When the 2023 Orange County Sustainability Decathlon was first announced, faculty from UC Irvine’s Engineering department sought a partner in Orange Coast College with the capability to design, fabricate, and build a small house all in one place. The differentiator for “Team MADE” (Modular Affordable Dwellings for the Environment) was a software-to-manufacturing pipeline in the FrameCAD Machine. This roll-former for light-gauge steel allowed Team MADE to prototype as well as site-manufacture every stud and track in the steel-framed home they would design. Over 100 student volunteers aided in the construction of the steel framing, MEP installation, building envelope, and site work. The use of prefabricated Light Gauge Steel allowed for higher construction tolerances with simplified assembly diagrams that could be followed by student volunteers.
The second differentiator for Team MADE emerged when they partnered with a non-profit who would receive the home after the competition concluded at the OC Fairgrounds. Homeless Intervention Services Orange County (HIS-OC) provided an existing residential parcel in Placentia, CA with a large backyard suitable for a prefabricated Accessory Dwelling Unit to be craned into place. HIS-OC needs the additional bed capacity to support their transitional housing initiative for youth overcoming trauma and homelessness while receiving job training and education.
Inspired by the multi-functional performance of a shell structure in nature, the design of this two-bedroom, two-bath ADU explored a performance-based roof geometry that becomes the building façade and privacy screen. Coupled with deep roof overhangs, this second skin allows dappled light to penetrate the interior during the day while reflecting the detrimental UV radiation on the southern exposure. The perforations in the second skin are based on the effects of the sun path on the southern exposure and the location of the windows behind the screen. At night, the interior light glows through the perforations, contributing to the name of the project, “LuminOCity”.
This home is built on four C-channel platforms, each 8’ wide to allow for transportation on the back of a truck. The thermal envelope at the roof is comprised of a 3” Layer of ACFoam Nailbase, 1” Owens Corning Spray Foam, and a phase changing “ENRG Blanket” in the ceiling yielding a total R-value of R-53. The walls are sheathed with 1” OX-IS Structural Insulated Sheathing as well as 3” of Owens Corning closed-cell spray polyurethane foam between FrameCAD Cold Formed Steel Studs, yielding walls with R-27. The project won 9 awards total, including first place in the “Engineering and Construction” and “Market Potential” categories and took home second place in the overall competition.
Music:
Icelandic Arpeggios - DivKid
Hologram - Bobby Richards