Chunk House​

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Phase two of the Jim Vlock First Year Building Project is completed in teams of six.  As in phase one, the phase included two dwelling units and required a significant prefabrication strategy, as the selected design would be built in a warehouse off-site.  Working from a precedent project from phase one, our team developed a house concept around chunks: prefabricated equipment packs that contain all the amenities for living and define/partition space.  Each chunk is a spatial object by itself, commanding a sphere of influence around it according to its requirements of use.  

 

Chunks have definite and defined uses: hygiene, resting, storage, etc. The kitchen chunk, for instance, includes a sink, countertop, cabinets, built in appliances, task lighting, and cavities for MEP.  The site plan, plan, and section of the house are organized by chunks; the house has no interior walls.  

 

A simple rain screen encloses the house and gives it a modest character.  Vertical siding defines the enclosure, while horizontal siding indicates a transition to the inside in the recessed porches.  Fenestration responds to the need for light and views inside the house, using standard window openings ganged together.

 

A porch chunk containing a bench, grill, and countertop anchors each deck, while trash enclosure and storage chunks organize the small yard.  Perimeter plantings screen the corner lot from the sidewalk and street.

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