Noah Freeman, Cohab+ modular housing system
Transcript
Noah’s project consists of an architectural model and 3D renderings of the Cohab+ modular housing system, along with an interactive design app to optimise the system’s configuration for various needs. The model itself uses wood and matchstick-dimension supports to render what would be the steel structure of two standardised frames (a whole and a half size). The exhibitor statement explains that, within the framework, prefabricated, insulated panels – offered in a range of materials – separate spaces to create the physical and visual versatility necessary for diverse communities. In the model these are rendered in unpainted and yellow-painted wood (where each whole cube stands at 55mm cubed.) Exterior windows are represented in transparent Perspex. Along with the right-angled frames they create an example of how the modules and dividing frames could be configured through a quick-build, site-adaptable solution. Accompanying documentation includes photographs of a variety of set ups, each using combinations of the cube-shaped whole frame with the cuboid half-size frame. Exterior panels come in a range of finishes and styles: from plain, through to vertical slats, as well as a breeze-block style geometric pattern. A tree-like twig is incorporated into the model’s setting to create a sense of how the design could work within nature, and the whole sits on a grey stone slab.
Other documentations steps through the Cohab+ app: which Noah explains is set up to guide developers through a streamlined design process, realising their project as they adapt the Cohab+ system to their specific site and resident needs. One example shows a hand selecting ‘cement blocks’ from a pallet of 14 cladding options as the design is rendered in 3d on the screen. A series of horizontal tabs at the top of the app indicate the app’s other features and pathways: ‘Resident Settings’, ‘New’, ‘Open Existing’, ‘Help Centre’ and ‘Budget’.
More snapshots of the app show a landing page where the brand ‘Cohab+’ in yellow outlines appears to sit on the first floor of a sun-lit configuration of a Cohab+ building. A strapline in white beneath reads ‘homes for the future’. A project gallery page shows photographs of a range of components and settings. Four more snapshots of the app in use on a tablet shows how it tracks the build’s budget from an initial cost of $0 at the starter screen, through to $532,000 for a completed design as rendered by the architectural model.
Noah also provides a diagram of an example combination of frames and panels configured for a family of five and three couples/singles. The ground floorplan includes a shared kitchen, a family living area and a shared laundry. The right-hand side of the C-shaped footprint includes a second entrance alongside a bedroom and a couples/singles living area. The first floor contains three family bedrooms on the left, and two more singles/couples bedrooms on the right. Connecting the two sides on the ground floor is a shared, single-storey dining area.