

8' - 0"

2' - 1"

0' - 0 1/2"

7' - 10 1/2"

-2

11 /1 6"

T NO

0' - 4 1/2"

RC FO

S ON

T UC TR

ION

7/16" OSB SHEATHING

INTERIOR 0' - 0 1/2"

1/2" P

11 '

2' - 2" 3' - 4 1/4"

NOTE: XPS INSULATION JOINT IN BETWEEN SHOULD BE STAGGERED SO THEY DO NOT FALL AT ZIP JOINTS

/8"

BRACED WALL SHEATHING- 6" O.C. EDGE, 12" O.C. INTERMEDIATE NAILING

TYPICAL SHEATHING- 12" O.C. NAILING

EGEND

3' - 8"

F2.N4

NOTE: XPS INSULATION JOINT IN BETWEEN SHOULD BE STAGGERED SO THEY DO NOT FALL AT ZIP JOINTS

1' - 4 3/4"

1' - 4"

2' - 8 3/4"

ZIP

0' - 5"

1' - 5 1/4"

1' - 4"

2' - 8 3/4"

OSB

1 1/2" XPS INSULATION

Issue Status:

7/16" ZIP NAILBASE

PANEL FABRICATION SET

Date:

April 04, 2020

8' - 0"

4 Sheathing Plan - N4

Framing Panel N4

SCALE: 1" = 1'-0"

PANEL CODE: N4

F2.N4

4/4/2020 10:46:27 AM

F2.N4

EXTERIOR

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STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

For the framing of the wall panels, the sill and top plates must be measured and cut first because their overall size is absolute, while the components within the panel have some freedom to shift one way or another. Once the sill and top plates are set, the remaining framing members can be cut and laid out. Rough openings for windows and doors present another dimension that must be absolutely accurate, and the framing around these openings were added with this consideration in mind.

Gluing and nailing should only begin once the fit of all framing members is confirmed. The process for framing the roof panels is the same, except the 2x12 rafters must be cut first.Â

Once a panel is framed, the sheathing elements can be added. The oriented strand board (OSB) structural sheathing is the first of these layers to go on. There are two different ways of fastening the structural sheathing to the framing depending on whether the particular sheathing panel serves as a braced wall or not; braced wall sections require closer fastener spacing to meet structural requirements.

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STEP 4

STEP 5

FIRST PANEL

After the OSB has been installed, the rigid extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation is ready to be applied. The XPS should be installed so that its seams do not match up with the OSB seams to prevent a continuous material gap through the wall, which might result in air infiltration.

The final layer to be installed is the ZIP nail base, which also serves as the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weather-resistive barrier and air barrier Layering the ZIP on the outside will allow its seams to be accessed and sealed in the field, and it can also serve as a temporary means of protecting the walls from rain before the walls are finished.

The first panel to be completely framed was the N4 panel. We chose to fabricate this panel first because it is one of the more complex panels in the set, which allowed us to identify any overlooked issues early in the fabrication process. From the first measurements to the last nail installed, it took a total of 4 hours to frame.

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05 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES Figure 5.1.1- Image created by Jordan Bezdek Figure 5.2.2- Image created by Micheal Gibson Figure 5.2.3- Image created by Sergio Bichara Figure 5.2.4- Image created by Braeden Busenitz Figure 5.2.5- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 5.4.6- Image created by The Studio

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06 278 | The Net Positive Studio

REFLECTION 6.1 Studio Pivot 6.2 Resilience 6.3 Design Variations 6.4 Future of Affordable Housing 6.5 Concluding Thoughts 6.6 What We Learned 6.7 Sources

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Add Picture of Braedy

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6.1 STUDIO PIVOT

Jameson Jones

Just like any carefully laid plans, complications are bound to arise. Unfortunately, just when prefabrication was ramping up in the shop, we learned that all campus activities would be shut down in accordance with Kansas State University’s response to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) and the Net Positive Studio must transition to online learning for the remainder of the spring semester. However, as our construction efforts were abruptly halted, the studio was determined to continue making progress during this unprecedented situation. Rather than focusing on construction, we transitioned our focus towards other critical tasks to push the project closer to completion. Having completed our construction documents and began wall panel prefabrication before Spring Break, we shifted efforts towards finishing designs for the casework, a key interior element of the house’s design. With a considerable amount of time to work remotely, we formed a new team that dedicated their time to producing design and construction documents for the kitchen, closets, and other storage area’s cabinetry elements. In addition to these efforts, we gave significant attention to the compilation and completion of this book, which documents our designs, processes, and activities throughout the academic year. During the COVID-19 crisis, we have been able to reflect on how our efforts to provide rural communities with affordable, energy efficient housing, may become even more important to the future of housing design and construction. We have also been able to reflect on how this crisis has affected us as young design professionals and individuals, and the sizable impact our response can have on the environment around us. These responses are manifested in the form of essays on resiliency during extraordinary circumstances, and reflections of our learned experiences from the studio. You can read these reflections in the following sections of this book.

The completion of the St. John Prototype House may be delayed, but are determined to give persistent, unwavering effort towards its realization. While we can’t fully predict what lies ahead of us, we can always persevere. Through this adversity, we have investigated the needs of families across the country and how we can aid them with affordable, sustainable home design. We are confident that, with determination and continued support, we will be able to share this the prototype as a built work in the near future.`

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6.2 RESILIENCE

Prajakta Thipsay

Following the mandatory protocols of social distancing, the Net Positive Studio too has transitioned into an all-online learning format. As our focus shifted from construction efforts to the intensive completion of our book, we realized this phenomenon was a perfect time to reflect on the impact it would have on our professional careers. After an extended two-week spring break, the Net Positive Studio got together to talk about their outlook on ‘Resilience in Architecture.’ The objective of this research and writing assignment was to introduce the concept of resiliency and understand its relationship between the current events revolving around COVID-19 and the underlying themes of the studio, such as affordable and sustainable housing. Professor Gibson explained the idea of resilience as “the ability of a system to adapt, respond, and recover from a stress or disturbance.” In concept, it shares a great deal of perspective with sustainability, one of the major aspects of Net Positive studio. This assignment was also intended to reevaluate the studio’s design validity for the St. John house in terms of its resilience. Each individual student was tasked with selecting a strong image to support their essay and dive into a variety of subjects to understand resilience. The topics ranged from physical, economical, and psychological aspects, to the importance of essential services, support of daily life, environmental sensitivity, opportunity, and more. As each person explained their outlook on resilience with respect to a specific need in infrastructure and housing, we saw many strong ideas in design and construction. These provoked the thought of our impact through sustainability, affordability and resilience in housing 282 | The Net Positive Studio

design, as well as recognized the importance of physical and psychological research for its effect on families. As a studio, the outcome of this assignment was that we re-examined our design principles, considering this as an opportunity to reflect and be prepared for the future challenges of housing design and construction.

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The Resiliency Initiative Jordan Bezdek

My hope for the future is to take this moment of crisis and turn it into a launchpad for new ideas and new ways of thinking. When I think of resiliency, what comes to mind is the sturdy, strong castles back in the medieval period. “We never know when trouble may strike; every moment is precious, and we shouldn’t squander it.” Some might take that quote in different ways that we should protect everything against trouble. Others might say that we should spend our days without fear of what is to come and only see the here and now. However, you see it, the days pass, and time moves forward, people change, and mentalities adapt. Neither mindset is wrong, but the way we handle crises can impact the outcome. To combat times of change, we must prepare ourselves for times of distress to have the mental fortitude to continue. Almost like a castle that has its defenses up and ready for any moment that danger would strike. Back when architects designed castles, they always had the assumption that it was going to get attacked at some point. Architects designed a castle to be resilient and sustainable in a different sense. We can’t sit back and hide in our castles for 284 | The Net Positive Studio

change to come once the storm is over you must go outside and take stock of the damage it caused then call to action those that will help. A lot like now, one crisis was hurricane sandy. NYC’s reaction to Sandy was creating a sustainable solution for the people and the environment. “After Hurricane Sandy devastated New York in 2012, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan initiated a competition for solutions to improve resiliency in vulnerable areas.” The people demanded change asked designers and innovators like us to make the solution.

Sustainability in Motion Sergio Bichara

The concept of affordable housing has become an appealing choice, due to the current instability of the markets. In response to natural disasters, nations across the world see a need for homes that are built to last through difficult times and protect against the current state of the world. I believe the affordable housing project we are working on is related to this resilience, in the sense that it takes an efficient and proactive approach. Its net-zero design ensures that it will be ready to provide electricity in case the power outages and keep families safe during severe crises.

clean society, as well as one that is sustainable, selfsufficient, and forward-thinking.

