The 1% Habitat House, Kansas City Nonprofit / Heartland Habitat for Humanity Architecture Firm / el dorado inc. An on-going series of case studies that feature projects by AIA members participating in The 1% program that expemplify standards of excellence in pro bono service.
PRO BONO CASE STUDY / Nº7
DIALOGUE NONPROFIT / ARCHITECTURE
© PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE MARCH 2015
An on-going serie of case studies to make pro bono service an integral part of design practice
PRO BONO CASE STUDY Nยบ7
An on-going series of case studies featuring projects by AIA members participating in The 1%
Project The 1% Habitat House, Kansas City Location Kansas City, Kansas Date 2012-2013 Nonprofit Heartland Habitat for Humanity Nonprofit liaisons Tom Lally; Matt Trusty; Steve Thompson Architecture el dorado inc. Design team Josh Shelton, AIA; Steve Salzer, AIA; Brandon Froelich Project collaborators PKMR Engineers; Bob D. Campbell Engineers Area 1360 sq. ft. (interior) Cost Withheld Number of pro bono hours: 550 Donations Formica; H&R Block Foundation More info www.heartlandhabitat.org
www.eldo.us
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El dorado had worked pro bono with Habitat for Humanity Kansas City before any conversations about the Habitat matching initiative came up with Public Architecture. At the time, we were working on the Habitat KC ReStore, an adaptive reuse project in the inner city. We were familiar with the Habitat mission and the ways that they work with the community. We had not yet worked with Heartland Habitat for Humanity. It made us eager to make that connection and extend our relationship to another Habitat for Humanity affiliate.
The collaboration with el dorado inc. came about in a roundabout way. Our Habitat applied to a Habitat for Humanity International competition that connected affiliates in need with qualified architecture professionals willing to donate billable hours. As we became more engaged in that process, it was clear that we would be partnered with a local architecture firm to do a grand scheme.
Josh Shelton, AIA, Principal, el dorado inc.
To start the design strategy and vision, we took tours of the existing houses that Heartland was building. We walked through several homes with Tom Lally and took note of what we could either change or improve upon. Their homes were so very nice. Our strategy came down to providing a stronger connection to the outdoors in multiple ways rather than just a singular approach. Heartland’s houses were being built with shallow front porches and many had satellite dishes.
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Tom Lally, Executive Director, Heartland Habitat for Humanity
Heartland’s staff recently had a conversation about the biggest challenges that designers could potentially help us to address. Our Habitat, and maybe most affiliates around the nation, is at a bit of a crossroads in that the standard formula for simple, decent, affordable housing has greatly evolved since our humble beginnings. The house that we’re building today is certainly larger in square footage than the one we we built in 1987, and it has many more advanced features that are costing us and our homeowners additional dollars. The Energy Star requirements are really hitting us hard. These requirements may save our
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An on-going series of case studies featuring projects by AIA members participating in The 1%
Architect / These residents were probably not spending a lot of time outdoors. Most likely, they turned on the air conditioner on the first day of May and left it on all the way through September. We thought, “How do we turn a house like that inside out and engage the site in different ways?”We also noticed that typically two out of three bedrooms were in the basement. You simply need to consider the family dynamics of a mother with two kids: two bedrooms downstairs and one upstairs makes for a complicated situation. It was a challenge to meet all the regulations for a tornado area. We designed the main bathroom as a safe room. The tradeoff for not building a basement was to construct a room within the interior that could stand up to extreme storms. It created some inefficiency and a larger footprint, but at the end of the day, we felt good about the decision. Our goal was to provide a different kind of prototype that solved problems that weren’t already being addressed by Heartland. It’s important to say, “What Habitat does, it does so well.” The collaboration became a question of what unique problems could we solve. All along, I was amazed by Heartland’s open-minded staff, from the field supervisors, to the project managers, to the director. Everyone really put a lot of trust and faith in us. We performed the construction administration services, which meant that we got to interact with the volunteers that came out to the build site. Heartland asked a lot from their volunteers throughout the project and from their Site Supervisor, Matt Trusty. During the design process there was a lot of back and forth needed to redesign a few details. For example, we improved access to the gutter to make maintenance easier. Yet, the house was largely constructed the way it was drawn. Heartland had a lot to do with our ability to resolve challenges without sacrificing high quality design. The vehicle for us was to use maintenance-friendly materials, like the corrugated metal roof and cement board siding. In the end, Habitat’s sentiment was, “Let’s pull out all the stops for this first prototype house and see what we’re capable of building.” The volunteer builders came through and certainly Habitat did as well.
