Mod 4 was the fourth modular home by Studio 804 built in Kansas City, Kansas. It is a 1,500 square-foot house blocks from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Consisting of seven modules that were fabricated in Lawrence, shipped to Kansas City and ganged on site.
It flexible three-bedroom, two-bath house composed of seven modules. The modules are offset four-foot between the three module public spaces and four module private rooms. This shift created outdoor spaces catty corner to each other with the entry ramp at one corner near the street and a south facing deck at the other corner adjacent to the living room. With this simple shift in the plan these exterior spaces now seem to fill the void in the form rather than being applied. The shift in plan was further enhanced by having the four private modules cantilever off the foundation on the side opposite the entry.
The entry ramp leads to the three modules that hold the living room and an open kitchen, they open to the deck through large sliding doors on the south elevation. The private modules can be accessed on either side of a wet core that hold the support spaces. One hall leads to the bathrooms and laundry. On the south side of the core is the flex space that can be organized with movable storage units to create one or two-bedrooms or as a single office space open to the living area as well as the master bedroom.
Mod 4 carefully addresses issues and opportunities concerning site, materiality, and energy efficiency. The north façade is heavily insulated with recycled cellulose and tightly sealed to protect from cold northern winds while the south façade is comprised of broad glazing to capitalize on natural light and solar heat gain when desired. Rather than rely on fixed louvres which can be undermined by unseasonable weather the home owner to control the amount of the sun’s heat and light that enters the house. They can move large panels that pass in front of the glass sliding doors and track with barn door
The University of Kansas Department of Architecture invites applications for Studio 804, a comprehensive one-year, fully hands-on design-build experience for students who are at an advanced stage in their studies and committed to the continued research and development of affordable, sustainable and inventive building solutions. Students enrolled in Studio 804 work full time to design and build a new building every year. The widely-published program, under the direction of Distinguished Professor Dan Rockhill, has produced ten LEED Platinum buildings, three of which are Passive House-certified. To learn more, visit studio804.com and architecture. ku.edu/studio804. The university accepts transfers, 4+2 grads, B.Arch grads, M.Arch grads, or professionals — anyone who wants to be a better architect by having had the experience of designing and constructing a sophisticated building in its entirety from the ground up.