Making this project a reality would not only help the architecture world, but people interested in new housing. Homes like these could push us towards more sustainable housing very soon. Other ideas can be applied, such as rainwater collecting, which can supply a non-potable water source for toilets and hoses. With support from American families, these ideas could be applied to housing systems if there was a willingness to make that legal. These ideas are not just pushing toward affordable housing, but also making it more friendly for the environment and more enjoyable for the user. This project should be another example for developing a 285

The True Backbone of America Braeden Busenitz

This has been an eventful semester, and everyone has had to think about the bigger picture. While we worry about environmental sustainability, we often ignore others struggling. This pandemic has not been about the climate, but the rampant loss of life around the world. I feel the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the true backbone of America and also the world - essential services and those providers who rise during this crisis. Living in rural America has allowed me to watch as friends, who provide the sustenance for our country, go about their days as normal. Unlike those in the city, farmers can’t self-quarantine in their homes. They wake up and put in a full day’s work every day. Truckers are still moving needed goods and medical supplies from one corner of our nation to another, air cargo capacity has tripled, and the need to move goods has become even more important. Because of these essential services, we have to reevaluate what is crucial in our society. Often conveniences come before the infrastructure that enables us to remain strong. As a studio, we recognized this “structural” need before the frills that have insidiously become the criteria for “good” housing. Our country has to evaluate how we live, 286 | The Net Positive Studio

especially in response to current issues. Rural America is a viable option again, with essential services that rival any large municipality. It offers the space and freedom that has been a staple of the American dream for centuries. In the past, the job market has dictated a need to move to population centers, but those times have changed. After this pandemic, people will look for options and rethink their reliance on major population centers. If we can do our part to help revitalize rural America, there will be a lasting positive impact on the entire country. I see the affordability of our design as a contributor to this impending movement. In this stressful time, the average American is overextended financially. If we could provide housing that is not excessive or driven by an inflated market, we will play a part in easing the stress of the current homeowner. The Net-Positive approach, in the long run, will contribute to lower utility costs and lighten the burden of its homeowner. The lesson that can be learned through all this is the importance of essential services in society and the need to focus on structure, rather than the superfluities that draw our time and attention.

Crossing the Bridge – Future of Change Evan Ollenburger

How important is the concept of mental health in the design world? Do we consider health often, or even a factor when thinking of the user? I believe designers don’t consider mental wellness enough throughout the design process. In recent weeks, this has become a thought weighing heavily on my mind. Being in quarantine for weeks on end, the strength of my mental wellness has teetered. It brings me to the question: How much of an effect does the designed environment have on our mental health? As we go through a time of uncertainty, our surrounding environment becomes the key tool for our mental recovery and renewal. To be honest, I never thought we would be at this point after reading the early reports of the virus spread. In an instant, daily life was altered drastically and has been a physical and psychological challenge daily. Though I have never struggled with mental health, I know others who have this issue and struggling in this challenging time. Taking a step back, it made me wonder how being inside daily for weeks can affect someone. We rarely consider our environment until we’re isolated in it, which leads me to believe that those with mental health issues are having a much harder time.

So how can we, as designers, create homes that support mental and physical health? Our wellness provides us with a constant personal drive that empowers us daily. Steven Reiss created the “Theory of 16 Basic Drives,” he explained that humans need spaces of curiosity, tranquility, and healing to maintain strong mental health. I believe, through this pandemic, a conversation should be started for our future. That a realization, on a broad scale, about the environment affecting mental health and wellness needs to be made. Allowing us to conclude that mental wellness has to become part of the design process for residential homes. By taking this opportunity, secluded to our respective home environments, we could research the effects of isolation on our mental health and wellness. By recording these changes in our mental state, we could make changes based on these needs for the future of residential design. One way to look at it is that we can find ourselves. 287

Empty & Dilapidated Jeremiah Vick

A rise in empty and dilapidated buildings and a strong need for future sustainability. Society was unprepared for an epidemic like COVID-19; now our culture, companies, and businesses are damaged. Our buildings are now empty, our social constructs broken, and the future in chaos. We were too confined in our bubble to realize the needle was outside. We forgot our need for resiliency and nearly abandoned it, now we are at a precipice to push for more resilient and sustainable designs. We were not prepared, and many businesses will fail due to bankruptcy, despite government assistance. They broke two major rules, one by consuming substantial debts and secondly conducting buybacks during economic growth, though no one expected a â&#x20AC;&#x153;black swanâ&#x20AC;?. We all will have a hard time finding jobs and many will lose theirs, as of April 1st, 10 million Americans are without jobs. Most importantly we face a precedence that will change the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture, and how we interact with people in the future. Culturally things may change, we may see fewer people in physical stores and more on-line growth. The idea 288 | The Net Positive Studio

of social distancing may become permanent, causing businesses to fail. Culture changes with crises, however, we do build more resilient societies from them. We now have an opportunity for businesses to build affordable commercial properties, by adopting sustainable design principles to survive long term closures. People may become reluctant to purchase homes due to the risk of COVID-19 and a market crash. The market should recover before the Net+ Studio project is built. It was designed with a higher level of resiliency due to its low energy, mortgage, and maintenance costs making it affordable. Although, for current homeowners, many will lose their homes due to a lost job or life leaving many empty or vacant until an economic recovery, which takes time. This is a future we now face, a rise in empty buildings and dilapidation. Whatever occurs, there will be a strong need for affordable and sustainable housing in the future to weather storms like this.

Resiliency - 100 Problems, 1 Solution Brandon Cole

I was listening to the news the other day when a story came on. “Hundreds of families in Hawaii are being displaced from their homes daily,” it said. In the wake of a global pandemic, my immediate assumption was due to COVID-19. However, to my surprise, illness wasn’t even a factor. The local islands are still seeing major flooding annually, and this problem only grows as climate concerns become more relevant. That’s when the thought occurred to me. While this terrifying disease spreads, natural disasters are still occurring. All our other problems won’t stop just because something bigger comes along. Likewise, we can’t just react to the scariest story on the news. As our troubles grow, we need to protect from natural disaster before the damage is done. When there are a hundred problems, we can’t solve one. Our current concern is a terrifying one. A virus that evolves as quickly as we learn about it and symptoms that may not even be recognizable until it’s too late. However, where does that leave us? Even when we’ve managed to contain this virus, our problems won’t just end. Something will inevitably take its place. An epidemic, earthquake, or hurricane. The concerns

we should have are endless. That’s why we need to feel safe where it should matter most: Our homes. If we can develop a place that encourages social-distancing, resists flooding or earthquakes, and prevent other disasters that could reach us then we’ve already won the first battle. We have already seen our fellow architects chasing this goal. While some only attempt to prevent the climate crisis, we need to be ready for its effects now. Buildings, such as the one shown, can resist the damage of long-term flooding and save billions of dollars. While preventing flooding, we create more vertical real estate and better infrastructure which allows us to maintain a growing population as well. We need to stop asking what our biggest problem is and instead, “What are all our problems.” More likely than not, we can fix many issues with only a few changes. However, we need to start from the beginning to realize the best result. If we can stop Mother Nature now, we don’t have to respond to her floods, earthquakes and illnesses when it’s too late. 289

Adapting Homes to the New Normal Prajakta Thipsay

The current global situation due to pandemic Covid- 19 has altered the way in which a house function. It is no longer a place that you and your family lives in, but also your school and workplace. Adaptability is a feature, when woven into the house design allows these multifaceted approaches to the usability of the space. In the current situation, where one is required to stay at home and maintain social distance, adaptive feature in the homes becomes a necessity for daily functioning. Looking beyond pandemic situation, adaptive homes also facilitate for shelter to age in place and multigenerational housing making it an important resilient feature. Adaptability in this context means capability of the house to withstand significant changes responding to the social, economical and physical needs of the surroundings and occupants. It should be incorporated at the both macro level like structural design and planning layout and micro level of detailing like furniture design. Adaptability could be further disintegrated into flexibility in terms of planning, convertibility in terms of space usage and expandability or shrink ability as per the users need. 290 | The Net Positive Studio

Architecturally, how does one incorporate all these factors in the house design? Prefab structures are one way to incorporate adaptability into the house design. Making structure independent and panelizing it allows easy access to expand the structure and repair and replace panels in case of damage. It also facilitates flexibility to move interior partitions in the course of time to add or subtract spaces. Movable furniture or modular furniture enables convertibility of the space. Reference image above shows one such instant of convertibility. In the studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house design for St. John community, adaptability is incorporated well into the design where it offers flexibility and convertibility. According to me the concern for adaptability becomes especially relevant today where we are facing economic and social crisis. In broader aspect the houses that are more adaptable can be used more efficiently. Ease of alteration will allow user to occupy the house for a longer period enabling less stress on material resources, human effort and financial burden, while satisfying the occupants need.

Opportunity Rebekka Poole

“Resilience: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to change or misfortune.” This is the definition the Merriam- Webster Dictionary gives for resilience. Many people might say that in our current situation ideal resilience would be the ability to recover from misfortune, recover being the idea of returning to a previous state before a major event like this occurred. Instead of measuring our resilience on our ability to “return to the normal,” we need take a closer look at what true resilience is and focus on our ability to adjust to change, adjust being the idea of adapting, evolving, and growing and not merely returning to what was normal. We are at a pivotal moment where we are going to realize almost everything we have been doing over the past 50 years can now be done in ways that we would have never thought of had we not been forced into taking the measures we are today. Companies and workers are realizing that more work than ever can be completed remotely. Teachers and parents are discovering there is even more resources and knowledge available at our fingertips than they ever thought before. The role of the home is evolving through all this and will continue to grow in importance

through this. This realization that work can be done remotely and require less travel into an office (or equivalent) and that schools and students can have more access to materials, no matter the school size, could impact rural and small town America in ways that we have never seen, making the work we’ve done with Stafford County Eco-Devo more important than ever. If we focus on merely returning to how things were before COVID-19 then we fail to see what could be and what things could become. If we can look through the lens of how can we grow from this, we start to see the opportunities that lay ahead and have the chance to change our way of thinking and doing and potentially start a new chapter in the story of mankind.

