Modular3: Studio 804

Studio 804's 2006 Modular 3 house recently won Architecture Magazine's fifth annual Home of the Year Award.

The unique aspect of Modular 3 is that it used pre-fabrication techniques, in which it was constructed in a warehouse and later shipped and installed on site. Studio 804 fabricated the house as six modular units offsite in Lawrence, Kansas. These modules are then rolled out, set on trucks, and shipped to Kansas City. Another noteworthy aspect is that this project was completed by a group of students. Construction was compressed into a five-month session that covered every aspect of an architectural project, starting with site selection and design and commencing with a completed house.



The design of Modular 3 consists of six modules assembled on an elevated platform to create a nested two bedrooms + living volume with a central service core. There is an open and flexible space for residence, utilizing the linear arrangement of modules to define realms of space. The public/urban area is articulated in the form of a front deck recess and the private nature is expressed with the bedrooms at the rear of the house. The placement of Modular3 on the site takes full advantage of the site's southern exposure and view through large expanses of glass and is the least invasive to the ground. This is not the first Home of the Year Award from Architecture Magazine that Studio 804 has received. The studio's 2004 project, Modular 1, has also won.



Studio 804's name is derived from the course that serves as the final design studio within the graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas. The uniqueness of this studio sets it and the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Urban Design apart from any other school in the country. It is an independent not for profit organization that receives no financial support from the university. The studio evolved incrementally, beginning ten years ago with small-scale design/build projects. In 1998, this escalated into an affordable housing project for the City of Lawrence wherein the studio designed and built a their first house. A precedent was established for the yearly design and construction of a low-cost house, and in the intervening eight years, Studio 804 has become more sophisticated by tackling projects of greater complexity. The studio also takes pride in placing their projects in old and overlooked urban neighborhoods. These houses are seen as seeds of change as they encourage revitalization throughout their communities.

The success of the studio's modular houses establishes a strong modern solution that builds upon contemporary networks of design, commerce, and mobility. In particular, the three most recent projects have been successful in generating national exposure and interest.

Studio 804: http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/8508.html

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