The students for 2018-2019 school year focused on designing and building an affordable, net-positive home for a client in Kansas City, MO. The Historical Northeast neighborhoods of Kansas City have long been places of diversity and prosperous family life. In the last 20 years, these neighborhoods have suffered from neglect and absent landlords. Since then, there have been no new building permits in the Indian Mound neighborhood. The Net Positive Studio is proud to partner with the Mattie Rhodes Center to introduce a new model of affordable, sustainable housing to these neighborhoods.
Located in historic Northeast Kansas City, the Indian Mound neighborhood is diverse, tight-knit, and maintains its eclectic history — yet the neighborhood is threatened by a shortage of quality, safe, and affordable housing. The studio researched conditions in the neighborhood, observing the condition, ownership, and characteristics of housing in Indian Mound to develop a house design that is right-sized, durable, and functional, taking inspiration from the efficient but livable housing from the neighborhood’s past. The 1033 sq. ft. home, designed and built by the studio, intends to demonstrate a thoughtfully-designed, healthy, energy efficient, and affordable home that can help a household to thrive — while investing in their neighborhood and strengthening their community in the long term.
The design originated from simple residential forms already abundant in the neighborhood. The house is split between private and public areas, which are shifted to optimize circulation alignment and reduce unnecessary floor area. Panelized construction allows the home to be built off-site, while the economic design minimizes material and energy compared with a typical new home. The home will use its roof for electricity generation, while extra space on the parcel will be available for gardening, gathering, and recreation.
Students: Mi Chele Lee, Jessica Wyatt, Safa Salih, Will Olds, Kazem Namazi, Amber Morris, Cathy Matthews, Joe Kutter, Kody Gabel, Johnathan Disberger, Matthew Dickman, Christian Carter, Yueming Cao, Stephen Bregande, Professor Michael Gibson
The Net Positive Studio 