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Living Architecture Yu He

The global pandemic has shown that the fragility of our systems comes not just from weakness or lack of technology, but from their inflexibility too. For example, hospitals are poised to fail because they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be adapted fast enough. As humans we have different needs at different times, the whole society is the same. So it is reasonable that the building could adapt to our needs at different times. Architecture should be flexible to grow or shrink. However, building like the hospital which is crucial in this pandemic but it fails to expand as the demands go up. With the confirmed cases soar, the hospital ICU reached its maximum capacity quickly. Because of the lack of ICU units, the hallway starts to fill up hospital beds now. This situation not only puts doctors and nurses in danger but also patience to be arranged in a temporary hallway makes them recover process much slower. And when the hospital canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deal with the new problems, a new hospital will get built. This situation showed us that the hospital has a robust design and it is not designed to adapt to different situations. A similar situation happened to the airport 292 | The Net Positive Studio

design. After 911 happened, the security for flight changed to prevent it happen again. The more strict security check becomes a big problem for airports. Some airports like Kansas city airport had to have a hard time to adopt the new rules. But some airport was flexible enough so they could be changed to new security measures while preserving the quality and function of their spaces. The hospital or the airport having trouble readapt new situations is both a result of the plan but also closely tied to the building structure and materials too. What happens to the building canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t serve the new needs is that in the building culture right now, it is more financially economical to demolish and rebuild than to adapt and reuse. That is why 548 million tons of construction waste went to the landfill site in 2015 in the US. In the net positive studio project, the house used modular design and prefab system, so instead of moving to a new house or scarifies private space, it can be expanded when the clients need to add on a bedroom.

Adaptation Catherine Gutman

Change is inevitable. A building’s ability to adapt is crucial for it to be present and used. Resilient architecture is important for our buildings to become more than just a building. We often think buildings are permanent and everlasting, but this is not true. A buildings depreciate in value over times, it is inevitable. Resilient architecture is diverse and changes within it’s surroundings, while appreciating in value over time. Our Net Positive house is resilient architecture. Everything within our world is connected. The more connected we have, the more likely it is to survive. Connections create different paths when a problem arises. For example, our streets are connected to each other in multiple ways. During road construction, we can maneuver around the construction with other paths. These connections make this system resilient and sustainable. A user’s ability to use the system in different ways. Houses have a similar network to a road system. You enter and exit different spaces. Our house has multiple connections integrated into our design. We had different connects to outdoors, different access points for the site, and different ways of connecting to spaces within

the home. These connections make our house resilient and adaptable. During this time of a pandemic, our home will adapt and change to become a home office, school, and remain a home. If you have a space that is programmed a very specific way, it is hard for reuse and re-purposing. Our central core is designed to be flexible for the homeowners. If the spaces within the chore need to be moved, they can be. We created flexibility within an open space, which allows for resilient architecture. The picture above shows resilient architecture. As architecture we need to stop saying, “ this how the space will be used,” rather, “this how the space can be used over time,”. The image above depicts a skate park located in Torino, Italy. This used to be an only car factory but was repurposed into displaying street art and a community park.

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The Price of the Times Jameson Jones

The onslaught of COVID-19 has exposed the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desperate need for affordable housing that can be a source of strength and resiliency during times of crisis. Having access to affordable, high-quality, net-zero housing could allow households to properly save for emergencies, and more effectively form roots in their communities to establish crucial social networks. Families would be better prepared for adverse times like today, instead of stressing out about their mortgages or wondering how to overcome challenges like childcare and healthcare, which are worsened by frequent moving and lack of employment. Growing more apparent due to the economic impact of the coronavirus is that a pandemic of this magnitude can exacerbate the economic struggle for many families. As more working-class people see a reduction in hours or unemployment as a result of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;stay at homeâ&#x20AC;? orders, additional expenses are presented such as the purchase of excess food or childcare services. Those that are economically impacted by this virus will be faced with the choice between feeding their families or paying their bills. A recent study found that the poorest 20% of U.S. households spend more than half 294 | The Net Positive Studio

their monthly income on rent, any loss of income will set them behind. Additionally, there are overlooked health benefits of affordable housing. Families who struggle to pay rent have frequent difficulty attending to other immediate needs. Individuals may fail to refill prescriptions or not seek medical attention for themselves and their families. What should be a sanctuary where families find refuge and strength is for too many a source of toxic stress and instability. If struggling families continue to pay exorbitant portions of their income on rent, they will never be financially stable and will have fewer assets to aid them during the coronavirus health crisis and the economic decline that is sure to follow. Ultimately the success of these families will be a source of strength for the American economy, strength for our healthcare system, and strength for family life and development.

Affordable Housing Relief Beyond a Global Pandemic Grant Urban

With nearly all Americans under a government-ordered quarantine, resiliency in residential architecture is evolving as a crucial investment for the welfare of everyone. While homes have always protected our safety and well-being from harsh environmental forces and outside contagions, our opposition has evolved. Each day, this lengthy stay-at-home order has led to increased job loss, depriving many of the income they need to pay for costly rents and mortgages. With an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households paying a staggering 50% or more of their annual incomes on housing, this global health pandemic will inevitably add more urgency to solve the preexisting affordability crisis. Historically, emergency relief has been haphazardly realized through forms of temporary, distressed living environments. However, we need housing with the intention of permanence and comfortability through affordability. Architects and builders have a unique opportunity to address housing relief and affordability challenges by rethinking the ways we build. Because of the intensifying housing affordability crisis from construction costs soaring 23.6% above inflation

since 2004, these issues have only increased. Keeping them in mind, our studio has extensively researched and developed creative solutions to housing affordability. Resiliency through our replicable, prototype home will reduce material and labor costs via off-site prefabrication, which could hasten material transportation and on-site assembly in times of crisis. This method is evidenced to accelerate standard construction timelines by enabling the process of on and off-site scopes, such as foundation work and framing, to occur simultaneously. It can reduce waste, lower costs, and allow material storage; and allow operation of machinery within a safe, controlled, centralized environment. Using this method on a broader scale, we can prefabricate and assemble permanent home modules at a faster rate for lesser construction costs, particularly in periods of urgent need. I believe our studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research and development utilizing prefabrication construction methods and assembly will spearhead the affordable, resilient housing response to not only widespread economicfinancial crises, but also permanent prototypical disaster relief solutions for the future.

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Sanctuary

Somnath Mukherjee The resilient design has always been considered during or post-disaster. Where proposals are made to design spaces according to the changing scenario and adapting to the changing environmental conditions. Pandemic like COVID-19 as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called an invisible enemy is a big challenge for most of the population. Major challenges here are not water, wind or earthquake itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an invisible element that is life-threatening. After its widespread people are asked to stay home as long as they can and follow social distancing, in this condition the only place which we can rely on is our own house. We could see how the four walls around us our office are now, our school, our restaurant and our place of worship. This might bring a new change, a new culture which is a more indoor centric lifestyle. With more work from home days, on-line shopping, indoor entertainment people will get comfortable with this kind of lifestyle. This might result in many businesses failing and closing many infrastructures but there is hope for the affordable housing market. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a small town or metropolitan city housing will be in demand and after this pandemic it will take a good amount of time to bring back the economy to normal. 296 | The Net Positive Studio

People will look for more affordable housing rather than lavish apartments. In this scenario, affordable housing can solve the problem for home buyers. Affordable housing will be beneficial for individuals who will be looking for a cheap, energy-efficient and comfortable house this will result in a potential economic generator for communities. Construction worker, plumber, electrician, and many more would find jobs which will help to boost the local economy. Work from home culture will somehow decrease the population migrating from small towns to big cities. Higher quality work and living space inside the house at an affordable cost will attract more people to opt for this kind of housing.

Increasing Carbon Footprint Gaurav Neupane

It’s important to calculate the carbon footprint of our project, how much is our building impacting in our environment, from materials we use to transporting the materials to the site. To keep the carbon emissions of the project zero might not be possible, but efforts to keep it low would make a significant change. Our team has been conscious about deciding our materials, with the constraints of time and funds, to help us grasp a better idea of local and regional construction. The materials should be durable, the design should be vernacular, and the maintenance should be optimal.

A net positive studio headed to solve the affordable housing crisis and to set an example in St. John, Kansas, was put on hold due to a global virus outbreak, a pandemic. A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) assumed to be spread due to the unhygienic filthy market and slaughtering various zoonotic virus-carrying animals, this outbreak might further risk the situation of affordability in the housing market. The situation like this can arise in the future from the climate crisis, flooding climate refugees. How do we raise from these threats and create a safe environment for future? 297

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6.3 DESIGN ADAPTABILITY

Prajakta Thipsay

Adaptability is one of the important features of the St. John Prototype home design. We focused on designing a prototype which would be a multigenerational house that could be replicated by Stafford county’s EcoDevo within a variety of site conditions. We believe that a prototype would be successful solution if it could provide the occupants flexibility to alter and adapt the spaces according to their individual needs, without disrupting the structural systems or passive design strategies. Our studio undertook this assignment to answer the question, “What does adaptability within a home mean to the occupant?” Discussion took us forward to establish to four main types of adaptability, which include: • • • •

Interior and Functional Adaptability Size Modularity Adaptations Universal Accessibility Adaptability to Alternate Sites

While achieving these alternate configurations we centered our adaptability ideas such that we do not digress away from our goals of affordability and sustainability.

