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By Sara Hart

The prefabricated wall panels come in three different widths, based on a 2-foot module (see diagram, page 125). Similar to Resolution: 4 Architecture’s Modern module, one of the attractive features of Modulome is the ability to customize without corrupting the system. Modules can be added to or subtracted from the unit as needed, and there are at least three cladding systems available: wood, metal, and plastic. The chassis can be raised to 8 feet above grade to allow for covered parking, and extensions, similar to bay windows, can be added. The price range has not been calculated, however.

Tim Pyne has uncovered or invented another kind of niche market in the United Kingdom with m-house (pronounced “mouse”). The m-house (www.m-house.org) is designed to qualify as what the British call a “caravan” and Americans call a “mobile home.” The design is rather sophisticated, but the main advantage is the same as in the traditional mobile home: a minimum of expensive on-site work. As with Resolution, Pyne has adopted standard manufacturing procedures for m-house. The units are built of plywood on timber studs in a factory. A home is made of two modules, each about 10 feet wide and 48 feet long, which conforms to most laws regarding transportation of wide loads on the highways.

 

Upper Court, Pierson College, Yale University These dormitory units were fabricated in a factory to save time and conserve limited on-site space. The module frames were designed to accommodate seismic load, not because New Haven is in an earthquake-vulnerable zone, but because the units had to endure a 500-mile trip on flat-bed trucks and the stresses of being lifted by crane to 70 feet. The units were punch-listed at the factory, inspected, then shrink-wrapped. On-site, each frame is bolted to the adjacent one. Images: Courtesy KieranTimberlake Associates

The modules can be fitted together in a day and ready for immediate occupation. But unlike Resolution’s Modern Modular and Nottoscale’s Modulone, m-house is not as accepting of customization beyond exterior cladding and interior finishes. As with the familiar mobile home in the States, m-house needs no foundation, and it is deliverable in 12 weeks; it therefore makes it a good choice for temporary shelter.

Pyne would like to break into the U.S. market, because it is considerably larger than in the U.K. “Seven percent of Americans live in mobile homes,” he says, which makes the American market very attractive to him. “We will have to meet all U.S. regulations, but, in fact, we do already.” Whereas Resolution: 4 houses and Modulomes are permanent, site-specific, expandable structures, the m-house could be described as a high-concept, well-tooled mobile home, but a mobile home nonetheless. Do upscale consumers really want that? At approximately $246,000 for a fully fitted one and $192,000 for a shell, it’s an expensive accessory. The answer might not be so obvious. Last December, the The New York Times ran a small article about the m-house, and Pyne received 400 inquiries in 12 hours.