You're invited to join us for a webinar about #AccessoryDwellingUnits on November 18th at noon.

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-wYAIO5SVume2alwkqk1Q

Kennesaw Zoning Administrator Darryl Simmons presented Kennesaw council with draft ordinance allowing accessory dwelling units at single-family homes #CobbCounty #Kennesaw #AccessoryDwellingUnits

https://cobbcountycourier.com/2024/10/adu-public-art-proposals-considered-at-kennesaw-city-council-work-session/

Cosmic ADU is a “self-powered home” that uses no fossil fuels

US startup Cosmic has created a solar-powered accessory dwelling unit that is built using a special construction process and generates far more electricity than it needs.

Based in San Francisco, Cosmic was founded by Sasha Jokic, an entrepreneur, inventor and trained architect who has worked in the design and construction field for over 14 years. Previous ventures include Formdwell, a startup company that is creating new construction tools powered by intelligent robots.

For his latest project, Jokic and his team at Cosmic have developed an efficient construction system and an all-electric, zero-emissions home that is meant to be "a new, bold step in solving the housing and climate crisis".

"We've developed a unique, self-powered home platform that enables us to build carbon-neutral, healthy and incredibly efficient homes at high speed and lower cost," the company said.

Cosmic Studio was designed to use no fossil fuels

The Cosmic buildings diverge from the norm in a few ways. According to the company, they are constructed using a streamlined process that is faster, more economical and less wasteful than typical methods.

Moreover, the buildings are designed to generate their own power while using minimal energy and no fossil fuels. Plus, they can generate extra power that is stored and redistributed.

Cosmic created accessory dwelling units in a variety of sizes

The team has completed its first model unit, an ADU called Cosmic Studio, which has one level and totals 350 square feet (33 square metres). The compact dwelling holds a bathroom and an open area for sleeping, living, dining and cooking.

While this initial unit was conceived as housing, the company emphasized that the buildings could be used for other functions, such as playrooms and offices. The need for flexible buildings has become amplified due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The ‘American Dream' 2.0 is a home where we live, sleep, work, school and play – a flexible space that keeps us and the planet healthy," the company said.

The building can be used as a residential space or office

Cosmic creates its units via a "hybrid prefab approach", with parts of the building made in a factory and other components built on-site.

The frame, or chassis, is a modular system made of standardized components.

The modules come in different sizes – ranging from 18 to 45 square feet (1.7 to 4.1 square metres) – and modules are combined to form buildings of varying scales. Fourteen standard modules were used to create the chassis for the Cosmic Studio unit.

Fourteen standard modules were used to create the chassis for the Cosmic Studio unit

"The chassis is both exceptionally strong for greater structural performance and highly adaptable to accommodate a wide range of home layouts," said Jokic.

The chassis is made of metal and wood. The joists, joints and decking are fabricated using thin sheet metal and tubes, while other structural elements are made of sustainably sourced wood. The roof is standing-seam metal.

The module's components are built in a factory, put into flat-pack containers and then transported to the site via a flatbed truck. A module's maximum weight is 600 pounds (272 kilograms), making it relatively easy to offload and assemble with a small telehandler. No cranes are required.

The home is made with sustainably sourced woods

"Unlike other prefab ADUs companies that deliver pre-assembled big and bulky modules, making them expensive and difficult to ship, Cosmic is transporting chassis modules as a flat-pack on a small-size flatbed," said Jokic.

Also delivered to the site are roof underlayment, facade and interior walls, and doors and triple-glazed windows that are manually attached using Cosmic's "click-in joinery system". These elements are built on-site.

Some aspects of the dwelling are created in a factory while others are assembled on site

"We drive significant cost and performance improvements on the chassis, leaving less expensive and simpler components, such as walls and finishings, to be done by professional builders on site, in the relatively cost-effective way they already do," the team said.

The home sits atop a proprietary foundation that consists of underground anchors, above-ground legs and self-levelling joints. Screw threads or concrete footing can be used for the underground portion, depending on the soil type.

Wall panels are made of cross-laminated timber and different types of plywood, while flooring is made of engineered hardwood. Cladding options include stained cedar – in black, grey or natural – or composite panels in a copper hue.

Different options for the cladding can be selected

Units with kitchens are fitted with quartz countertops and premium cabinetry. Bathrooms have tiled shower walls and high-end fixtures. Other features include high-efficiency LEDs, a smart thermostat and an accompanying app to monitor electricity usage.

The home is designed to minimize energy consumption through features such as continuous insulation and air-tight windows and doors.

While designed to tie into public water and sewage systems, the Cosmic ADU is able to generate all of its own electricity.

The units come with pre-assembled systems for mechanical, engineering and plumbing, which includes a sizable battery pack for lithium-ion and thermal energy storage.

The unit is delivered on a flatbad and constructed on site

The units are also equipped with a rooftop solar array that can generate from seven to 20,000 kWh per year in the California region – much more than the ADU is expected to need.

The team envisions the extra energy being stored and then distributed to the main home on the ADU's property, or to an electric vehicle.

"The ADU is able to generate and store both electricity and thermal energy when it's most efficient and cheapest, and then distribute it into the household when it's needed," said Jokic.