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Enlarged bedrooms to better facilitate limited mobility needs

New bathroom designs New cabinetry design

P P

P P P

New Panel Change in Size of Panel

P Exact Panel P Minor Change of Panel

460 additional square feet 6 wall panels increase in size, 3 additional wall panels and 4 additional roof panels are needed

3’+ Clearance Around Beds Walk-in Tub w/ Seat 3’ Interior Doors 30’ x 48” Clearance for Island No Step Shower w/ Movable Shower Head 36” x 60” Clearance for Toilet Grab Bars Wall Mounted Sink 30’ x 48” Clearance for Sink 3’ Interior Doors 5’ Wheelchair Turning Radius 5’ Clearance Around Bed 3’ - 6” Exterior Door

Figure 6.3.1 - Maximum ADA Configuration

UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY The current prototype proposed for St. John did not have a constraint of being ADA accessible. However, with minimal adjustments to the design of the prototype, a home that is suitable for a disabled or handicapped occupant may be easily realized. There are two approaches undertaken to achieve universal adaptability. The first option is to make the house partially accessible, i.e. the common spaces including the living room, dining, and kitchen, and provide a universally accessible, private bedroom and private bathroom space. The second option is to make the entire home universally 300 | The Net Positive Studio

accessible, including all common spaces, bedrooms, and bathrooms. Both of these formal adaptations increase the footprint of the house, although they still keep costs and size manageable at only 1,600 square feet. No major changes would be necessary in the overall layout, maintaining similar construction methods and mitigating cost increase. In both these options, few wall panels and the clear door opening must be increased in size. In the first option, only five structural panels and two door openings must be resized, and two additional roof panels would be required. In the second option, six structural panels

Only 148 additional square feet

5 wall panels increase in size and only 2 additional roof panels are needed

P P P

New cabinetry design

New bathroom design Enlarged bedroom and bathroom to better facilitate limited mobility needs

P P P P P

30’ x 48” Clearance for Island No Step Shower w/ Movable Shower Head 36” x 60” Clearance for Toilet Grab Bars Wall Mounted Sink 30’ x 48” Clearance for Sink 3’ Interior Doors 5’ Wheelchair Turning Radius 3’+ Clearance Around Bed 3’ - 6” Exterior Door

Figure 6.3.2 - Minimum ADA Configuration

and five door openings would need to be resized. This option also requires three additional structural wall panels and four roof panels. Providing these flexible options for the prototype design ensures its accessibility to much larger user group, at a much more affordable rate than traditionally available options.

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SIZE & MODULARITY ADAPTATIONS Returning to the ideas of “aging-in-place” and multigenerational housing, it is essential for a house to grow according to the users need. The St. John prototype has the capability to adjust its size based upon the number of bedrooms needed by the user. The prototype has been designed as a three-bedroom house for a typical family of four people. However, there is flexibility for the house to be constructed - 10" with just a single bedroom module, or 15'constructing additional bedroom modules the original design to 14' - 7" allow for increased occupants. In order to provide additional bedrooms, the full bathroom between the 1 Bedrooms original two bedrooms must be transitioned into a corridor in order to access the additional module. If there was ever a need by the user for a house that is compacted further than the proposed prototype, a sensible solution would be to reduce the living space area. The extension and adaption of this13'prototype is not - 7" limited to a single-story house. This prototype can 15' - 10" be extended to double heighted loft space, allowing users to have more bedrooms in a vertical form. This can be achieved by 2using the same system of Bedrooms prefabrication. The length of each floor panel can be from 8’-0” to 10’-0”. The central space between the support must be adjusted accordingly. The sketch of panel system depicts how prefabrication will work with the vertical format options. While this prototype was not designed with a garage, that does not mean that any future home that is built 13' - 7" could not have one. The most efficient way to add a 15' - 10" garage, would be to build a detached module directly 14' - 7" behind the home, which could then be connected to the home by a breezeway. A breezeway could 3 Bedrooms create another opportunity for an exterior space to be enjoyed by the resident. This detached garage or carport option is intended to add convenience without diminishing the performance of the house’s sustainability design envelope.

Y WA

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Figure 6.3.3 - Size Adaptation

302 | The Net Positive Studio 13' - 7" 13' - 7" 15' - 10"

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2 Bedrooms 1 Bedrooms w/ garage

1 Bedrooms

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Figure 6.3.4 - Size Adaptation

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5 Bedroom with Double Height Living Room Option Figure 6.3.5 - Size Adaptation 4 Bedrooms

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INTERIOR FUNCTIONAL ADAPTABILITY The prototype designed for St. John depicts how a small, affordable and energy efficient home can offer an opportunity for its occupants to alter internal functions of the house without undergoing any structural changes. This flexibility is important for the occupantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to modify their home towards their individual needs. The structural system of the prototype is was designed to offer maximum internal flexibility. The external walls and two interior columns are the only load-bearing elements in the house, providing the user the flexibility to shift or reorient internal walls and casework to increase or decrease the extents and function of a space. Alternatively, non-load bearing partitions could be easily added by the user to create further visual and physical separation of spaces. Throughout this analysis we focused on proposing the functionality alternates, casework design variations and kitchen layout options while preserving the positions of the casework and interior walls. The bedroom options depict various alternatives for its function for single occupant, multiple occupants, or reconfigured as a workspace or nursery. Master bedroom options depict variation in its entry and storage spaces. Kitchen layout options show a fixed layout configuration and movable layout. Living room options provide opportunities to reorient furniture to accommodate more occupants, various seating options and an opportunity to convert the living room into sleeping space with various casework strategies. All of the above changes are designed to showcase options for users of different age levels to comfortably occupy the home with no additional changes to the proposed structural system, interior walls, or casework construction methods.

304 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 6.3.6 - Adaptability Context

Figure 6.3.7 - Spatial Adaptability

Figure 6.3.8 - Adjustable Spaces

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Option 1: One 2’ deep his & her wardrobe One 1.5’ deep wardrobe Queen size bed

Option 2: Two 2’ deep his & her wardrobe Queen size bed TV table

Figure 6.3.9 - Master Bedroom

Option 1: Option 2: Movable island providing flexibility for its Larger counter space, refrigerator closer location and use to dining space, fixed island

Option 1: Movable furniture Figure 6.3.10 - Living Room & Kitchen 306 | The Net Positive Studio

Option 1A: Furniture reconfigured to accommodate larger group of people

Option 3: Cooking counter interacting with living and dining space. The island counter has breakfast bar

Option 2: Built in seating

Option 1: One user Cradle + Play space+ Wardrobe with table

Figure 6.3.11 - Bedrooms

Option 4: Two user Two Single beds+ Wardrobe with dresser

Option 2: One user Single bed+ Study+ Wardrobe

Option 5: Two user Bunk bed + Play space+ Wardrobe with dresser

Option 1: One user wardrobe+ Study

Option 2: Two user wardrobe+ Dresser

Option 3: Two user wardrobe

Option 4: One user wardrobe+ changing table surface

Figure 6.3.12 - Bedroom Casework

Option 3: One user Full size bed + Wardrobe with study

Option 6: Study or Workspace Three study tables+ storage space

Figure 6.3.13 - Entertainment Center 307

ADAPTABILITY TO ALTERNATE SITES AND ORIENTATIONS The neighborhood analysis of St. John showed a substantial number of vacant parcels within the city limits. Our initial prototype project site was designated at the corner of Broadway Street and East 8th Avenue, however, EcoDevo has proposed to replicate this prototype on three additional parcels as infill developments. The three other proposed sites include 806 North Broadway Street, 215 South Broadway Street, and 302 East 1st Avenue. While working on alternate site configurations, we proposed two houses on each parcel to maximize their occupant density, due to their sufficient size. The layout is proposed in such a way that each of these prototypes would have separate pedestrian and vehicular access as not interrupt each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privacy. Community garden spaces are proposed to encourage the sense of ownership on the shared lot. Another important consideration was to investigate and determine possible site configurations for the prototypeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position and orientation. Site conditions may vary from parcel to parcel, potentially with or without access to a service alley and their relationship to the street. This analysis, although unique for every site, is useful for replicating the prototypes on various lots where the client or occupant is looking to maximize the sites efficiency. Lastly, we investigated the possibility of creating connected units, such as a duplex configuration. The options that we generated for the units emphasized retaining privacy while also providing various entry sequence and shared space relationships.

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Figure 6.3.14 - Site Orientation

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Figure 6.3.15 - Attached Units

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Figure 6.3.16 - 302 E. 1st St.

