While the reviewers on Friday didn’t have a lot to say about my individual unit design they did bring up some important considerations for the final.  Based on their comments some of the things I’ve been exploring further are:

• The type of systems being used in the units and how some of those systems might be shared between a cluster of units.
• How can interior furniture and openings and the exterior landscape be customized to allow individual personalization in order to allow the building form to stay more simple and replicable?
• Making sure there is a clear purpose for breaks and paths between units so these areas do not create unused and potentially unsafe areas.
• Getting away from the circular form of the fire-truck turnaround to create a better social space at the connection point of the two neighborhood phases.

The biggest thing I am still trying to work out is the type of building system I want to use.  Originally I was exploring the idea of using SIP construction and a more modular design.  After the review and discussing what the benefits of using a SIP versus more traditional site built construction I am exploring a few alternatives.   Some of my ideas include creating a core between two units that could be prefabricated and would include the bathrooms, kitchens and staircases.  The rest of the unit (the bedrooms and living spaces) could then be site built to allow greater flexibility in the design and window opening types.  Another topic I am looking at is if the construction becomes more panelized but still built on site, how can the pieces be broken down into modules that allow for easy and efficient packing/shipping.