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KU architecture students win ‘Home of the Year’ for second time
Viewed from the street, the front of the Modular 3 house at 534 Riverview Ave. in Kansas City, Kan., has a front deck recessed to shield it from the sun. The deck soffit is corrugated aluminum.
Modular 3 living space gets ample light from tree-shaded east windows and a recessed deck oriented southward to the street with panoramic views of downtown Kansas City, Mo. Flooring throughout the house is bamboo, a quick-growth sustainable product.
Floor-to-ceiling east windows shaded by tall trees admit morning light to the Modular 3 kitchen.
In the southwest view, bedroom windows are at the rear of the house, which is sheathed in Douglas fir siding, chosen by the Studio 804 students because it was renewable resource and produced in the United States.
LAWRENCE — For the second time in three years, Architecture magazine has named a house designed and built by 20 University of Kansas architecture students as “Home of the Year.”
The students are enrolled in Studio 804, taught by Dan Rockhill, professor of architecture. Their house, Modular 3, was completed in May. Perched on a hilltop at 534 Riverview Ave. in the historic Strawberry Hill neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., the dwelling will be featured in the magazine’s November 2006 issue. Studio 804’s first modular house won the top award in 2004.
The latest honor continues the international recognition for Studio 804, a noteworthy class in KU’s School of Architecture and Urban Design that creates and constructs a house within 20 weeks. In particular, its three modular designs have expanded the idea of what prefabricated housing can look like.
Rockhill oversees the students’ work for the projects, which focus on energy efficiency, sustainable and/or recycled materials and affordable single-family houses. In most cases, the houses are the only new construction in old and sometimes overlooked urban neighborhoods and become part of neighborhood revitalization efforts.
The Home of the Year program recognizes outstanding and innovative residences. KU students competed with hundreds of entries, most of them submitted by architecture professionals worldwide, not students. Winners are chosen based on overall design excellence, creativity, programmatic and site sensitivity and formal expression.
The Studio 804 Modular 1 house was constructed on a Kansas City, Kan., bluff in the Rosedale neighborhood. The Modular 1 house and the Modular 2 house, located on Shawnee Road in an established Kansas City, Kan., neighborhood, won Project of the Year awards from Residential Architect magazine.
In 1995, Rockhill began Studio 804, named after the architecture curriculum’s capstone design studio class, as a not-for-profit organization. Monies from sales of projects go back to the organization for future designs. From 1995 through 2003, the projects were design/build projects of increasing complexity built in Lawrence. In 1998, Studio 804 built its first house, working with the city of Lawrence to offer affordable single-family housing. In 2004 and 2005, Studio 804 worked with City Vision Ministries, a community development organization in Kansas City, Kan., to produce a modular house design to be sold to qualifying buyers. For Modular 3, Studio 804 worked with El Centro, also a community development not-for-profit organization in Kansas City, Kan.
The modular houses were prefabricated in a Lawrence warehouse, then trucked in sections and assembled on-site with assistance from the client-agency sponsor. Most of the students, who are upper-level or graduate students, do not have previous construction experience. They must complete the house by mid-May, then invite the public for tours during KU’s commencement weekend.
Studio 804 students volunteer their design and labor for the houses that are then sold to qualifying buyers. Past houses have sold in the $140,000 to $170,000 range.
Modular 3 is a 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom, one-bath house assembled from six prefabricated rectilinear modules. From the street, concrete steps lead to the house that is elevated on a platform supported by concrete piers. It faces southward and offers panoramic views of downtown Kansas City, Mo., through its extensive floor-to-ceiling windows. The recessed front deck offers a contemporary version of a streetside front porch and shields the front windows in the living area from glaring sunlight. One room has a movable wall so the homeowner can customize the interior space. Tall trees on the east filter morning light into the kitchen and main living areas. Bedrooms are at the rear of the house. All utilities are positioned together in a central building core area.
In terms of sustainable materials, Studio 804 used Douglas fir exterior siding and bamboo flooring inside. Instead of fiber glass, house insulation is recycled cellulose. To cut heating and cooling costs, the extensive glass panels have adjustable thermal window coverings. The heating and air-conditioning equipment has a high-efficiency rating for cost effectiveness. To reduce fuel consumption associated with shipping materials from overseas, students selected Douglas fir siding produced in the United States protected with a water sealant made from sustainable raw materials.
For more information on Studio 804, go to studio804.com.
Students who were on the Studio 804 Modular 3 design/build team are listed below by hometown, level in school or degree completed, parents' names (if available) and high school or previous university attended.
DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66044
Brian Belcher, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate; bachelor's degree from Baylor University.
Jonathan Holley, former master's degree architecture student; Topeka High School.
Karla Karwas, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate; bachelor's degree from University of Missouri-Columbia.
JOHNSON COUNTY
From Overland Park 66210
Nathan Rosemann, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Don and Gail Rosemann; Blue Valley North High School.
From Overland Park 66212
Mike Warner, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Richard and Dorothea Warner; Shawnee Mission South High School.
LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
From Leavenworth 66048
Bryant Bronson, summer 2006 master of architecture graduate; Leavenworth High School.
LYON COUNTY
From Emporia 66801
Samuel Shepherd, former bachelor of architecture student, son of Jim and Mary Shepherd; Emporia Senior High School.
REPUBLIC COUNTY
From Courtland 66939
Edward Hurtig, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate; bachelor's degree from Kansas State University.
ILLINOIS
From Northbrook 60062
George Manis, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Angelo and Athanasia Manis; Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill.
MASSACHUSETTS
From Cheshire 01225
Trevor Chalmers, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Thomas and Sharon Chalmers; bachelor's degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, N.Y.
MINNESOTA
From Hutchinson 55350
Jill Wendorff, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate; bachelor's degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.
MISSOURI
From Boonville 65233
Jason Hartman, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Doug Hartman; Hickman High School, Columbia, Mo.
From Bridgeton 63044
Jessica Braker, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate; Pattonville High School, Maryland Heights, Mo.
From Chesterfield 63017
Arjun Bhat, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Balekudru and Jaya Bhat; Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Mo.
From Clayton 63105
Jessica Deem, master's degree student in architecture and spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, daughter of David and Marjorie Deem; Clayton High School, St. Louis, Mo.
From St. Louis 63108
Lisa Reed, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate, daughter of Barbara Reed; Nerinx Hall High School.
From St. Louis 63130
Gil Akos, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate, son of Stephen and Cynthia Akos; Saint Louis University High School.
NEW JERSEY
From Jackson 08527
Amanda Langweil, spring 2006 master of architecture graduate, daughter of William and Maxine Langweil; bachelor's degree from Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
WISCONSIN
From Plover 54467
Brandon Crain, spring 2006 bachelor of architecture graduate, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Crain; Stevens Point Area Senior High School, Stevens Point, Wis.
TAIWAN
From Nanto
Hui-Hsiang Rachel Lin, master's degree student in architecture; bachelor's degree from Washburn University, Topeka.
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