The Modular Venice is a triple-stacked steel framed addition to Siegal’s existing 1920’s Venice bungalow home. Craned in over the existing home and installed in one day, the 560 sf modular addition uses a diagrid structural system wrapped in Polycarbonate panels to maximize light, energy and efficiency. Designed as a prototype for future residential infill projects, V.V3 introduces less material waste, faster construction time, a tighter building envelope, green finishes and higher insulating properties resulting in a lower total life-cycle cost of the home.

The first floor open plan emphasizes the strong relationship between the indoor living/kitchen/dining/play space with the outdoor patio and garden. East and West facing operable windows at the ground and second floor levels provide passive cooling year round while the house is partially heated with a RAIS Gabo wood-burning stove. California sourced White Oak t+g flooring connects the existing to the new levels and combines the open tread stair with a secret built-in 142” projection screen.

The airy 10’-3” high second floor includes the master bedroom and bathroom and closets. Green finishes include LED lighting fixtures, reclaimed wood planking on a roller barn style door track, ‘overstock’ hand crafted Heath Ceramic tile and a Japanese style soaking bathtub.

The inhabitable roof-top provides 360 sf of additional green space by incorporating synthetic turf upcycled from Santa Monica’s airport park. Additional green systems include on-demand Navien water heater, three operable skylights and a grey water drainage system. Responding to the housing crisis and meeting the latest requirements from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety the V.V3 offers a solution to urban dwellers looking to increase density without unsettling the neighborhood.

Photographer: ©Dominique Vorillon

www.dominiquevorillon.com

Over 100 years ago Frank Lloyd Wright launched a pioneering scheme to build prefabricated homes with pre-cut framing, cabinets and other factory-made parts. Based on building practices he’d seen in Japan, Wright called it the American System of housing. World War I intruded, and he built only a handful. Honoring Wright’s legacy while tackling important design issues of today, the Taliesin Mod.Fab is an example of simple, elegant, and sustainable living in the desert. The one-bedroom, 600-square- foot prototype residence relies on SIP (structural insulated panel) construction to allow for speed and economy on site or in a factory. It can be connected to utilities or be "unplugged"; relying on low-consumption fixtures, rainwater harvesting, greywater re-use, natural ventilation, solar orientation, and photovoltaics to reduce energy and water use. The structure is dimensioned and engineered to be transportable via roadway. The building sits cantilevered over the desert wash and is used as a guesthouse for visiting scholars.

The Taliesin Mod.Fab was designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture with faculty guidance and an emphasis on prefabricated construction by Jennifer Siegal. The structure can be visited on the student-led Taliesin West Desert Shelter Tour.

The Mod.Fab has received numerous awards, among which:

Sunset Magazines Best Green Home Award

Time Magazines Best 100

OMD Joshua Tree exhibits the ideas of prefabrication, flexibility, portability and compact spaciousness. Originally located at the heart of Venice Beach’s trendy Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the building served as a prototypical model home and showroom to display OMD’s new work. Relocated to the high desert of Joshua Tree - close the national park entrance - the Joshua Tree Prefab now nestles into 80 acres of arid off-the- grid wilderness.

More than just green and modern, the Joshua Tree Prefab demonstrates OMD’s commitment to merging responsible design with new technologies and luxurious details. Its central kitchen/bath core divides and separates the sleeping space from the eating/living space in a compact assemblage of form and function. The steel frame structure, measuring 12 feet by 60 feet (720 sq ft) features a high sloping 12 foot 6 inch ceiling, and was trucked to its site and set on a temporary foundation.

The design utilizes green technologies such as tankless water heaters, radiant heat ceiling panels, and translucent polycarbonate sheets, balanced with high-end amenities like the iPort integrated sound system, Boffi kitchen, and Duravit bathroom fixtures. Whether briefly situated in an urban lot, momentarily located in the open landscape, or positioned for a more lengthy stay, the Joshua Tree Prefab accommodates a wide range of needs and functions. 

This 3,600 sf two-story modular residence sits on a flat lot in an ‘L’ configuration. While the street-facing front facade is compositionally compatible with neighboring houses, the long elevation facing the backyard features four large sliding glass doors. The garage opens to the front and the back yards for indoor-outdoor entertainment and other alternate uses. The lower floor is clad in light grey smooth stucco and the upper floor has vertical metal panels. The standing seam butterfly metal roof slopes to spatially increase the upper floor’s interior volume. The house contains 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The first floor is dominated by the 670 sf open living-dining- kitchen space, with a study/guest room and the garage. The kitchen is by Boffi. The first floor concrete floor acts as a thermal mass to retain heat collected during the day. Extensive glass windows and sliding doors, made possible by the long-span steel frame, open to backyard views. A white steel patio pavilion, with a fireplace and steel trellis roof, extends from the living room for outdoor use. The second floor contains three bedrooms plus an open family room, laundry, and two terraces. 

