Photo ©Studio 804.

1330 Street House is the latest example of Studio 804’s mission to build creative sustainable housing in established, but marginal urban neighborhoods. 1330 Brook Street is convenient to the vibrant cultural district of downtown Lawrence and to the public transportation system and the bike trails that link the town. It is less than a block from the East Lawrence Recreation Center which offers a wide variety of services and is across the street from Brook Creek Park and its open green spaces, playgrounds and large mature trees. It is a three bedroom, two bathrooms, 1,300 square foot house that makes extensive use of salvaged material and minimizes energy consumption. Sixteen net metered solar panels on the roof provide up to 4.8 kilowatt-hours of power and will generate enough electricity to operate the house at net zero energy use over a calendar year. It was designed to be clearly contemporary while still fitting into its working-class surroundings of small, unassuming homes.
 Photo ©Studio 804.
 Photo ©Studio 804.

To minimize energy consumption the design uses passive strategies for lighting and to control heat gain and heat loss. The bedrooms, kitchen and living room are arranged along the south wall. At the south and west elevations, the roof extends over the outdoor walkway and patio spaces and is supported by custom made steel tube screens. The deep overhangs and the screens act to manage the amount of direct light that enters the house. They are designed to mitigate heat gain during the summer while still allowing daylight to enter. In the winter, the direct sun light can enter the house and warm the mass of the polished concrete floors. The north wall is highly insulated and has just the openings needed for cross ventilation and daylighting. It acts as a shield against the cold north winds to which the site is exposed. The plumbing is WaterSense-rated and the Italian-made kitchen appliances are energy star compliant. The light fixtures are fitted with LEDs. Insulation includes both rigid and blown-in cellulose and exceeds the U.S. Green Building Council LEED-rating standards. A signature element of the house is “the notch” where one enters the house. The covered walkway along the south side of the house widens at the living area creating an outdoor room that acts as a foyer for the house and as a screened patio for outdoor seating. It is visible to the living room, kitchen, dining area and flex room through floor to ceiling walls of insulated glass which are supported by a custom-made steel structural frame. Both steel and glass are highly recyclable materials. The soffits of the roof overhangs are finished with western red cedar boards. The interior is filled with high quality and long-lasting materials and components. A hanging pendant in the dining room is an original Louis Paulsen fixture, crafted in Denmark and purchased for reuse in the project. The red oak European kitchen and bathroom cabinets are topped with cold-rolled steel countertops.
 Photo ©Studio 804.
 Photo ©Studio 804.

Studio 804 is a comprehensive one year fully hands on design build experience offered by the University of Kansas Department of Architecture. Leaders in sustainable design with nine LEED Platinum projects and three Passive House certifications, Studio 804 is a not-for profit 501(c)3 corporation whose participants are graduate students committed to the continued research and development of affordable, sustainable and inventive building solutions.

To learn more, visit the Studio 804 website.