Lake|Flato Architects. Porch House. Digital image. Lake|Flato Porch House. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. .
Lake Flato|Porch House Movement
“We wanted to keep costs down, create a design that could have both prefab and site-specific elements combined without compromising design quality, and maintain a sustainable approach” (Spencer).
The Porch House is a fully customizable prefab home that is LEED certified and has been designed with flexibility. It is compromised of a passive solar design and is made up of modules that are strung together to create a custom home. Outdoor rooms, porches and breezeways are used to connect the spaces a homeowner would desire for their home. The homes are energy efficient, require minimal maintenance and are extremely durable. The rooms are designed to maximize views and daylight; and the appliance and fixtures are efficient as well. A very unique feature is the porch; these include breezeways, terraces and carports. These overhangs and awnings shade the interior from overheating and cross-ventilate to provide low energy cooling. Additionally, they “provide pleasant and exciting spaces that maximize connection with the outdoors. The site-built porches, like breezeways and interior hallways, allow rooms to be connected within a conditioned environment while maintaining a connection with the outdoors” (Lake|Flato Architects).
There are currently nine different modules that are between 28’ and 46’ long with a stationed width at 17’. A family could stack the units on top of one another if they needed a larger plan. Currently, the plans go for $100-225 per square foot. Once under contract, the general timeline is 6-9 months before one can move into their home.
These homes value the residents and the natural environment that they are placed in. The company creates homes that require low maintenance; they have “high efficiency mechanical systems, water saving features, natural ventilation systems with operable doors and windows, low embodied energy materials, healthy materials, daylighting, energy efficient LED lighting, and an overall “passive design”” (Lake|Flato Architects). The construction process of completing most of the work in a factory allows for minimal material waste and in turn, contributes to the energy savings.
All homes are designed with living, sleeping and porch-elements regardless of the style of module system needed for families or neighborhoods. The sleeping areas are always separate from the living areas with the breezeway connecting them to one another. While the homes are built off-site in a factory, they are arranged on site, allowing the architect to take full advantage of “views, breeze, solar orientation and outdoor spaces” (Lake|Flato Architects).
They design the neighborhoods around existing vegetation and place the homes in an off-grid pattern with low impact building to “offer a comfortable retreat in a sensitive environmental area” (Michler). In many of the neighborhoods, there is an array of homes, common green spaces, and a concentration on better use of backyard spaces—less lawn with more sustainable gardens. The views of the surrounds are taken into account when determining the orientation of the homes as well.
Aesthetically, these homes are modern prefab and the vernacular system is definitely something that most folks are not used to seeing. Examples of this are defined through their exterior material choices. The cladding material options for these homes are: corrugated metal, weathered metal, eastern red cedar, cypress, hardie board and stucco. Roofing materials are either corrugated metal, standing seam metal or asphalt shingles.
Overall, the Porch Home is an innovative attempt to solve the suburbia crisis. It takes into account the natural surrounding when creating neighborhoods; it breaks away from the linear streets and circles typical of a cookie cutter neighborhood, it considers all spaces between homes—promoting interaction through common green space and gardens. The size and shape of the homes allow for flexibility with family size and the site—allowing for the existing natural surrounding to coexist with the home. Lake Flato architects have an intrinsic design process when determining the floor plans for these homes and have given homeowners a money saving solution with spectacular views and low maintenance throughout. Their website defines their mission best: “The Lake|Flato Porch House presents a new way of thinking, designing and building for our residential clients. Based on a library of factory-constructed, modular living and sleeping rooms, the Porch House concept enables a design-conscious owner to have a custom, site-specific, and LEED certified Lake|Flato house with a predictable outcome of quality, time and cost. Porches and other outdoor areas, built on site, serve as connection tissue to create exciting outdoor spaces and ensure each house is particular to its place” (Lake|Flato Architects).
thanks candace. i'm most interested in how the customization and site specificity occurs. i think that the written text was more intriguing than the video. the video was informative, but there was an image quality barrier that didn't allow for the details of the plans, etc to be read really well. i think this is a great project that looks into creating a balance between pre-fab + modern / natural / modest / economical material finishes + customization [lego-esque]. i am curious about the quality of the interior. scale, proportions...i know there is a goal to maximize views...but what does everybody think about how these houses FEEL differently than those established in Usonia by FLW? these houses seems less permanent...less part of its site...a bit more like we know of how houses relates to site today? is this good or bad? i also am curious in the vast differences of site location as shown in the video...are their different structural systems and thermal barriers that are implemented to accommodate drastically different climates? finally, it seems alot of the homes were represented digitally...how many have been built?
ReplyDelete[by the way, the simplified corrugated metal dogtrot is beautiful...the fact that there are operable exterior shutters is reason alone to create an analysis on the success of this project, and a value that all 21st centuries homes should have.
Lindsey-
ReplyDeleteThe website: http://www.lakeflatoporchhouse.com/ has most of the pictures that I used for the video. Lake|Flato Architects does a great job showing the process and the graphics for people to see how they arrive at the decisions they do.
