Hafsa Burt talks to Metal Architecture featuring our Net Zero Energy Home

As part of its effort to be a solution to these problems, hb+a Architects developed a single-family housing structure that is patent pending. “This was done as a spec project primarily to see if an off-grid, prefabricated structure could work within the timeline and goals that we set out to achieve,” she says.

The Box Factory is a 1,750-square-foot home in Jackson, Calif., which is about two hours north of the Bay Area. It is a zero-energy, zero-carbon structure that has R-50 walls and roofs, and is powered by a solar array that provides more energy than the building consumes.

Burt had previously worked with a client on a similar project where they put in rainwater harvesting, solar panels and similar sustainability features. “The budget just blew up because of the high construction costs in the Bay Area and despite sustainability features we couldn’t come anywhere close to the climate goals we wanted.” It did, though, provide the foundational idea for the Box Factory.

Through hb+a Architects’ development arm, Box Lab, the team designed a versatile living space. “We reimagined a client’s floor plan into a minimalist, flexible space that is highly energy efficient and has the capacity to change per the needs of the dwellers,” says Burt. “The focus was on space and the sweeping views. The floor plan can evolve to include multiple rooms and bathrooms with changing needs.”

One of the most important ideas behind the experiment is to take advantage of prefabricated efficiencies. The frame is a highly customized metal building system to which are attached sandwich panels for insulation and a metal skin. After the concrete slab was poured, main elements took only 12 days to construct.

The goal was not to create an easily replicable, prefabricated structure that could be plopped down on any piece of dirt, but instead to serve the purposes of the homeowner and meet climate goals. “That’s where prefabrication fails a little bit,” Burt says. “There are some prefabrication or modular companies that claim their products can be completely off the grid and zero energy, but in their renderings, they put the same house on a beach or a mountain or in an urban environment. It just can’t work. It has to be customized for sustainability to work.”

The idea is that hb+a Architects will take this patented product and customize it for the specific site conditions of its clients. “It’s site-suited and will be modified to suit needs. I’m not going to duplicate it. But using the same principles, it can be customized to a different site and conditions because it has to in order for sustainability to work.”

The interior features comfortable open spaces with great sight lines. Large ceiling fans and operable windows help circulate air and reduce the burden on the air conditioner, which though installed, isn’t needed.

“Even though this is a cool experiment that has met its climate goals for consumption, efficiency and resilience, I don’t feel like this is the ultimate solution to our climate issues,” Burt says. “There is more to be done, and there should be more done at a much faster pace. We’re going to keep pounding to find customized solutions for various climate zones and regions.”

The Box Factory, Jackson, Calif.

Size:

1,750 square feet

Architect:

hb+a Architects, San Francisco,
www.hbaarchitects.com

General contractor:

Box Lab, San Francisco

Metal building erector and wall panel installer:

Metallic Building Co., Houston,
www.metallic.com

Metal building system:

Metallic Building Co.

https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/a-net-zero-energy-home/