This 16 foot wide, four-steel framed modular residence was carefully positioned onto its 25’ x 100’ narrow urban lot. The 2,330 sf two-story prefabricated house sits on a flat corner lot. Its southeast and southwest facades are prominently exposed to the immediate Santa Monica neighborhood in Ocean Park, while the other facades are enclosed and private. The lower floor is clad in light grey mooth trowel stucco and the upper floor has horizontal Hardiplank, a green fiber cement siding. The hovering butterfly metal roof and extended corner window break up the rectilinear mass. Exposed, painted, steel channels at the roof reveal the structural system within. The first floor contains an open living-dining- kitchen space facing a rear patio with large sliding glass doors. The garage provides tandem parking, because of the narrow site conditions. Bamboo floors are used throughout the house. The second floor contains two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open office space (convertible to a third bedroom) and a terrace over the rear yard. The California native landscaping provides a visually stimulating compliment to the home and neighborhood.

OMD's second modular Venice residence exhibits the ideas of prefabrication, custom design, precision crafting and spaciousness achieved through an indoor/outdoor fluidity.

More than just green and modern, the home demonstrates OMD’s commitment to merging responsible design with new technologies and luxurious details.  The home sits on a 10,000 sf ft site, with its courtyard design inspired by the LA climate. The 4 modular prefabricated steel frame structures, measuring 2400 sq ft feature high interior 10 foot 6 inch ceilings, and project a 4 foot deep exterior shade awning wrapping the internal West facing courtyard and street side. Two of the existing structures on the property were recycled and remodeled to become the master suite and bathroom, office, laundry and detached 820 sf ft garage. Bamboo floors, tankless water heaters, Duo-flush toilets and shade awnings are green features used all through the home. The master planning of the site includes OMD’s landscape design employing native and drought tolerant plantings, creating a front yard of raised vegetable gardens and a center private courtyard for outdoor dining, fire place and splash pool.

In process, begun after the Woolsey Fire.

14 Steel Framed Prefab Modules, 2 stories

Lot size: 51,758sf

Modular Residence with Decks and Garage: 4,595 sf

In process, begun after the Woolsey Fire.

8 Steel Framed Prefab Modules

Lot size: 11,200 sf

Modular Residence with Decks and Garage: 3,632 sf

3 stories

This site-built house is a development of the original OMD Swellhouse. A modular grid of exposed steel columns and beams orchestrates the spatial and structural design of this open live-work project. A SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) system of prefabricated wall and roof panels provide further modular structural stability, as well as thermal and acoustic insulation. The prefabricated SIP panels were assembled in a remote factory, trucked to the site, and set in place manually.

This 3500 sf house has been separated into two buildings - the residence at Brooks Avenue and the garage with a recording studio above at the alley. The two structures frame a central courtyard. Two existing mature palm trees, and the 40 ft by 130 ft. lot’s setbacks determined the placement of the structures.

The steel frame allows for large expanses of glass at the first floor, where the plan is open for living, cooking and dining. The kitchen is by Linea. Each wall plane parallel to Brooks Ave. contains all glass with central sliding doors. The remainder of the first floor is clad with metal panels. The upper floors, containing bedrooms, bathrooms and the recording studio, are more enclosed for privacy and are clad in stucco.

Ceilings are high and the steel ‘I’ beams are exposed on the interior. A radiant tube heat system warms the concrete floor at the first floor. The second floor contains Brazilian Cherry wood. The recording studio has been fitted out with specific acoustic treatments. Exterior balconies with Ipe wood decking face the courtyard in a mirror image. All mechanical, electrical, pool, and water filtration systems run along the east edge of the site.

The Big Sur PreFab perches at the top of 217 acres of California mountain wilderness. Designed to be independent, self-sufficient and closely connected to the landscape, this model prefab is a pioneer for green off-the–grid housing in the region. Venturing off from Highway 1, climbing past the Redwood forest and California native plantings, the site is revealed and the view back to the Pacific Ocean provides the setting for John Steinbeck’s ideal artist retreat.

The 2150 sq ft 2-story home is constructed with structural insulated panels (SIPs). The Big Sur PreFab introduces less material waste, faster construction time, a tighter building envelope, green finishes and higher insulating properties resulting in a lower total life-cycle cost of the home. The first floor open plan emphasizes the strong relationship between the indoor living/kitchen/dining/reading space with the outdoor patio and garden. West facing operable windows at the ground level and ceiling fans on the second level provide passive cooling year round while the house is heated with two Rais Malta wood burning stoves. Locally sourced Tan Oak flooring connects the two levels and combines the open tread stair with a built-in book wall.

