Forward-Thinking Design For Low-Cost Homes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark - Say "modular home," and you may visualize a vinyl-clad cottage trundling down the highway. This summer University of Arkansas architecture professor Gregory Herman and his students plan to construct a more innovative design statement using 15' x 66' modules provided by Taylor Built Homes, a Fayetteville-based modular housing company. The approximately 1,000-square-foot, $70,000 home, to be located on a southeast Fayetteville lot selected by the city, will provide forward-thinking housing for a family of modest means. Taylor Built Homes has pledged to support the School of Architecture Design/Build workshop with materials and $13,500 to fund student scholarships, design awards, and promotional materials. The finished house will have the following features:

• groundbreaking design that will generate new ideas and directions for building modular homes
• 5 star energy efficient rating to keep utility bills low
• inexpensive air filtration system based on plants and carbon filters designed by NASA engineer

The timeline for the project follows:

Phase One: Design (May 19 - June 6)

• Students make multiple visits to project site at southwest corner of S. Washington & 12th Sts.
• On May 23 Design:Build team travels to the Anderson, Mo. factory of Taylor Built Homes' parent company, Taylor Made Homes, to learn more about the fabrication process.
• Study of modular housing precedents, limitations, and requirements.
• In-house competition at the UA School of Architecture studio for the design of the house; cash prizes courtesy of Taylor Built Homes awarded to 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners.

Phase Two: Construction (June 9 - July 11)

• Taylor Built Homes completes off-site construction work
• Students will assist in building foundation for the house and will begin building components and finish details that may include fences, earthworks, porch, screens, etc.
• Students will visit plant while the house is under construction.

Phase Three (mid-July)

• Flatbed trucks deliver housing modules to Fayetteville site, where cranes place them on foundation prepared by students. The assembly process will take 1 - 2 days.
• Students document installation.

Phase Four (late July - early August )

• Students complete finish work - painting, installing light fixtures, etc.
• Consultation with City of Fayetteville for subsequent sale to a qualified buyer.
• Final documentation of project.