Designing Where We Live through the Eyes of Youth

Schemata Workshop will be hosting a teen model-building workshop in collaboration with the Seattle Architecture Foundation about urban multi-family residential architecture exploring its various social and design issues.  The participants will get a personalized tour of Jackson Place, a vibrant cohousing community in Seattle, as an example of a multi-family housing alternative. Grace, Will and Mira have been hard at work developing the curriculum alongside SAF and are excited to host.  

If you know a teen aged 11-16 who would be interested in partcipating in this workshop, you can find more information here.  You may also contact us at info@schemataworkshop.com.

Modular’s day in the sun

Early on in the construction of Kirkland Avenue Townhomes, Schemata Workshop decided to create a video depicting the modular construction process. We hope this documentation will clearly explain why we believe modular will be a catalyst for change in the affordable housing industry. Thanks to Frazer | Pogue Collective for creating this beautiful video that really tells our story so well.

And, as satisfying as it was to see the completion of Kirkland Avenue Townhomes, what was even more rewarding was to physically help some of the families move in shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony. They were excited to leave their old units in Sunset Terrace and to be the first residents to live in their highly sustainable, light-filled, new homes.

Welcome all!

Looking back: final steps in modular construction of the Kirkland Avenue Townhomes

A few months ago Schemata Workshop blogged about the process of modular construction. We took you through the first 7 stations of the process, (please see A Detailed Look). Now that families are moving into the townhouses in Renton, we'd like to show you the final steps involved in modular construction at the factory.

Station 8 | Ceiling Install

By station 8 you can see the ceiling is installed and all pertinent weather resistant barriers are in place on the roof and the exterior walls. We’re ready to begin focus solely on the interior finishes.

Station 9 | Finishing of Drywall

Interior Drywall is finished, taped and sanded in station 9.  The walls are painted at this point, prior to the majority of finishing of carpentry, plumbing and electrical fixtures.

Station 10 | Finish Carpentry and Plumbing

Key finish carpentry elements and plumbing assembly is done off line in stations.  Here a plumber assembles plumbing fixtures to their countertops offline.

In a separate paint booth finish trim for base, door and windows is painted

Station 11 | Trailor Bed

At this point, the entire module is placed onto a trailer bed.

Careful attention is given to ensure that the module is set squarely on the trailer so the load is fully balanced during transport.

Given the layout of the factory floor, the entire trailer is driven up onto skids so the module can travel perpendicularly on the factory floor.

Station 12 | Door, Lighting Fixtures and Upper Cabinetry Install

Doors are hung on their jambs and the upper cabinets are installed.  At this time the electrical fixtures are installed.

Station 13 | Appliances and Shipment protection.

Appliances are installed and the units are almost ready for shipment.  Protection board is placed over any surface that could possibly incur damage during shipment or subsequently during the on site button up.

On that note, here you can see the missing drywall that was intentionally left off to allow for first floor to second floor plumbing connections.  This section of drywall would need to be finished in the field.

Station 14 | Shrink Wrapping

Like a boat, the units are covered in a shrink wrap material  Here a blow torch applies heat to seal the units up for shipment.

Station 15 | Shipment

The boxes are brought out of the factory and await pickup to be shipped to their final destination, Renton, Wa.

Site 1 | Staging

The modular boxes which were shipped with both first and second floor modules sharing a common top and bottom rim joist.  These larger boxes were stored off site in a staging lot. On the staging lot, the two boxes are sawn apart and as such these types of modules are called sawboxes.  Once split into separate modules, the boxes are transported on a smaller trailer bed a short distance to the construction site.

Site 2 | Craning

A 250-ton crane was used to lift the boxes onto the foundation.  Special rigging is used and the crane location, and size, was dictated by existing power lines on site. 

Site 03 | Fireproofing and Structural Straps

As the boxes come along a separate crew follows up and places batt insulation, shown here in yellow, the insulation acts as a fire/smoke separation between units.  Additionally, crews mechanically attach straps which structurally tie the modules to the foundation and to each other.

Site 04 | Fine Tuning

As the boxes are set, the Set Contractor uses a come-along winch to fine tune the stack between first and second boxes.  Once the box is finely adjusted the crane releases all weight.

Site 05 | Weather proofing

Once the boxes have been set, the construction takes on a more typical construction process. The air barrier is seamed together at all gaps between modules, all while the roof trusses are set atop the second floor modules.  Once the trusses are in place, the roof is sheathed, papered, and shingled.

Site 06 | Insulation and Siding

Continuous exterior insulation is installed and the siding goes on shortly thereafter. 

Finishing touches such as awnings, gutters, and downspouts are installed.

Site 07 | Completion

A couple of coats of exterior paint and plenty of site work and the project is finished!

Kirkland Avenue Townhomes featured by HUD Washington

We've been documenting our process of creating Renton Housing Authority's Kirkland Avenue Townhomes since the beginning. As the first modular, multi-family housing project in Western Washington, it's an important step not only for Schemata Workshop, but for our partners at Renton Housing Authority, and for the Seattle area as a whole. Now that the Townhomes are complete, they're starting to get noticed! The ribbon cutting was attended by many, including Senator Hasegawa, and the Sunset Terrace revitalization has now garnered attention from HUD Washington. An article came out today that features the Kirkland Avenue Townhomes as a good example of the amazing progress happening in Renton's affordable housing sector. Click the image below to read the full write-up.

In the next 10 years we will...

Schemata turned 10 last week! We celebrated and kicked off the holiday season with our annual party. Thank you to all who attended- it was a pleasure to see you and we appreciate your joining our celebration.

Reflecting on 10 years is interesting. We started in 2004 with great optimism and enthusiasm. A bit later, the "Great Recession of 2008" was severe enough to shutter the doors of many firms. We were fortunate to be a diversified practice, with enough work to struggle through the worst years and emerge much stronger. Let that be a lesson in all aspects of life- diversify. 

We feel our success is the result of great clients, strong collaborators, and skilled staff. We have had the great fortune to work on a wide range of projects: from significant public projects like the Seattle Central Waterfront and Sound Transit projects, to important affordable housing projects like the Kirkland Avenue Townhomes, to some fabulous single family homes that were published in national design magazines earlier this year. We're incredibly proud of the work we've completed to date and of the difference we've made in the communities we serve. 

We now number 16 and recently instituted a new leadership level of Associates - Christopher Palms, Peggy Heim, Jeff Busby and Emily Woods.  The latter three having attained their licensure in the past year as well.

As we look ahead to the next decade, we anticipate remaining at the size of studio we are now and we will strive to continue the high level of service and client interaction that we enjoy and are proud of. We will be improving our skills individually and professionally, and our processes as a firm so that we can deliver the best projects possible for our clients. We want to prove that social equity and great design are not mutually exclusive.

We are optimistic about the future- not only the booked work we see ahead for 2015, but also the trajectory of our firm and our profession. We look forward to working with all of you in one way or another in the new year!!!

Thanks to all who turned out to help us celebrate, and to all for your ongoing support.