Emergency Housing
The need for housing has never been greater, with the current pandemic and financial constraints on everybody we are seeing too many people on the streets with nowhere to go. Recently MODS PDX INC and Base Design + Architecture, LLC was responsible for designing and building The St. John’s Village which is made up of (19) sleeping pods and a common building made up of offices, showers, bathrooms, laundry and kitchen for the pods. This project was a great success, however it opened our eyes to just how large this problem is and started our wheels spinning.
Kegan Flanderka, AIA owner of Base Design + Architecture, LLC, along with myself, Nathan Young, owner of MODS PDX INC started to look at the most efficient way to house individuals that are in need of temporary housing knowing that the sites these units get set on vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In order to gain the efficiencies of modular construction we wanted to utilize a standard build platform yet allow for flexibility and the option to scale.
We have come up with units that are sleeping rooms, full ADA bathrooms, Kitchen and laundry, and optional office units that allow for different situations. We have based these on very simple construction systems that allow for the maximization of the building materials to keep costs as low as possible per door. We can upgrade units to meet different needs and have chosen a single pitched roof to potentially allow for solar where applicable. As well, we are looking at the option of placing these on trailers to allow for even more flexibility in how these get staged or utilized on different locations.
All units, regardless of use, are built on the same exact platform and have the ability to range in length from 24’-48’. We can tailor design the configuration of sleeping units to bathrooms and locations of the units on a site based on need. As well, we have office units that match the same platform to allow for onsite services and supervision of the sites.
We both believe in this process and see the current situation as needing a more efficient solution if we hope to get ahead of this crisis. Our solution is simple, yet diversified, and can work in many different locations and site constraints depending upon budget and need. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Nathan Young at nathan@modspdx.com or Kegan Flanderka at kegan@basedesignarchitecture.com.