About All Projects
TETRA HOMES 
Residential 
Trumansburg, New York 
Spring 2024 Option Studio
Advised by Emma Silverblatt
Partner project with Amanda Choi



Trumansburg, New York, is experiencing increasingly rapid rent growth and the resulting lack of affordable housing. A larger and lager number of citizens are becoming rent burdened. Working with Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Service (INHS), a local non-profit housing developer, Tetra Homes housing proposal explores the ways that rural housing can be made affordable through the densification of mechanical and community spaces.
    
A mechanical, electrical, and plumbing core constructed of bricks create the heart of every housing unit: each core has services that run alongside two of its four walls, enough to support up to 5 bedrooms of residents. Simultaneously, the mechanical core creates an opportunity for an elevated community space with its function determined by the core’s residents. The importance of a community space was repeatedly stressed by the current residents of Trumansburg, “We just want to host small barbecues.”
    
The rest of the housing units are constructed with prefabricated structurally insulated panels (SIPs). These panels are screwed into the ground via ground screws, negating the need for a foundation entirely. Due to the land ownership model that INHS provides for its residents, Tetra Homes is designed as a multi-generational living community, prioritizing the longevity of its community.





Cutaway axonometric drawing showing the little pocket of neighborhood created by the adjacent brick builing cores


RESEARCH: Existing Network of Modular Home Builders

Phasing: Construction & Sourcing
The more complex Brick Core is built first in a staggered-grid configuration. 
As residents move in, the SIPS are fabricated nearby and installed quickly and efficiently. This phasing helps ensure each family is able to configure their own living space.
To reduce manufacturing and transportation costs, the SIPs will be manufactured adjacent to the site. The adjacent land is also owned by INHS and is already zoned for manufacturing. 


LIFECYCLE: Families Over Time
When the existing families change in size, they are able to move within the Tetra Homes community to units that better suit their needs, meeting new neighbors and allowing additional families to move in. 



PLANS: 5 Housing Typologies

PERSPECTIVES: Living in Tetra Homes
Stuio apartment with double height living area and lots of natural light.
2nd floor of 4bd unit. North-facing clerestory windows brighten up the living area.
2nd floor outside the mechanical/community core with additional space for residents to cultivate.
Mechanical/community core setup for barbecuing, a main program that the current residents all expressed their wishes for.


SECTIONS: 5 Housing Typologies


MODEL: Core + Studio
Model cut showing the brick core and a stdio apartment
Looking through the studio apartment, seeing the perforated brick wall of the core behind.
Double height living area of the studio apartment with fun spiral stiars.
Studio apartment bedroom with full-width clerestory windows.
Ground floor of the mechanical/community core with a perforated brick wall for lighting. It can be used for storage or a community space!
Elevation of studio apartment.
Elevation of mechanical/community core. Stairs on the left takes residents up to the 2nd floor.
Elevation of mechanical/community core and studio apartment.