ecoMOD : an Ecological Modular House Proto-typing Project

April 13, 2005

University of Virginia students are designing and will construct at least three proto-typical 1,000 to 1,250 square foot modular houses, and monitor their performance.

John Quale, Assistant Professor of Architecture, founded and directs the ecoMOD research and design/build project, which is organized as a series of studios held across four years that began with fall semester 2004. The primary goal of the project is to produce an ecological, modular, and affordable housing system that incorporates sustainable design strategies while providing comfort and marketability.

Prof. Quale organized a complex collaboration of architecture, engineering, urban and environmental planning, and landscape architecture students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Assistant Professor Nisha Botchwey of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning lead a neighborhood workshop in Fifeville, the future location of the ecoMOD houses. Paxton Marshall, Associate Dean and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is coordinating the work of the engineering students.

The ecoMOD team - Spring 2005

The ecoMOD prototypes will ultimately be sold by the Piedmont Housing Alliance, a partner in the project, to qualified families. Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) is a regional organization dedicated to improving the lives of low and moderate income families and individuals by creating housing and community development opportunities throughout the Thomas Jefferson Planning District in Virginia.

In December 2004, PHA received funding from the Charlottesville City Council to make street and site improvements in the Fifeville neighborhood. Prof. Quale’s spring studio assisted PHA to develop and implement improvements on 4th Street, including the development of a master plan.

The first ecoMOD house – the OUTin house – will be built by students this summer at a nearby university-owned airport hanger and then sited on an urban infill lot on 7 1/2th Street. Unlike most other contemporary single-family, low-cost homes, such as trailers, the OUTin house will create a dialogue with its surroundings by merging interior and exterior spaces. Passive design strategies and shifted modules will help to make the ecology of the site apparent to the home’s occupants.

After construction of the OUTin house is complete, students will carefully review every aspect of the design and construction process, as well as monitor the living experience of the family who occupies it, to inform future ecoMOD module design.

Visit the ecoMOD website for more information.

	Home > Calendar > In the News > ecoMOD : an Ecological Modular House Proto-typing Project April 13, 2005 University of Virginia students are designing and will construct at least three proto-typical 1,000 to 1,250 square foot modular houses, and monitor their performance. John Quale, Assistant Professor of Architecture, founded and directs the ecoMOD research and design/build project, which is organized as a series of studios held across four years that began with fall semester 2004. The primary goal of the project is to produce an ecological, modular, and affordable housing system that incorporates sustainable design strategies while providing comfort and marketability. Prof. Quale organized a complex collaboration of architecture, engineering, urban and environmental planning, and landscape architecture students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Assistant Professor Nisha Botchwey of the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning lead a neighborhood workshop in Fifeville, the future location of the ecoMOD houses. Paxton Marshall, Associate Dean and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is coordinating the work of the engineering students. The ecoMOD team - Spring 2005 The ecoMOD prototypes will ultimately be sold by the Piedmont Housing Alliance, a partner in the project, to qualified families. Piedmont Housing Alliance (PHA) is a regional organization dedicated to improving the lives of low and moderate income families and individuals by creating housing and community development opportunities throughout the Thomas Jefferson Planning District in Virginia. In December 2004, PHA received funding from the Charlottesville City Council to make street and site improvements in the Fifeville neighborhood. Prof. Quale’s spring studio assisted PHA to develop and implement improvements on 4th Street, including the development of a master plan. The first ecoMOD house – the OUTin house – will be built by students this summer at a nearby university-owned airport hanger and then sited on an urban infill lot on 7 1/2th Street. Unlike most other contemporary single-family, low-cost homes, such as trailers, the OUTin house will create a dialogue with its surroundings by merging interior and exterior spaces. Passive design strategies and shifted modules will help to make the ecology of the site apparent to the home’s occupants. After construction of the OUTin house is complete, students will carefully review every aspect of the design and construction process, as well as monitor the living experience of the family who occupies it, to inform future ecoMOD module design. Visit the ecoMOD website for more information.	This Week This Month : May In the News Feature Stories Archive Lectures & Symposia Exhibits Podcasts UVa Academic Calendar UVa Events Calendar UVa Student Activities Calendar Front Perspective. Lighting and Ventilation. Modularity. Site Plan and Diagram. Back Porch. Landscape Space Use Modules.
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