The airy 12 ft high second floor includes two bedrooms connected by a master bathroom and studio/office facing North. An outdoor patio off of the studio and second bedroom establishes an area for private sunbathing and contemplation. Green finishes include LED lighting fixtures, penny cork flooring, reclaimed colored wood planking for the master bed’s headboard/closet wall, ‘overstock’ hand crafted Heath Ceramic tile and a salvaged Clawfoot bathtub.

The folded standing seam metal roofline provides an armature to harness twenty solar PV panels and two solar thermal panels and creates passive shading from the southern sun angle. The board- formed concrete dog-leg- retaining walls contain the mechanical equipment, Phoenix solar water heater, batteries and inverters.

Additional green systems include on-demand Navien water heater, two operable skylights and a septic tank. Responding to the latest requirements from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection the exterior is clad with Hardie Panel Cemplank lap siding, offering an ignition resistant exterior skin. The irregular patterning and regional color hues are inspired by the surrounding climate where green, ochre, sand and brown meld with the blue mountain sky.

Classrooms with well-conceived light, space, technology and materials provide inspiring learning environments for children and their teachers.

The Sanderling Waldorf School’s new campus is in Encinitas, CA. The campus sits on 5 acres with an adjacent wetland and will provide 24,000 sq ft of indoor space. The program includes 5 Nursery Classrooms; 8 Classrooms for Grades Kindergarten – 8th; 3-4 additional Classrooms for Specialty Subjects (Eurythmy, Music, Handwork, Science, Woodwork); Administration Offices; Teacher and Parent Lounges; Full Kitchen; Library/Tutoring Room; and Restroom Facilities.

OMD believes that around every corner exists an opportunity for learning. Our prefab portables are tools for learning about sustainability, design, and the importance of our impact on the landscape. We feel that a beautiful and flexible campus encourages children to form a special relationship to and appreciation for their place of learning. We believe in an integral experience between the learning that happens inside the classroom and the one that happens outside. Our goal is for each individual child to feel a sense of importance and belonging on their new campus by providing wonderful outdoor spaces for socializing, gardening, playing, and discovering, as well as inspiring interior classroom environments.

Office of Mobile Design (OMD) has designed a new middle school campus to expand The Country School’s existing preschool and elementary school campus. Our concept for the project centers around educational, environmental and fiscal responsibility. OMD has put a fresh face on prefabricated classrooms by incorporating modern design sensibilities, making these buildings virtually indistinguishable from site-built structures. We employ sustainable systems such as abundant natural light, cross ventilation, eco-friendly materials, efficient lighting systems and integration with the surrounding landscape, making these buildings healthy environments from which to begin the learning process.

The three prefab buildings are composed of eleven steel-frame modules. Each contains metal siding and roofing, large operable windows and doors, Expanko (made from rubber and cork) and bamboo flooring, Biocomposite panel cabinetry (made from sunflower seed husks) and Homasote (made from recycled newspaper) wall cladding. High sloping 13 foot ceilings and pendant lighting enhances the spaciousness of the classrooms. The 960 sf central building houses the middle school offices and the library. The 2400 sf west building contains three classrooms, the language lab, lockers and toilet rooms. The science lab and art studio make up the 1930 sf east building. The art studio doubles as a multi-purpose community room at night.

Portions of the existing middle school have been renovated by OMD to provide offices, a faculty lounge, a new music room, and a faculty toilet room. The landscape was designed in collaboration with Mark Tessier Landscape Architecture and features outdoor classrooms and gathering space, an amphitheatre, raised vegetable garden beds, a butterfly garden a frog pond and a stream. The native plant families were selected to encourage learning through their seasonal changes. And, the introduction of an edible garden allows the children an opportunity to experience the agricultural life cycle. It was our sincere hope that each individual child would feel a sense of importance and belonging on their new campus by providing them with wonderful indoor and outdoor spaces for socializing, gardening, playing and discovering.

For its corporate headquarters, the extreme sports-oriented web site pie.com chose a bow truss loft space in Hollywood. The open plan of the 10,000 s.f. space houses the various functions of the business under one roof, and allows for a dynamic and free flow of [ideas, information, views, light, bodies] within that space. The program includes: reception lobby, conference room, work stations, executive offices, kitchen/dining, storage/copyroom, and brainstorming `base camp space. To distinguish work areas, a series of light, almost delicate structures appears throughout, curvaceous and translucent, snaking here and there to delineate places for meeting, sitting, eating, and working. Dotting this interior work-scape are clusters of bi-level, amoeba-like desks gathered in trios around slender electrical supply columns; the locations of these work stations are determined by the overhead cable suspension track that winds its way sinuously around the entire office. A large swirling drum of a conference room dominates the space, rising up to the sky like a wave in a great swell of vibrant blue and green. It is entered along the sweeping path of a grey-on- grey floor mural, by the LA pop artist Andre Miripolsky, that leads from the elevator doors, through the entry lobby, right into the eye of the drum.

