The Small Home of the Year is a Modular, Affordable Housing Solution

Four years ago we launched a project to develop a sustainable and universal vision for the future to address our housing and climate crises We called this vision SEED and Jax House is the first to build SEED Home The brief was to take one of our SEED concepts and tailor it specifically for a father and his two young sons The client was attracted to this concept for its sustainable values its minimal footprint efficient layout and custom kit set process The design is a two-level three-bedroom home built on a compact footprint footprint of 6.5 by 6.5 meters This particular design was intended to fit into many hard-to-access small front and back yards in Auckland Conceptually this building is a seed gently planted into the earth rooted in the idea that it can be dispersed and cultivated in various locations of Aotearoa and cultivated into numerous buildings and homes Architecturally the timber weatherboards scribers and interior detailing and trims create patterns rhythm and texture evoking the feel of a seed The word "seed" originates from Latin meaning to yield or give way and we felt that perfectly reflected our intention for seed and for the system we designed which is all about letting go of control and empowering people to feel confident they can build their own homes The interior is completely lined with New Zealand plywood creating a natural warm and immersive experience as if you were inside a seed Instead of treating plywood as a conventional sheet lining we’ ve concealed every joint within the home and mitered every corner This evokes a sense of permanence and tranquility as you move through the home's spaces We aimed to make the building feel larger than it truly is and we achieved this by creating Increased separation between spaces reduces visibility and extends travel distances As you wander through this maze-like structure the compact building footprint begins to expand and feel larger than it truly is Since the site is surrounded by beautiful native bush we've decided to open the windows 180 degrees inward What it does is establish a strong connection with the outside environment and actually brings that greenery indoors From the outside the windows follow a modular rhythm reinforcing a strong balanced form and the concept of a seed From within the windows frame and compose each view individually into a series of landscape portraits The home is almost entirely constructed from New Zealand-grown pine We believe it's crucial to use renewable locally sourced materials not only to ot only reduce our environmental impact but also strengthen our national self-resilience in light of the current unstable global supply chains and geopolitical instability By creating a comprehensive fabrication digital model and a detailed step-by-step assembly guide were able to construct this home in 25 weeks for approximately $400 000 This process makes it much clearer easier and faster for people to build which could greatly improve housing affordability We're truly delighted with how this home has turned out It has definitely surpassed our expectations and gives us a genuine sense of hope about what's possible The future of medium-density housing in New Zealand could look like this