Figure 6.3.17 - 806 N. Broadway 310 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 6.3.18 - 215 S. Broadway

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6.4 FUTURE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING Jeremiah Vick Today, as we all reflect on what is happening in the world beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in the search for affordable and sustainable housing, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to recognize that the path towards the solution is much greater than simply providing Net Positive housing. However, the benefits our studio has concluded about Net Positive housing as a viable approach are impactful, not only for our environment but also for our local and national economies. It maintains financial stability by giving families a level of resiliency if someone may they lose their job, become disabled, or are affected by unforeseen circumstances. If we can design a home that offers a mitigated financial burden to individuals, then we will continue to help design an appropriate solution. It should no longer be a matter of luxury, but a matter of necessity, for society to accept the value of resiliency against unpredictable situations, like job loss, natural disasters, or medical issues/bills. An energy bill at times can become a liability for families, and for families that succumb to less fortunate circumstances this could result in a battle for their livelihood. This is why the Net Positive Studio works diligently towards the critical necessity for new housing solutions. Net positive solutions break through the barriers of unaffordability and limit their negative environmental impact. The time has come for new, viable options for the future of residential construction, and that time is now; we are dedicated to providing just that. We live in a very interesting time, where we can push design and construction innovation further than ever expected, to improve the quality of life for every family. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer enough to create a home that is only functional and beautiful without being affordable for the people that deserve it. For now, we strive to take the first step by being transparent with our process, research, and design solutions, with the intent that this book may be a guide and precedent for future designers of affordable housing solutions, safeguarding families when they can expect the unexpected. 312 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 6.4.1

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6.5 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Rebekka Poole

The housing crisis in America is more than just an issue involving homeowners or renters. It is a phenomenon that is negatively impacting communities and cities across the country. None feel it more impactful than small, rural communities where housing options are an invaluable method to sustain already tenuous economies and populations. To solve this crisis means rural communities may have a fighting chance to breathe life back into their economies and community growth. This crisis will remain static if we as designers, architects, and builders continue traditional practices and habits without the initiative to constantly improve. As young design professionals, we are problem solvers and it is our responsibility to provide solutions to relevant issues of the built environment. Yet, all too often we lose that vision and continue to perpetuate the problems rather than solve them. Our studio seeks to change that.

THIS CRISIS WILL REMAIN STATIC IF WE AS DESIGNERS, ARCHITECTS, AND BUILDERS CONTINUE TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND HABITS WITHOUT THE INITIATIVE TO CONSTANTLY IMPROVE. This housing crisis is more than simply a lack in quality housing being available to the masses. It is a lack in housing that is livable, sustainable, affordable, and built with expedience. We need housing that functions well for, and supports, its residents while providing opportunities for growth, and is 314 | The Net Positive Studio

environmentally and economically sustainable. We need housing that utilizes innovative construction methods and passive systems to bring down energy consumption and utility costs. Lastly, we need housing that does not burden the homeowner unnecessarily with high upfront costs or astronomical repair or replacement costs. The studio recognized early on in our research that for the prototype to have any chance at becoming a successful solution, that all three of these elements must be investigated equally and thoroughly throughout the entire design and construction process. Our studio has, by no means, discovered the only answer to this crisis, nor has every avenue of inquiry been explored. However, the work the studio has completed has led to a legitimate and viable housing solution that can be utilized and built upon by those that are driven to fix the problem. The research and developments of design and construction made by the studio may become a baseline foundation for those wishing to provide further solutions towards the value and meaning of home.

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316 | The Net Positive Studio

6.6 WHAT WE LEARNED

Rebekka Poole

Our fifth-year experience has undeniably been filled with new and unique learning experiences. By working on this project from its conception into construction, we not only increased our technical skills that we have been shaping throughout our academic careers, but we have advanced our knowledge base on how to conduct proper research, become actively involved in community engagement, and organize collaborative teamwork. These are skills that will help further all our endeavors in the future, and our professional careers. The following essays are thoughts of the students on how the lessons and processes of the studio have benefitted them, as they conclude their academic careers.

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Figure 6.6.1

For the People by the People Somnath Mukherjee

During my summer internship in the Summer of 2019, I was in a small town named St. Francis, Kansas. A population of not more than 1200 people. I am from India people can imagine that I have no experience living in a small town. During my stay in a Small-town, I learned how people in the town are always there for each other. Then I got this opportunity to work on our Studio Project to build a NET+ house for the community of St. John. I was very excited to get that experience again. A small town has its charm, old architecture, farms, people waving at you, and many more. I feel projects like these are perfect for any graduating student as they learn their responsibility towards society. I learned how our expertise and knowledge can help a thriving community. An affordable and energy-efficient shelter is the best way to enter the profession. Each person in the studio had a different approach to the project. The good thing about working together was we could learn a lot from each other and share our experience. Our studio was super productive. I feel in the profession of architecture group work is one of 318 | The Net Positive Studio

the important factors for a successful project. Each member of the group has something important to offer and you eventually gain that confidence and knowledge who is good is what. Our team investigated every corner of the property before finalizing anything, which is also the benefit of working with a proactive group. Apart from that, the individual responsibility that was given to me pushed me to do more research and learning. Our studio was grouped into many departments and each department was working towards making this project a reality. This studio prepared us for practice by, in some ways, replicating the way practice works. Much of the work we do in an architecture firm will be in collaboration with others. In fact, it is tricky to envisage a project which would not have the input of other people. This is one of the key skills that will put us in good stead in the office environment as a graduate. In the end as a studio, we were so confident that after every alteration we were sure that we will be able to bring it to reality. “Together we stand, divided we fall” – S Vivekananda.

Figure 6.6.2

New Perspective Jeremiah Vick

At a young age I knew I wanted to help people. At the age of fourteen I decided that I wanted to design low-income housing and/or affordable housing projects. I think the largest impact on me from this studio has been getting the chance to work closely with community members and to figure out real problems communities face. Not very many people get this specific experience, and I think it’s important because it changed my views on what it really means to help individuals. I didn’t realize that it’s more than just housing that benefits the community. Conducting research on St. John and figuring out the real problems the town faced made me understand there are so many kinds of projects and designs I could pursue to help individuals and communities. For instance, the turning point for me was when I found out that St. John lost its grocery store and had risked becoming a food desert. When a town loses a

grocery store it usually indicates that the town will fail, and their would be a likelihood that prospective residents might choose more convenient places to live. This is a huge problem for many towns across America, and I think it moved me from thinking about just housing, to designing different types of projects for communities. When I found out the town built its own grocery store and received a federal grant and community support to build it, this made me appreciate the possibility of design even more. Now the town utilizes the grocery store and gas station they built as a source of revenue for town improvements. I think this kind of innovation is inspiring to me and it’s the kind of work I want to be involved with in the future. This is a significant story to tell and is of great inspiration to me. Without Eco Devo the Non-Profit community-based organization none of this would have been possible.

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Figure 6.6.3

What I Learned Grant Urban

The resilient design has always been considered during or post-disaster. Where proposals are made to design spaces according to the changing scenario and adapting to the changing environmental conditions. Pandemic like COVID-19 as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called an invisible enemy is a big challenge for most of the population. Major challenges here are not water, wind or earthquake itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an invisible element that is life-threatening. After its widespread people are asked to stay home as long as they can and follow social distancing, in this condition the only place which we can rely on is our own house. We could see how the four walls around us our office are now, our school, our restaurant and our place of worship. This might bring a new change, a new culture which is a more indoor centric lifestyle. With more work from home days, online shopping, indoor entertainment people will get comfortable with this kind of lifestyle. This might result in many businesses failing and closing many infrastructures but there is hope for the affordable housing market. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a small town or metropolitan city housing will be in demand and after this pandemic it will take a good amount of time to bring back the economy to normal. 320 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 6.6.4

Lessons Learned Braedy Busenitz

essons Learned

ing with my hands and actually building the ideas in my mind. I A net positivein studio headed to solve the a real sense of satisfaction identifying a need in aaffordable structure to housing crisis and to set an example in St. John, Kansas, ate and enhance living, and being able to create and build a was put on hold due to a global virus outbreak, a on that satisfiespandemic. that need. A novel corona-virus (COVID-19) assumed

to be spread due to the unhygienic filthy market and slaughtering various zoonotic animals, this oubt, this has been an unbelievable time virus-carrying in our nation’s history, outbreak might further risk the situation of affordability r the first time everything was forced to grind to a halt. If you in the housing market. The situation like this can arise in the old me, even two months ago, that a state university would future from the climate crisis, flooding climate refugees. to suspend on-campus learning, I would have and thought How do we raise from these threats createita safe ssible. Unfortunately for our environment for studio, future? it actually came to pass.

atter how wonderful and productive on-line learning is osed to be, it cannot accomplish the construction of a home.

esson I learned this year is the aspect of flexibility. We had to

It’s important to calculate the carbon footprint of our project, how much is our building impacting in our environment, from materials we use to transporting the materials to the site. To keep the carbon emissions of the project zero might not be possible, but efforts to keep it low would make a significant change. Our team has been conscious about deciding our materials, with the constraints of time and funds, to help us grasp a better I now know that I want to work for a design, build arch idea of local and regional construction. The materials I likebetodurable, not only involved design and but really en should thebe design shouldinbethe vernacular, process well and seeing the completion theconstruction maintenance should be as optimal.

designs I am involved with.

