NATIONAL HOME SHOW
Dream Home in 5 easy pieces
February 13, 2010
Vicky Sanderson
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Architect Richard Librach didn't think twice about accepting Eurodale Developments' offer to design the dream home for the National Home Show, which opens Friday, Feb. 19.
After all, he and Brendan Charters of Eurodale had already worked successfully on several residential projects, mostly custom family homes. So, they were excited to tackle the many challenges posed by the Eurodale Dream Home project, which included working with five different designers on a house that had to be erected in eight days and that would be largely furnished with donated finishings and fixtures.
As they pondered the practical issues, they grappled with a larger, philosophical quandary: They'd be creating a house that would be torn down and sent to landfill. Instead, they wanted to build a sustainable dream home.
"I don't like to see material waste," explains Charters, "and I felt we could make a positive contribution by designing something that could be reused after the show.''
So, Librach and Charters began work on a modular housing design that could be deconstructed for future use. Soon, they realized that their system had the potential to solve long-standing space and affordability issues.
"We got intrigued, and started thinking that it really would be a dream home if it could change for a family over time," says Librach, who began contemplating how a house might expand and contract with a family's needs.
The result? A home built with modular, movable 16- by 16-foot "rooms" that can be configured in any number of ways, including vertical stacking. They envision a young couple starting out with a two- or three-pod home, adding pods as their family grows and then, when the nest begins to empty, selling pods as resales.
Each unit is fabricated by TRS Components Ltd. in Thorndale, just outside of London. Pieces are constructed in eight-foot modules, which means they can be transported on standard trucks on Ontario roads without a police escort, as opposed to the wide loads required by some modular housing models.
The wall height matches the doors' loading docks at the Direct Energy Centre, site of the home show at Exhibition Place, and 10- and 12-foot room heights are achieved by adding upper "aprons" to rooms on site. The units that comprise the Eurodale Dream Home, which is also sponsored by the Toronto Star and CityLine, will have a new life after the show closes.
Charters has quickly become a fervent proponent of modular building.
"In Canada, we have dramatic changes in weather," he says. "Not only do those huge swings in temperature affect materials, but they create inefficiencies in the process. In a factory setting, you can control the environment and make better use of materials," he says.
Librach and Charters agree that the long, low design of the dream home, which features a central courtyard, is probably better suited to suburbia. But they also see huge potential for urban infill housing.
"I can see it working really well for urban intensification on Main St.," says Librach. While each modular unit is identical, they can be assembled in endless ways, a feature that Librach thinks could also spell an end to "cookie-cutter" streetscapes.
"A lot of housing in Toronto makes reference to the past," says Librach, "but I think the past often gets misquoted or misinterpreted. We're working with new language in which we look at how spaces should relate to one another. It means that people can dream up any combination of functionality."
Both men admit they did not fully realize the scope of the project when they signed on.
"It has been substantially bigger than a new home build, in which there's usually one builder and maybe an interior designer," says Charters. "Here we have a builder, an architect, five designers and a show management team. That makes for a whole lot of ideas being brought to the table."
Read more on the Home Show:
Ty Pennington offers tips on personalizing your space
Relaxed ruffles replace modern lines in bedroom
Diamond-shaped crystals inspire design
Kids' rooms just like to have fun
Get our 2-for-1 ticket promo code for Girls Night Out
Toronto Star