PRO BONO CASE STUDY Nº7
“Our goal was to provide a different kind of prototype that solved problems that weren’t already being addressed by Heartland.” — Josh Shelton, AIA
“[This prototype] allows us to go out and attract brand new funders and tell the story of what affordable housing can and should be in the community.” — Tom Lally
The house was built with 2x6 construction and a roof truss system, with the foundation slab fully-isolated from the framing. We paid lot of attention to solutions that were low-tech like cross ventilation and solar orientation. The house even has the potential for a fully-integrated water collection system, if the owners choose to implement it in the future. Ultimately, the design of the house has common sense and encourages the owners to turn off the heat and air conditioning for a couple months out of the year. Beyond those efficiencies, we provided compelling and attractive outdoor spaces so that the new owners would be inclined to spend time outside. The H&R Block Foundation was a big partner involved in realizing the project. They came through with a local grant that funded el dorado’s initial research and truly supported the design efforts. Two young men, one from our office and one from Heartland, took full ownership of the project and pulled it off. In our office, Brandon Froelich saw the project through to completion and took care of the challenges that came up in the design strategy during the active construction process. Moreover, Matt Trusty went above and beyond in every way imaginable. Matt’s patience was truly tried. At times, he dealt with an inconsistent volunteer base
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An on-going series of case studies featuring projects by AIA members participating in The 1%
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homeowners dollars over the course of the next five or ten years, but when something breaks, any dollar saved over time is eaten up in replacement costs. Given our income guidelines, it is highly difficult for property owners to create a savings account for future home repairs. We’re on the precipice of asking ourselves, “Are we an affordable-housing ministry or are we custom home builders?” We can certainly use architectural and mechanical services to help us build back to our roots: Build a simple, decent home that is architecturally and structurally appealing to the local municipalities, our funders, and most importantly to our homeowners. There are many surprising and wonderful design solutions that el dorado brought to this project. The entire design of the house is very different from what is normally done within our service territory. The aspects of the design that really stand out are
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the butterfly roof, the breezeway, and the design and functionality of the siding that is spaced to allow for airflow. All of these phenomenal and innovative architectural features come at a steep price. Since we need to be cognizant that we are an affordable housing organization, it can be difficult to reconcile bringing those pricey features into one of our new homes. The biggest benefit of this collaboration is the uniqueness of the project. It allows us to go out and attract brand new funders and tell the story of what affordable housing can and should be in the community. Being able to present both visually and verbally what this build represents has created so much conversation. The family living in the house loves their new home. English is a second language for this young couple with two children. They don’t have much experience with yard work, but I’ve been told that the neighbors
have already started to engage and help them. The front porch is really drawing the family out into the community and the neighbors to that family. Being a part of a community is so new for the family that it prompted the mother to tell our Director of Family Services, “I get to experience a neighborhood for the first time.” Everyone at el dorado is so pleasant and nice, and they want to do the right thing for the right reasons. We couldn’t be more pleased with the relationship, which remains great to this day. In fact, we are already discussing the potential for new work. Josh and I had a wonderful conversation about Heartland Habitat’s next venture in targeted community development, a type of work in which el dorado has significant experience. Targeted community development will allow us to identify a specific geographic area and, over the next ten years, really focus
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An on-going series of case studies featuring projects by AIA members participating in The 1%
“Being a part of a community is so new for the family that it prompted the mother to tell our Director of Family Services, “I get to experience a neighborhood for the first time.” — Tom Lally
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and terrible weather. The quality of this project is an example of what can happen when two people go above and beyond expectations. They deserve the lion share of the credit.
all of our resources. With this new approach of concentrated building and development, we can raise the entire level of a neighborhood in terms of economic boosts, education, public safety, health, and quality of life. Our challenge right now is that we have the idea and we need renderings in order to get the necessary funding.
From this partnership, I hope Heartland will be able to extend the range of what they offer as a product. This project tackles a list of challenges with strategies that Heartland might incorporate into future house designs. They can build that house again, or they can incorporate the strategies for accessibility or integrate a garden into other projects. They’re building great houses right now—our prototype just diversifies their product. It’s rewarding to see thoughtfully designed environments in places where you might not expect them—whether it’s a project for Habitat or urban design in a blighted part of town. There is an imbalance of innovation when it comes to quality architecture and where it is manifested. I’m glad to see creative architecture in places that don’t always get access. Initiatives, like what Heartland Habitat is doing often take more upfront investment from multiple parties and architects have a role to play.
PRO BONO CASE STUDY Nº7
Finally, it’s important to put a few aspects of this project into context. We were highly successful in raising money, yet there were many challenges. From the start, I was the cheerleader behind this project and the main contact between the affiliate and the firm. I worked out extensive conceptual plans with Josh Shelton. Looking back, we should have gotten immediate input from Steve Thompson, VP of Construction & Project Management at Heartland. Internally, we were at a place where we didn’t have capacity to recruit the volunteers and without the volunteers, the construction process lagged on too long. With the delay in construction, the holding costs continued to rise and that put us over budget. If we could have gotten volunteers on a consistent basis, the project would have been finished way ahead of time and under budget.
Yet in the end, this project has done almost everything that I hoped for and more. It created a buzz in the Kansas City community. We picked up a check this morning from a funder who said “Yeah, I worked on that unique house a couple years ago.” We know exactly what he’s talking about. Folks are still talking about it and that is a huge compliment. The community realized that we don’t just build plain little houses. We can be innovative and do creative efforts while meeting our mission.
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An on-going series of case studies featuring projects by AIA members participating in The 1%
THE 1% PROGRAM The 1% program is a first-of-its-kind effort to encourage pro bono service within the architecture and design professions. It connects nonprofits with architecture and design firms willing to give of their time. Learn More PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE Public Architecture is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in San Francisco. It engages architecture firms, nonprofits, and manufacturers to commit to design for the public good through its nationally recognized 1% program. Learn More THE 1% HABITAT INITIATIVE The 1% Habitat Initiative was born out of Habitat for Humanity’s desire to engage the design community to improve the design and construction process for their 1400+ affiliates across the country. Through The 1% program, a select group of architecture firms, recognized for residential design excellence and a commitment to public service, were matched to work with Habitat affiliates vetted for their building track record and enthusiasm to partner with designers to bring innovation to their plans. Together, these teams were challenged to design and build a home that exceeds Habitat’s typical design and sustainability standards. Learn More THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS For over 150 years, members of the American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. Members adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct to ensure the highest standards in professional practice. Embracing their responsibility to serve society, AIA members engage civic and government leaders and the public in helping find needed solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world. Visit www.aia.org. AIA ALLIANCE Public Architecture is one of several organizations supporting the architectural profession that the AIA confers with to obtain and share information to assist members. Find more information on the AIA’s Alliances.
All photography © Mike Sinclair