As with everything, I have learned a lot through this stu example was creating an entire cabinet out of a single s plywood in order to produce zero-waste. Although this accomplished one of our net positive goals, it presently outside of the box to be realistic. Another real-life less pushing the envelope has to be done in small incremen right time.

I also came to my own realization about net positive co 06 Unfortunately, the costs associated with green 321 constru too high to be available to all economic groups. Under prices on the back-end should recoup some of the fron

Figure 6.6.5

Communication mmunication Catherine Gutman

Gutman Whether it is through your words or actions, we

During this semester, we also assembled a full construction document set and fabrication set. These communicate with others. It is imperative what you documents are fundamental to architecture, and every say and how you say it when it comes to design. Clear t is through your words, or actions we fundamental to architecture, and every person draws person draws differently. One day in class, five people communication is crucial to success. As future architects, cate with others. It is very important what you differently. One day in class 5 people each said, “ At my each said, “ At my firm, we draw it this way.” It was we are tasked with generating instructions for assembling ow you say it when it comes to design. Clear firm we draw it this way.” It was very interesting seeing fascinating seeing the different options for communicating a building, a room, a site, or artwork. In the process, the different options for communicating in construction cation is crucial to success. As future architects in construction drawings. During this process, I also it is our job to communicate everything involved with drawings. During this process I also helped on the sked with generating instructions for assembling helped with the structural set more than the architectural a project; we are the manager and the leader. As the structural set more than the architectural set. I learned , a room, a site, or artwork. In the process it is set. I learned how structural engineers look at a project semester continued, I learned every day how vital and what their drawings need to communicate as well.  communication was.  how structural engineers look at a project and what their communicate everything involved with a

drawings need to communicate as well. e are the manager and the leader. As the Finally, and arguably the most important, I learned the During this semester, we had to present our idea to continued I learned everyday how important importance of communication to work together. Early critiques. We learned the difference between critiques Finally, and arguably the most important I learned the cation was. in the year, we were all timid and did not work with with architects, professors, and the client. Each of these importance of communication to work together. Early in people we did not know that well. As the semester members involved has different priorities within this s semester we had to present our idea to a continued and we worked together, I was proud of project; therefore, they will each communicate differentlythe year we were all very shy and didn’t to work with what we accomplished. We were able to generate with different concerns. It is essential to understand your people we did not know that well. As the semester We learned the difference between critiques many designs, renderings, and concepts the more we audience and to communicate the right information. With continued and we worked together, I was proud of what tects, professors and the client. Each of these communicated. When we fell short, it was typically presenting, your graphics and verbal communication we accomplished. We were able to generate many involved have different priorities within this due to a lack of communication. With 14 people in the should be saying the same thing.  designs, renderings, and concepts the more we herefore they will each communicate differently studio, communication was challenging, but when we did communicated. When we fell short it was typically due to rent concerns. It is important to understand your communicate, we created fantastic work.  a lack of communication. With 14 people in studio, and to communicate the right information. With communication was very difficult, but when we did g, your graphics and verbal communication communicate, we created amazing work. saying the same thing. 322 | The Net Positive Studio

s semester we also assembled a full construction

Figure 6.6.6

When a Group BecomesBecomes a Team When A Group A Team Rebekka Poole

Rebekka Poole

Our production and consumption processes are leading greater waste for the earth’s capacity, which sets us Throughout our so much. We further back to years achieveinaschool greater we goallearn in sustainable architecture. A human-centered society’s inability learn how to design, how to express our ideastousing acknowledge nature’s importance is a major reason for imagery, models, and other media. We learn how to earth’s degradation. We are creating waste and seeking design efficient systems create architecture easyand waysbuild for construction to make it to slightly more profitable to lose a safe environment which prevents that lasts. Yet these are not the only skills needed to us from unforeseen biological contamination. It’s like successfully complete a project. A successful team needs buying petty stuff for our house to waste money and time good communication skills and good leadership to managing the same stuff.

complete a project. Without these characteristics, even net positive headed to solve the affordable theAmost skilledstudio and qualified persons will be unable to housing crisis and to set an example in St. John, Kansas, complete the tasks needed. was put on hold due to a global virus outbreak, a pandemic. A novel corona-virus (COVID-19) assumed

th year studio saw us move through almost every Thisto5be spread due to the unhygienic filthy market and slaughtering variouscreation. zoonotic virus-carrying animals, thisand site stage of a project’s From neighborhood outbreak might further risk the situation of affordability in research, to schematic design and design development, to the housing market. The situation like this can arise in the construction documentation and construction; there were future from the climate crisis, flooding climate refugees. Howmoving do we raise from these threats and create safe into many parts involved requiring us toa split environment for future? different groups at different times. Overall, the project ran smoothly but when we did run into issues and had complications it was due to a breakdown in our communications. Groups weren’t talking to one another,

It’s important to calculate the carbon footprint of our project, how much is our building impacting in our were doing was we part larger whole. environment, from materials useoftoatransporting the Once we materials to the site. To keep the carbon emissions of the to reestablish our communication network, thin project zero might not be possible, but efforts to keep once again run smoothly. it low would make a significant change. Our team has been conscious about deciding our materials, with the A good project also relies on good leadership. W constraints of time and funds, to help us grasp a better that a collection of individuals who divide up idea of local andbe regional construction. The materials should be and durable, the design should be vernacular, project management tasks or aand single point the maintenance should be optimal.

members of the team can look to for guidance. this project, we were able to experience both le methodologies and we were able to navigate th pros and the obstacles that come with both styl learned that while both can be effective ways to project, they both can hinder a project and its p not effectively utilized. Overall, as a team when breakdowns would occur, we were able to figur root cause, overcome it, and persevere.

Our project these last two semesters has shown 06b team can have many highly skilled individuals 323 means nothing if there is a breakdown in comm between teams and team members or uncertai

Figure 6.6.7

Strengths Jordan Bezdek

Our production and consumption processes are leading greater waste for the earth’s capacity, which sets us further back to achieve a greater goal in sustainable architecture. A human-centered society’s inability to acknowledge nature’s importance is a major reason for earth’s degradation. We are creating waste and seeking easy ways for construction to make it slightly more profitable to lose a safe environment which prevents us from unforeseen biological contamination. It’s like buying petty stuff for our house to waste money and time managing the same stuff. A net positive studio headed to solve the affordable housing crisis and to set an example in St. John, Kansas, was put on hold due to a global virus outbreak, a pandemic. A novel corona-virus (COVID-19) assumed to be spread due to the unhygienic filthy market and slaughtering various zoonotic virus-carrying animals, this outbreak might further risk the situation of affordability in the housing market. The situation like this can arise in the future from the climate crisis, flooding climate refugees. How do we raise from these threats and create a safe environment for future? 324 | The Net Positive Studio

Figure 6.6.8

Looking Backback to what I learned Looking Sergio Bichara

Sergio Bichara

The resilient design has always been considered during

This final college year has been a great are transition my future work or post-disaster. Where proposals madeinto to design career. the beginning the end scenario I feel thatand I have slowly modify spacesFrom according to the to changing adapting the I approachenvironmental every project. I was able to develop skills that are to way the changing conditions. Pandemic crucial to help measbecome a successful member of aisfirm. like COVID-19 it’s called an invisible enemy a bigThere are specific qualities that I have acquired. challenge for most of the population. Major challenges For example, I feel that throughout this year I have learned to here are not water, wind or earthquake it’s an invisible be part of a team. From the beginning of the design process I have been element is life-threatening. placed intothat a group. Differently from how I have been working these past years, I learned to share my ideas and listen more closely to other After itstowidespread people are askedThis to experience stay homehas help me member come up with final decisions. as long theyobjective can andabout followthe social distancing, in this someone into beingasmore way the I design because else was going constantly be looking at it rely very on critically. condition thetoonly place which we can is our Another thing that from typesee of activity wasfour to be morearound responsible ownI learn house. Wethis could how the walls us with tasks that I was because it was a team effort and our office are assign now, our school, our restaurant andnot ouronly my own. place of worship. This might bring a new change, a new Another important lesson that I have learned from this year culture which is a more indoor centric lifestyle. With was that several times I am going to rely on other people. Members of more work from home days, online shopping, indoor our studio had to call several times to a number of companies and entertainment will get individual to be topeople put together thiscomfortable project. The with studiothis haskind to be of lifestyle. This might result in many businesses failing constantly researching and talking to people to get things done. In one and closing manygot infrastructures there forsomething the occasion, our order delayed so ourbut team had istohope look for affordable market. it’sItawas small town or of else to do so housing that we would notWhether waste time. these types situations that made me understand there areand going to be metropolitan city housing will bethat in demand after this unexpected goingamount to be facing onceto I start pandemic situations it will takeI am a good of time bringworking. back For me, the economy to meeting normal.the datelines was very important as well. The house that we have been working for the St. Johns’ project throughout this school year help me be more conscious about meeting deadlines because people outside of school were depending on our work. I had to organize my schedule and dedicate time to this project so that I could

People will look for more affordable housing rather than meet those deadlines. For instance, I had tohousing organizecan my busy sche lavish apartments. In this scenario, affordable in order to befor able to travel to ST. Johns. In other occasions we had solve the problem home buyers.