Owners can purchase the solar array and battery pack or borrow them from Cosmic. In the latter scenario, Cosmic owns the excess energy generated by the ADU.

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Cosmic is presently housed at the Autodesk Technology Center in San Francisco, where it will produce the chassis modules for its first batch of homes. It also works with local material suppliers and manufacturers.

It currently takes four to six months to build and deliver a Cosmic ADU. The company is not releasing pricing at this time.

Cosmic's ultimate aim is to transform the building industry.

Different anchors are used depending on the ground

"Our homes are changing," the company said. "Climate warming and the global pandemic have reshaped our living environment, and we are not going back."

Other revolutionary building ideas include customized backyard dwellings by the design-build firm Cover that are created using computer algorithms, and "nomadic" hotel units by the startup Moliviing that are prefabricated and intended to be moved around.

The photography is byMilos Martinovic. Renderings are by Edit.

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#all #residential #architecture #green #modulararchitecture #prefabricatedbuildings #crosslaminatedtimber #accessorydwellingunits #sustainability #us

Tres Birds uses timber and metal to create ADU alongside Boulder home

Smart systems and salvaged materials feature in an accessory dwelling unit by architecture firm Tres Birds that city officials have designated as low-cost housing.

The project is located in Boulder, which sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is home to a major university and growing tech industry.

The ADU is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains

Built on a 2,100-square-foot (195-square-metre) property with a single-family home, the detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is meant to serve as a guest house or an in-law suite. Currently, it is occupied by a family member of the owner.

Designed by Tres Birds, a studio based in the nearby city of Denver, the ADU totals 800 square feet (74 square metres) and has two levels.

A spiral staircase leads to a loft space above

The ground level contains a kitchen and living room, along with a bedroom and bathroom.

A spiral staircase leads to a loft space above, which can be used as a second bedroom, an office or a den. Lined with a metal railing, the loft is open to below.

Tres Birds fitted the home with a gabled roof

The wood-framed, rectangular home is topped with a gabled roof designed to quickly shed snow. Windows and roof overhangs were strategically positioned to maximise natural light while also providing adequate shade in the summer.

Facades are clad in bonderised steel – a durable material that helps the home be low-maintenance. Inside the dwelling, walls were made of exposed plywood.

Plywood sheathing is also exposed on the home's interior

"We insulated from the outside so that the plywood sheathing structure of the building could be exposed to the inside," the team said.

Tres Birds used salvaged materials for several parts of the building. For instance, wood from bowling alley lanes was used for flooring and framing.

Wood from bowling alley lanes was used for flooring and framing

"The warm-toned, 50-year-old bowling alley wood is used as a structurally independent, mezzanine floor system and laminated together to create the east-side, timber-frame window system," the team said.

Other salvaged elements include "reject tile" from a local artisan, which was used in the bathroom and kitchen.

"Reject tile" clads the bathroom

For the home's operable skylight, the team used dichroic glass – multi-coloured glass with reflective properties – that was left over from a past Tres Bird project.

"As the angle of the sun changes throughout the day and season, so do the visual effects within the living space, creating a vibrant show of coloured light throughout," the team said of the skylight.

A dichroic glass skylight reflects multi-coloured light into the home

The building has a number of features that promote energy efficiency, including an air-tight envelope and a radiant floor system for heating and cooling.

Several elements can be controlled by smartphone, including lighting, security, heating and cooling, and the operable skylight.

The home has scored high on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, which is one of the leading energy-efficiency assessment tools in the US.

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A score of 100 represent the energy use of a standard building in America. The lower the score, the higher the energy efficiency.

"The home received a HERS score of 33, not far off from Europe's stringent Passive House requirement of HERS 20," said the studio.

Wood also lines ceilings in the bedroom

The small building has been designated an "Affordable Accessory Unit" rental property by the city of Boulder as part of its affordable housing programme. The Colorado city is facing a housing shortage, particularly in regards to middle- and low-cost housing.

A maximum rental price was not disclosed, but the architect's publicist said if the ADU were listed, the cost would be limited to about 75 per cent of the area's median price for a comparable unit.

The ADU is meant to serve as a guest house

Founded in 2000, Tres Birds has placed a focus on economical and sustainable design.

Other projects by the studio include S*PARK, a mixed-use project in Denver with facades made of reclaimed brick, and a Wisconsin art museum that has concrete exterior with screens made of angled, timber slats.

The photography is byJames Florio.

Project credits:

Architecture, interior design, landscape: Tres Birds
Facade cladding and roofing: Signature Services Roofing
Doors: Tres Birds
Windows: Anderson
Stairs: Paragon Stairs
Base cabinets: IKEA
Countertops: Porcelanosa
Appliances: KitchenAid
Plumbing fixtures: Kohler
Furniture: Isamu Noguchi, Sori Yanagi, Charles and Ray Eames, Tres Birds
Artwork: Berger&Fohr, Gregg Deal, Michael M Moore

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#residential #all #architecture #usa #skylights #gables #lowcosthousing #reclaimedmaterials #accessorydwellingunits #colorado