KC,KS going Modern

Last weekend, Studio 804 hosted an Open House for their latest project: Mod 4 – A handsome prefabricated modular home in the Rosedale area of Kansas City, Kansas – just west of KU Medical Center. Studio 804 is a graduate architecture studio class at the University of Kansas, which actually gets out of the classroom and builds a home, managing all aspects of the project from start to finish. After completion, the homes are offered for sale!
The picture at left shows the home from the front street view. The structure on the left is the home – with the front door being the white box on the right with an entrance ramp leading towards it. The smaller structure at right is the 2-car garage. The driveway was something I had never seen before that blended terrifically into the landscape. It was called StabiliGrid, which is made from 100% recycled post consumer polyethylene. The fact sheet described it this way: “offers permeable driveway and sidewalk surfaces allowing water to collect and penetrate through a gravel bed where it can be absorbed into the ground rather than becoming runoff.”
The students designed this house with a modern aesthetic, but designed the house to be energy efficient, and built with a focus on sustainability. It’s an incredible accomplishment for them, and a very impressive piece of architecture that I’m proud to have in my community.