have some of our work done and ready to be presented for the peo

at St.housing Johns. will be beneficial for individuals Affordable Probably my favorite part of this year was to be at the sh who will be looking for a cheap, energy-efficient and work on the panels for the house or building some furniture. I have comfortable house this will result in a potential economic always like to work on crafty projects without the chance to be gui generator for Construction throughcommunities. any sort of process or having worker, to tool to learn how to build, plumber, electrician, and many more find jobsI have learned instance furniture. Lucky this yearwould it was possible. which will help to boost the local economy. Work from on what I was different ways on how to work the wood depending home culture will somehow the population to accomplish. Whetherdecrease it was building the panels for the St. Johns project the cabinets forbig thecities. kitchen there are different ways as h migrating fromorsmall towns to Higher quality work andspace what tools tothe use.house One important aspect of building that work and living inside at an affordable thatpeople there are preview things to do cost willlearned attractwas more to opt for this kind of before to start wo housing.with the wood. For example, to build the house panel, we had to b

two platforms and drilled some pieces of wood so that when we bu the panels they will be perfectly squared. That was my favorite par the whole Studio. I believe the experiences and knowledge I have acquire o year studio is helping me to transition into the professional field. Learning teamwork is going help on the daily day to develop worki relationships with my future coworkers. Realizing that sometimes going to rely on other people is going to encourage me to be on m and try not to make any mistakes that can delay the process even m Meeting deadlines I think is probably the most important I have lea especially in this profession. But my favorite one is going to be06 wor 325 at the shop not only because I like it but also because it is going to me self-aware of how the building is going to be put together when building process begins.

Figure 6.6.9

Design to Build Prajakta Thipsay

Design to Build

minimizing labor time while building it. Another important aspect was to develop a system for fabrication sheet set that would be easy to read. The transition from developing structural Revit model to creating fabrication sheets was important as it was The design-built aspect of the Net+Studio is what attractednot just me, modified thestudio design to fit into 4ft be grid to ease but all the members would Throughout the past year in this course I gained a lot it. me to join the studio, which investigated in my studies of constructing construction. Through out the process of structural of skills while undertaking tasks in a variety of important interest i.e. housing andvarious sustainability. The most designing we concentrated on minimizing the material contexts. However, structural analysis, investigation in the We were fortunate enough to have a chance to work in perspective that I gained from the studio is to design with wastage and using the entire 4 ft. Raycore panel. This prefabrication process, and its importance in this scale of the shop to test our prefab design. The result of this work wholistic about aesthetics, confirmed the resulted reducing the overall project cost significantly project is approach. what has lefti.e. thethinking largest impact ondesign me in this ease ofinconstruction we had hypothesized costing, detailing, material selection and structural and minimizing human effort while entire learning process. while designing the structural system. We could buildbuilding it. designing simultaneously and not having any of these as many panels within a short period of time. Undeniably, designing the structure we first investigated the coordination and dedication the studio also anWhile afterthought. We were fortunatewithin for having a chance in the workshop he prefab aspect of the design. We studied its pros played a major role in it. test our prefab design for ease in construction. The resu and cons and developed a way to move forward. We Throughout the past year in this course I gained a lot of confirmed ease of construction aspect as we could studied Raycore SIPs as the base of construction In this process I learnedthe the importance that structural skills while undertaking in the variety of build many panels withinToaconclude, short period of time. material and modified thevarious design tasks to fit into a fourdesign played in success of the project. foot grid to simplify construction. Throughout the exercises. However, structural analysis, investigation in the approach Undeniably, the coordination dedication within the of ‘Design to Build’ while workingand on the process of designing the structure we concentrated structures was the also most played important learningrole process the prefabrication and its importance in this scale of studio a major in it.that I on minimizing material wastage and using the entire underwent, a valuable skill that I will take with me into my projects is what has left the most impact on me in the four-foot. Raycore panel. This resulted in reducing professional career. Professional architects must advance entire leaning process. In this process I learnt the importance that structural the overall project cost significantly and design through a wholistic lens of ‘Design to Build.’ The most important perspective that I gained from the studio is to design with a wholistic approach, i.e. thinking about design aesthetics, cost, detailing, material selection, Prajakta Thipsay and structural design simultaneously and not having any of these as an afterthought.

So, while designing the structure we first investigated in 326 | The Net Positive Studio the prefab aspect of the design. We studied its pros and cons and concluded it as the way to move forward. We

design played in success of the project. To conclude, the approach of ‘Design to Build’ while working on the structures was the most important learning process tha underwent, which I shall follow later in my professional

Figure 6.6.10

Design to Build Design to Build Yu He

Yu He

Architecture has two parts, design and build. In the five years of learning in k-state. Most of what I learned is design. But I know that no matter how beautiful the design is, there are always some construction problems that could screw up the design. I don’t have much experience A net positive studio headed to solve the affordable crisis andstuff to set an example St. John, Kansas, for construction. But I ofhousing building and noinexperience was put on hold due to a global virus outbreak, a am passionate about(COVID-19) build something in real life. pandemic. A novel corona-virus assumed to be spread due to the unhygienic filthy market and slaughtering various zoonotic virus-carrying animals, this outbreak might further risk the situation of affordability in the housing market. The situation like this can arise in the future from the climate crisis, flooding climate refugees. How do we raise from these threats and create a safe environment for future?

Luckily, we have the net positive studio, so I can get the experience of building a real house before I graduate. It is much different from the studio I had before. In the net positive studio, the design process and build process are equally important. We have to be more practical compare to previous designs. Not only have an elegant design, but

The first corne tools for the fi There is a stud materials. So in didn’t know w but in the wor

But it was muc With the expe more comforta pieces and nai exercise, I lear 06 327 selection of th connection be

Figure 6.6.11

I Learned at I What Learned… Jones

Jameson Jones

Being part of this design build studio during the last chapter of my academic career has been a unique and part of this designexperience, build studio during the last challenging one that has taught me about the practicalcareer and professional sides of architecture. of my academic has been a unique and There are parts ofone architecture that have remained vague no ging experience, that has taught me things matter how many times a professor explains them, but he practical and professional this studio has given them sides clarity. of There are matters of budgets, client relations, and all the that must be ture. There are parts of architecture details that have thought of in order to get a project built. Suddenly all ed vague no matter how many times a professor these things have become real. I have learned how much them, but thiscan studio madeofthem become a budget drive has the scope the project, and even the design choices that you make. Besides learning I am speaking about the matters of budgets, about how to manage a budget, I have also come to learn how to lations,navigate and allclient the details that must be thought relationships. It has come apparent to me der to get project built.clear, Suddenly all these justahow important concise communication is with your clients as well as how much stronger your project ave become real. I have learned how much a can be if you and your client work as a team advancing can drive the scope of goal. the project, and even the towards the same

hoices that you make. Besides learning about the design process, have learned that how having a manageAbout a budget, I have alsoI come to learn healthy dose of criticism is paramount to the success of a ate client relationships. It hastocome apparent to you project. You cannot afford be naïve and think that do not need it. how important clear, concise communication is ur clients as well as how much stronger your | The Net Positive Studio can be if328 you and your client work as a team ng towards the same goal.

Without it you can fool yourself into thinking that your design is exceptional and the right solution to the design a project. You cannot to criticism be naïve problem. In reality youafford need that to and work think out that all of theneed inevitable kinks, which thecan end fool will result in you do not it. Without it in you yourself into a better design. This criticism is received differently by a thinking that your design is exceptional and the right group than it is by an individual. We were all collectively solution problem. reality you need that driventotothe pushdesign the project forward,In with everyone becoming more open to new ideas. Intertwined with the criticism to work out all of the inevitable kinks, which in success of a project is the success of the team. This is the end will result in a better design. Intertwined with the first academic project that I have been involved with the success of aworking projectwith is the success of the team. This that included a large team. What it has taught me is that teamwork is hard. For a project to be is the first academic project that I have been involved successful, everyone needs to give it their all. This process with can that included working with a large team. What it be helped if at the beginning of a project, the team has taught is that teamwork is hard. For a project to can workme swiftly to identify an individuals’ strengths and weakness in order to create a more efficient team. be successful, everyone needs to give it their all. This

process bethat helped if at will thecontinue beginning of a project, I am can certain this studio to influence me the team canI have workgraduated, swiftly to an individuals’ long after andidentify that the lessons learned will remain bits of that I cana call strengths andvaluable weakness ininformation order to create more upon when needed. efficient team. I am certain that this studio will continue to influence me long after I have graduated, and that the lessons learned will remain valuable bits of information that I can call upon when needed.

