brooks + scarpa launches adaptable 'housing toolkit' that comes in parts

brooks + scarpa has partnered with prefabrication company plant prefab to develop a scalable, multi-family housing ‘kit-of-parts’. called the ‘nest livinghome toolkit,’ it is designed to address LA’s shortage of supportive housing for the homeless and features adaptable apartment modules that can be arranged to meet the needs of each particular site, neighborhood, and bed count.

images courtesy of planet prefab and brooks + scarpa

the nest livinghome kit is based on the plant building system, plant prefab’s patented, component-based construction platform. it includes multiple options for designs that can be built on unused lots throughout a city with the option to mix and match different types facilitating mixed-income residents.

brooks + scarpa has designed a series of potential unit plans that vary between homeless shelters, single-room occupancy (SRO), and conventional multi-family configurations. prototypes correspond to the buildable areas of LA’s standard-sized 50-foot-by-150-foot residential lots.

each nest is constructed in plant’s custom homebuilding factory in rialto, CA, cutting the construction timeline in half and significantly reducing the cost. clients can select from a growing number of home models and can personalize them with different finishes, fixtures, and systems.

‘brooks + scarpa is one of the top design firms in the nation and the work they’ve done in sustainable, affordable housing, in particular, is among the most innovative in the industry,’ says plant founder and ceo, steve glenn. ‘by offering an adaptable, prefabricated ‘kit-of-parts,’ nest livinghomes offers developers and affordable housing organizations a flexible solution they can use now for smaller, urban infill lots in order to build affordable housing faster and for a lower cost than traditional, site-based approaches.’

‘we know that people are frustrated by the slow pace of solutions for affordable housing,’ adds glenn. ‘prefab construction can help increase the pace.’

the bluejay is a temporary shelter designed to maximize bed-count and house the maximum number of people. it sees an 11-foot, 4-inch-wide room that’s 28-feet-deep, organized as a one-bedroom unit or in various muti-bed designs.

meanwhile, the dove is a permanent supportive housing model designed to maximize efficiency for single-room-occupancy, grouping several living modules around a central living area. then there is the osprey, which is a permanent supportive housing model designed to maximize efficiency for long-term housing, featuring singular or grouped units to produce studio, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom configurations.

‘as the demand and cost for housing continues to rise, nest was conceived to provide a scalable, cost-effective, high-quality solution to multi-family housing,’ explains angie brooks, managing principal, brooks + scarpa. ‘like the nesting habits of birds, the toolkit is based on the different ways people live with the objective of giving everyone an affordable place to live.’

the project partners recently won a $1 million grant from the 2018 la county housing innovation challenge that is being put toward a forthcoming development in santa monica, california that will make use of the units. the first organization to use the kit will be a nonprofit in santa monica that currently has a waiting list of 8,000 people looking for affordable housing.