HOUSING
Applied Architecture designed this ADU in Elk Grove for a young couple to fit into their parents ’ backyard . It has a home office , master suite on the upper floor and a private roof garden .
PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLIED ARCHITECTURE
Roddy ’ s prefab ADU concept , called barndominium , won the AIA Award in AIACV ’ s 2019 design competition for its innovative use of a prefab steel building . Outside of the design competition , Roddy is marketing his yard-barn project ( which was modified for the AIACV design competition to meet the needs and budget parameters ) to property owners interested in a prefabricated ADU , which makes use of a pre-engineered metal kit of parts for easy , even DIY , construction . Inside , off-the-shelf items like kitchen cabinets and a wardrobe from Ikea are also specified . For warmth , Roddy ’ s design adds a plywood wall panel system that hangs on the inside of the structure . “ The overall goal of the state legislation is that we have a housing emergency right now , so how do we get things going quickly ?” says Roddy . “ Wouldn ’ t it be great if you could get this thing up in a matter of weeks instead of months ? The yard-barn idea was really hatched on this notion of prefabrication . There ’ s a lot more flexibility there .”
Dov Kadin and his partner , Tawny Macedo , decided to go the predesigned ADU route . Before purchasing their first home together in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento , the couple intentionally looked for a residence that would accommodate an ADU . They found a 1925 bungalow situated on a large corner lot with an unused side yard that fit the bill . The cost-conscious pair worked directly with a general contractor to build a pre-engineered ADU in their backyard for roughly $ 135,000 . The 820-squarefoot home took about a year to complete . The couple rents the unit out for $ 1,500 a month , which in Sacramento is affordable for households making about 85 percent of the county median income . “ We are very close to the state definition of affordable housing with zero subsidies ,” Kadin says . “ To us , it ’ s a huge win to be able to do that . That ’ s why I ’ m such a big believer in ADUs as part of the housing solution .”
The AIACV , which covers 17 counties in Northern California , has made affordable housing its focus for the year , starting with this year ’ s 2021 design competition that challenges architects to create a prototype for low-income , workforce family housing . In addition , the local chapter is championing innovative projects from its member firms and architects on how to address affordable housing . “ We really would like firms to get some exemplary pilot housing projects in place so people can see what can happen ,” explains Paul Menard , AIACV ’ s president . He points to Paul ’ s Place as an example .
Paul ’ s Place , a multifunctional housing center designed to serve the unsheltered in Davis , was designed pro bono by long-term Davis resident and architect Maria Ogrydziak . Ogrydziak is partnering with her son Luke Ogrydziak , cofounder of San Francisco-based OPA , to complete the working drawings . The project is meant to replace the aging Davis Community Meals and Housing facility that has been in operation for decades .
50 comstocksmag . com | August 2021