From what I read, the interior was not as much of a focus for their designs as the exterior and how it makes up a community. They really only had the living spaces, sleeping and porch spaces as concepts of main importance. Also, the shipping of the product comes into play which is why they only build them in the ratios they do.
I contemplated using bluhomes.com for this assignment because they definitely focus on both interior and exterior in terms of proportion and quality and they use a technology that Boeing does and have found a way to create their modern prefab homes in such a way that they can be sent regular truck, not on a semi.
For the Porch House the interior concentration is on the flooring, the location of windows and the water saving fixtures that can be used. Considering that there are very few built at this point, I don't think this is catching on as they had hoped--but I think the cost is definitely a factor there. $150/200 a square foot is not saving homeowners money, granted their green qualities are going to save in the long run, the upfront immediate benefits are low.
They are very modern and the Baton Rouge project I think is turning a corner and combining a more 'traditional' feel with the modern materials it is accepted more a larger population. This particular design, I think, is a well thought out plan that combines aesthetics with the need of the homeowners in that region.
With your questions regarding the site: While they try to blend with the site by manufacturing off site and bringing it in, they come off as looking 'placed' and out of the ordinary. The Porch Home may also seem to create this feeling of 'odd' or 'misplaced' because of the material choices, for some it may seem to modern or 'unfinished' and because it it is not a traditional wood or paint surface it doesn't seem to blend.
In the research that I did on this company, there wasn't anything that stated they have different thermal barriers or structural changes for different climates. They seemed very connected to the southern areas (they are located in Texas).
All in all, I think the concepts are great, the reconfiguring of the plat layout is successful, the beginnings of different home concepts is working, but again, these are concepts. Lake|Flato Architects is an innovative firm that is a frontrunner for design and outside of the box ideas, but I think they need to build more of their designs and expand their market beyond the southern, warmer climates (oh and lowering the price would be good too). Their concepts do concentrate on community and togetherness and creating relationships through gardens and porches though.
I, personally, was attracted to the exterior and the mix of materials in addition to the new layouts. They have great natural light and are working towards a better solution for suburbia.
Candace, what a unique project. I went to their website you listed and go pretty excited looking around. I think the "Porch" concept is very innovative. I question it in colder climates?, but would love to live in a home where you have to go outside to get to-and-from different areas in the house! It is also a unique project in that the homeowners can choose materials, plans and size. This puts a whole new spin on former low-quality era of "modular or trailer" homes. While looking at the projects, I wondered how a family could personalize the space (via artwork, furniture, etc) to make it look less like an 'empty' palate, but still stick with the open plan, relationship to nature, clean, sustainable ideas. I just think there isn't a personal touch on the spaces in the renders, which of course would be there when a family makes it their own. I would love to visit a Porch house that has been established!
ReplyDeleteKrystal-
DeleteAgreed! I do question their ability to design a home that would be 'efficient' in the colder climates. I would bet that they are aware of materials to accomplish this but from researching it I don't see one made yet. I am still discouraged by the price though, especially looking at the materials they are currently using. I also wonder about the severe lack of storage for the residents--but this could be a good thing as it would force homeowners to only keep necessities.
I love it. Prefabrication such as this, is a great answer to sububurbia in a lot of areas in similar climatic conditions. I really enjoyed the process in which these homes were created, especially the fact that the owner has a complete say in what they want in their design. The modular aspect of designing a starter home creates different opportunities for a variety of families in a very realistic way. It also unifies the surrounding environment. In all, this is just a very practical design solution for a starter family.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that the designers are using the location of the house to influence its design. Certain sun angles can not only be blinding but also increase the inside temperature of the house. The wind diagrams are also interesting to see how they have created spaces to allow free flowing breezes cool the interior. More in depth thought like this is needed to conserve energy in the future.
DeleteI agree. I really enjoy the break-away from "norm" design by an attempt at naturalistic minimalism. So often in suburban areas they try to shove as many amenities into the home to draw in buyers that the actual beauty of living is lost and materialistic tendencies take over. In these homes it's more about the experience of inhabiting rather than storing habits.
DeleteOne thing I would like to see from this style of suburbia is the ability for personal attachment to the home. I understand that parts can be customized to create an individual touch to the home but these neighborhoods are still built by people that see this as a house that they may or may not spent years in. So many times homes are lived in for maybe ten years and then they move to the next one. I guess what I'm trying to say is this concept is successful but an identity of legacy needs to be added or started in order for this dwelling to stand out from any other suburban environment
Candace, the project which you chose is very good example for an ideal suburban house. Its LEED certification shows that the house has a high performance green building system by its construction and operation. That is the point which is to inspire me is its garden. there are common green spaces. That is the point besides the construction, organization, circulation and aesthetic features that common green areas will offer communication between the suburban community. Consequently, the project contributes to the future of suburbans besides providing sustainable houses as creating social surroundings to users.
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