HomeStretch
with Steve Hu & Kalyani Bhatt
The project begins with the recognition that the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) has largely been positioned as an unregulated structure, hidden from the neighborhood.
In order to address that historic precedent and to position the ADU as valuable to a larger neighborhood structure, the project is placed at the threshold between the traditionally public and private spaces of a residential lot.
In order to address that historic precedent and to position the ADU as valuable to a larger neighborhood structure, the project is placed at the threshold between the traditionally public and private spaces of a residential lot.
The ADU’s front face signals its presence in the neighborhood, activating the driveway space and leveraging its formal reading to shift the visual perception of the ADU to one of equal footing with the primary dwelling.
The project then imagines a reprogramming and revaluing of the driveway that allows it to act more as a side yard than space for a car. This brings forth a Houston that is less reliant on private vehicles and more inclined toward public transportation.
The project then imagines a reprogramming and revaluing of the driveway that allows it to act more as a side yard than space for a car. This brings forth a Houston that is less reliant on private vehicles and more inclined toward public transportation.
With the ADU as a model for densifying Houston’s urban fabric, the implementation of these units would call for an increase of public services in areas where the ADU can diversify the housing stock.
The HomeStretch ADU has a flexible configuration, adapting to a wide variety of the city’s usable lots through a Grasshopper algorithm that adjusts the plan to be wide and short or narrow and long depending on the shape of the site. The ability of the plan to stretch ties into the project’s unique structure and cladding.
The HomeStretch ADU has a flexible configuration, adapting to a wide variety of the city’s usable lots through a Grasshopper algorithm that adjusts the plan to be wide and short or narrow and long depending on the shape of the site. The ability of the plan to stretch ties into the project’s unique structure and cladding.
HomeStretch’s changing form is supported by its structure and cladding which conforms to its variable shape. A stretching plywood structure, held in tension with bridging, comes in 3 different sized modules which allow wall lengths to be made up of different member pairs. The Stretch Studs reduce thermal bridging and improve the available area for insulation, increasing thermal efficiency.
The cladding works in tandem with the same stretching idea as the structure to remain adaptable to the ADU. The speculative Muira fold cladding would be produced flat from 3D printed polymers or through CNC milled panels. These sheets of cladding would roll for ease of transport and unrolled, hung, and folded along a profile to achieve their shape.
These folds are adjusted specifcally for energy performance. The cladding is designed to be self-shading and create the optimal balance between surface area and angle to create a thermally efficient envelope that works in tandem with the ADU’s structure. The inclusion of solar panels, and self-shaded fenestration create a highly efficient project that approaches net zero.
Fall 2019
Model photography by Nash Baker
Fall 2019
Model photography by Nash Baker