First LEED Silver Certified Prefab Modular Home in Colorado, Denver







Floor plans
Manufacturing in factory
On-site Assembly
About Tomecek Studio

Awards
LEED Certified, LEED-Home Pilot Program
2008 Builder Magazine Grand Award
AIA Colorado Citation Award
AIA Colorado North Chapter Merit Award
AIA Colorado YAAG Built Architecture Award



Project32nd Modular
ArchitectsTomecek Studio
Area2,750 square feet
Manufacturing time (80% completed in factory)3 weeks
Assembly time4,5 hours
Project completion time4,5 month
LocationDenver, Colorado
Year2007





When Brad Tomecek and his family outgrew their Denver loft and decided to swap it for a single-family home, the architect took the opportunity to experiment with an alternative building technique.

He purchased a narrow 25-foot-by-125-foot infill lot within walking distance to downtown, and, along with his colleagues at Studio H:T, designed a 2,750-square-foot modular house to be built in a factory. “It was an experiment to bring modern green design through the prefab process,” says Tomacek. “It saves time and reduces material waste to just 5 percent.”

The first LEED Silver–certified modular house in the state, it has a poured-in-place foundation with two boxes stacked above. “Because the site borders a commercial area, the zoning let us go a little higher than usual,” Tomacek explains. “That allowed for three stories including a basement.” Sliding the top box back a few feet created an upper southern deck and a covered rear entry area.

The project took just four-and-a-half months from start to finish. “We went from a foundation to a full frame structure in about five hours,” says Tomecek. “It was a good experience, and now we have another tool in our toolbox.”