Figure 6.6.12

Cost Estimation

Evan Ollenburger What You Learned â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cost Estimation To be honest, I have been very fortunate to be apart of

EvantheOllenburger Net+ studio. There have been opportunities in this

studio to learn new things, collaborate with my peers, and work anIactual to finish.to Because To be honest, haveproject been from verystart fortunate be of these opportunities, new chances to learn have arose, and apartone ofofthe Net+ studio. There those opportunities to learnhave camebeen with our cost estimation. opportunities in this studio to learn new things,

collaborate peers,might andseem worklikeana actual To some, awith cost my estimation lot of numbers, a lot of math, and just a straight up hassle. I project from start to finish. Because of these can just confirm it is all 3 of those. While it is something opportunities, new chances to learn have arose, different and not usually thought about during school, and Ione of thosefortunate opportunities to learn am extremely and honestly proudcame to havewith worked on ours for our studio. our cost estimation. It brought with it a new way to think about a project, while allowing for new experiences To some, a cost estimation mightdealing seemwith likeour a lot of client, suppliers, and our studio team. It really showed numbers, lot of math, andan just a straight up cost me the aimportance of having accurate and clean estimate, because ultimately, it is one of the biggest hassle. Well, I can just confirm, it is all 3 of those. driving forces behind a project.

While it is something different and not usually thought about during school, I am extremely fortunate and honestly proud to have worked on ours for our studio.

As a studio, we had our design, but we really needed to understand the tangible aspects of it. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where our cost estimate came in. It helped us understand the details, materials, and with how we going to to takethink the approach It brought it were a new way about a to prefabrication. Having our accurate cost estimate project. allowed for new experiences dealing provided usItwith an easier path when having to make the important decisions. with our client, suppliers, and our studio team. It

really showed me the importance of having an accurate and clean cost estimate, because ultimately, it is one of the biggest driving forces behind a project. A cost estimation combines several factors all together. Being able to see the details come together to make an accurate estimate was honestly my favorite part. Although when doing this, it meant we needed to meet as a team and figure out a solution to cut our costs down.

Figure 6.6.13

Experience - Architect or Artist

Brandon Cole Experience – Architect or Artist

Brandon Cole design has always been considered during The resilient

or post-disaster. Where proposals are made to design spaces to is the changing scenario and adapting They keyaccording to success experience. An architect can to the changing environmental conditions. Pandemic a design the most beautiful structures or strategize like COVID-19 as it’s called an invisible enemy is a big master plan for entire cities, but until someone challenge for most of the population. Major challenges understands nail, beam, and brickit’sthat goes into here are noteach water, wind or earthquake an invisible their project only an idea. That is what the Net element thatit’s is life-threatening.

Positive Studio has taught me. Our work was not the Afterofits14 widespread areoff asked stay home result students people splitting andtodrawing pretty as long as they can and follow social distancing, in this pictures. It was a culmination of 5 years of hard condition the only place which we can rely on is ourwork molding concept into construction. Inwalls order to beus own house. We could see how the four around our office are now, our school, our restaurant and our successful, every architect needs to first understand place of worship. This might bring a new change, a what makes us different from any other artist. new

culture which is a more indoor centric lifestyle. With more work from home days, online shopping, indoor entertainment people will get comfortable with this kind of lifestyle. This might in many businesses failingto Before we could solve result their problems, we needed and closing many infrastructures but there is hope for the learn what makes St. John a community. What seemed affordable housing market. Whether it’s a small town or like mindless information later told us that front metropolitan city housing will be in demand and after this porches were obsolete, energy billsofwere pandemic it will take a good amount timeskyrocketing, to bring back and were the core of living and entertainment thehomes economy to normal. 330 | The Net Positive Studio

People will look for more affordable housing rather than lavish In this affordable can to for apartments. each resident. Wescenario, had to apply thathousing knowledge solve the problem for home buyers. understand the needs of the client versus the desires of

us as the designers. Furthermore, our job didn’t just end

Affordable housing will be beneficial for individuals with or construction documentation, who willdesign be looking for a cheap, energy-efficient andbut we had to know how tothis prefabricate couldn’t just hand comfortable house will result init.a We potential economic generator for communities. Construction worker, our idea off to a more capable contractor, we had to plumber, and many more would pick upelectrician, our hammer and nail gun and find do itjobs ourselves. which will help to boost the local economy. Work from home culture will somehow decrease the population migrating from small towns to big cities. Higher quality work andidea livingwe space inside the house an affordable Every implemented was at supported by one cost will attract more people to opt for this kind important word: Experience. As I begin toofwork for my housing.

firm after graduation, the one thing they told me was, “Any kid with a pencil and paper can make a pretty building, but that’s not our job.” The architect may be an artist, but our value is how we can respond to adversity. Thanks to this studio, I have the knowledge to create beautiful designs, but more importantly the experience to craft stable and effective architecture.

Figure 6.6.14

Mapping the Data Gaurav Neupane

Mapping the data

Our studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work first approached its research by collecting data about the town of St. John, to find Gaurav Neupane out what our real problems were and solve them appropriately. I learned how to take that data and Our Net positive studiosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; work is approached with research map it in our site, and research issues that are and the data we find about our site, to find out what our relevant to designing an affordable home in a small real problems and solve them right. I learned how to take town. The graphics shown above image is gathered that data and map it in our site and research issues that are from the data for the average sq. ft. size of plots in challenging to the small towns. The graphics shown above St. John. Similarly, we have mapped house quality in image is gathered from the data about of average sq. ft. size St. John, house values, and vacant lots. This process of plots are in St. John. Similarly, we have mapped house was new and significantly important to me. From quality in St. John, house values, and vacant lots. This process our first visit to St. John, we thought that problem was new significantly important tohouse me. From first might be and people not envisioning the as aour good visit to St. John, we had a different perspective on the investment in this town, but the data we plotted town and whatusitsour problem might be, butthe thelack dataofwe plotted showed real problem was quality showed us our real problems was lack of quality homes and vacant lots with dilapidated homes.homes and vacant lots with dilapidated homes. Our research includes income generated by Our researchthe includes generated by household, age of household, age ofincome the houses, the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the houses, its relationship with the neighboring relationship with the neighboring small towns,small the towns, the average price of the house on sale, and the quality average price of the house for sale, and the quality of each home. In my undergraduate school, I wasI in a in a of each home. In my undergraduate school, was conservation studio where we analyzed to revive the town conservation studio where we conducted that was devasted by the earthquake. Our approach was different. But research on this town, which is slowly shrinking

research to revive the town that was devastated by the earthquake. After the earthquake, many people left the old town to start a new life in a big city. Our challenge was to show economic, and agricultural is truly challenging. The measures for research and opportunities to bring back the same family. In St. interpreting the data was important because we were John, we are also welcoming new families. Hence, our involved with the town, we felt responsibility. approach was different. Researching towns that are slowly shrinking is truly challenging, and each case has its unique solution. There are many small towns around Kansas and other states, the problem might look similar, but they should have a distinct solution. The route to finding a solution is in various data, information, and maps of the place.

06 BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE SOURCES Figure 6.2.1- Image created by Jordan Bezdek Figure 6.2.2- Image created by Arnold Plesse Figure 6.2.3- Image created by AFP/Menahem Kahana Figure 6.2.4- Image created by Even Ollenburger Figure 6.2.5- Image created by Timothy Fadek/Corbis via Getty Images Figure 6.2.6- Image created by Filippo Monteforte Figure 6.2.7- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.2.8- Image created by Rebekka Poole Figure 6.2.9- Image created by Chris Sweda/AP WashingtonPost Figure 6.2.10- Image created by Catherine Gutman Figure 6.2.11- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 6.2.12- Image created by advance2000.com Figure 6.2.13- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 6.2.14- Image created by Center For Research on Energy and Clean Air, NASAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OMI Instrument Getty Images - Wallstreet Journal Figure 6.3.1- Image created by Rebekka Poole Figure 6.3.2- Image created by Rebekka Poole Figure 6.3.3- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 6.3.4- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 6.3.5- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 6.3.6- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.3.7- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.3.8- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.3.9- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.3.10- Image created by Gaurave Neupane Figure 6.3.11- Image created by Prajakta Thipsay

Figure 6.3.12- Image created by Gaurave Neupane & Prajakta Thipsay Figure 6.3.13- Image created by Braedy Busenitz & Gaurave Neupane Figure 6.3.14- Image created by Jordan Bezdek Figure 6.3.15- Image created by Jameson Jones Figure 6.3.16- Image created by Yu He Figure 6.3.17- Image created by Yu He Figure 6.3.18- Image created by Yu He Figure 6.4.1- Image created by Jeremiah Vick & Gaurave Neupane Figure 6.6.1- Image created by Somnath Mukherjee Figure 6.6.2- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.3- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.4- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.5- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.6- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.7- Image created by Jordan Bezdeck Figure 6.6.8- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.9- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.10- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.11- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.12- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.13- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.14- Image created by Net Positive Studio Figure 6.6.15- Image created by Guarav Neupane

END NOTES [1] Larrimore, Jeff, and Jenny Schuetz. “Assessing the Severity of Rent Burden on Low-Income Families.” The Fed - Assessing the Severity of Rent Burden on Low-Income Families, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 22 Dec. 2017 [2] Source: US Department of Housing and Urban Development. 17 March 2020. <https:// www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/ affordablehousing/> [3] Source: “7 Benefits of Prebuilt Homes.” 21 December 2013. https://www.greenhomegnome. com/benefits-prebuilt-homes/ [4] Govtech. (n.d.). Sandy Task Force Issues Recommendations for Long-Term Recovery. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://www.govtech.com/em/ disaster/Sandy-Task-Force-Recommendations-LongTerm-Recovery.html

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