Pie.com's business focuses on dynamic, competitive, and high-intensity extreme sports, such as snowbording, surfing, skateboarding, and BMX mountain biking. Though the design of pie.com's offices includes moving parts (rolling doors and wheeled desks), it avoids being a literal manifestation of such activities. Instead, the space achieves its sense of dynamism and action through a dramatic manipulation of architectural elements. As natural light pours in from large skylights and plentiful east-and west-facing windows, it skips across exposed beams and free-standing walls, backlights translucent partitions, silhouetttes the sometimes frenetic motions of workaday goings-on, and sets various areas aglow with the reflected colors of nearby walls. This complex interplay of materials, colors, forms, and light makes for an animated environment that fosters productivity, creativity, and fruitful collaboration.

This 6,720 sf development is located along Venice Boulevard in the City of Los Angeles. Designed for a creative book design and publishing company, the emphasis is on open floor plans and natural light. The 3-story building is designed using 9 cantilevered prefabricated steel frame modules ranging from 60’-30’ long. There are 2 internal stairways with roof access, 1 elevator and 12 car and 4 bicycle parking spaces.

The idea of building a house out of shipping containers is becoming familiar, though few designs manage it this elegantly and comfortably, especially for such an unexpected location. The  residence is on a formally empty industrial lot in L.A.’s Lincoln Heights neighborhood, on the edge of downtown and adjacent to the large arts cooperative called the Brewery. The construction team dug up existing concrete slabs and replaced them with a thick, wild combination of plants, which grow especially well since the site is on the original alluvial plain of the now asphalt-covered L.A. River. Siegal, a former Brewery resident, calls the site the “enchanted garden” for its dense plantings and seclusion from the street. The house is composed of four corrugated steel shipping containers, which had - like their uneven site, been sitting abandoned in the area. The containers sit on top of each other in twos, separated by a living space roofed with a steel surface that tilts with a change in grade between the house’s two sides. They are fronted by a facade of thick glass sheets that are abutted to create the illusion of a continuous glass wall. This eclectic middle space is the heart of the project. The room’s floor alternates between concrete and dark cherry wood, and it is enlivened by a succession of changes in levels and an indoor koi pond fed by a waterfall made of stacked flagstone. Up-cycled from aluminum grain trailers, the sunken outdoor trailer becomes a lap pool. The four multipurpose containers hold equally adaptable   bedroom/bathroom, entertainment room/library, dining room/study, and laundry/mechanical spaces.

The AERO-Mobile is a movable flexible exhibition and retail space made of recycled parts discarded by the aerospace industry. This impermanent architecture envisions buildings as a series of ULD’s (Unit Load Device) up- cycled as exhibition space platforms, mounted on electric trucks, allowing for spontaneous pop-up experiences to be deployed throughout the city center and its surrounding suburban neighborhoods. Using social media and a new mobile App the AERO fleet is easily located or transformed as the functions for the artist, curator or merchant fluctuate. Visually engaging, the AERO- Mobile creates an individual or a communal outlet for instantaneous consumerism, complimenting and eflecting today’s world where life is anything but static.

Truck-A- Tecture at KANEKO sets the stage for a debate on an unlikely pair of themes: prefabricated architectural solutions and the mobile culture of trucking. The intent of the project is to bring about a productive collision between the architect's vision of efficient and sustainable housing and the reality of nomadic contemporary lifestyles involving a multiplicity of locations and sites. The viability of prefabricated building solutions was a precondition of modern architecture from the 1920s, expressing the larger societal tendency toward efficient living. But the idea of prefabrication dates back to ancient Rome, at least, and the logical extension of ideas about modular construction has never ceased to percolate in the minds of designers. Likewise, in the early 1960s, the architects who founded Archigram invoked "a new agenda" in which "nomadism is the dominant social force" calling on  architects to respond by creating structures that allow for movement and transformation.

The idea of living "on the road" is as old as human civilization, and today it increasingly seems like a viable alternative to traditional housing.

The ultimate aim of Truck-A- Tecture is to challenge current definitions of prefabrication and mobile architecture and to expand the horizon of their applications in everyday living to embrace contemporary economic and geographic realities, harking back to what Archigram called an "altered reading of the familiar."