This course is part of the Mass Timber Academy

A nationwide housing crisis has led to an urgent need for more housing. In response, architects and the building industry are looking for innovative solutions to quickly build more affordable multifamily structures, mixed-use developments, and single-family homes. Key to addressing the housing crisis is a creative, diverse design approach that supports the health, safety, and well-being of those most impacted by the crisis: low-income workers, the houseless, people of color, the elderly, and, increasingly, the middle-class. At the same time, the construction industry faces a grim reality—that the building industry is a significant contributor to the emissions of the greenhouse gases that impact climate change. This course looks at how structure systems like light-frame construction and mass timber can help address the urgent timeline and budget of the housing problem, and how wood’s low-carbon benefits and innovative, flexible applications can help to mitigate climate change.

Photo courtesy of Engberg Anderson Architects

Timber Lofts in Milwaukee. A direct reflection of its historic, yet trendsetting locale, Milwaukee’s first mass timber building, Timber Lofts, is an adaptive reuse project that combines a 130-year-old warehouse renovation with new construction in an adjacent parcel.¹⁶

LIGHT-FRAME WOOD CONSTRUCTION AND CREATIVE HOUSING SOLUTIONS

The current housing crisis in the United States is a complex issue with no single solution. One major factor in the crisis is a housing shortage. The U.S. has a deficit of 3.8 million housing units¹, according to a 2021 report by economists at Freddie Mac. The government-sponsored purchaser of mortgage-backed securities claims the shortage is driven by a 40-year collapse in the construction of homes smaller than 1,400 square feet.² Up for Growth, a national policy network focused on housing equity, released a 2022 report that came to the same conclusion³ using data on the total demand for housing and the total supply of available, habitable units.

As the demand for housing exceeds the supply, the cost of housing increases, making it harder for low- and moderate-income households to afford a place to live. In areas where the housing shortage is particularly acute, affordable housing options may become even scarcer, because landlords and property owners can charge higher rents and sell their properties for more money. This trend causes a ripple effect in which affordable housing becomes even more difficult to find and the problem of houselessness and housing insecurity becomes more widespread.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sets the standard of housing affordability at 30% of household income,⁴ though that metric has come under scrutiny⁵ for not addressing complexities enough. Within the housing crisis issue, there are two main issues when we discuss “affordable” housing. First, there is “affordable housing” which is a housing type specifically designated for qualified low-income people. Second, there is the broader issue of “affordability,” which, in this case, has to do with low housing stock and high prices making housing less affordable to many people, in general. In other words, one problem is that the lack of housing is impacting those whose household incomes are at or below 30% of their area’s median income⁶—and even when they qualify for subsidized housing, their ability to find a home is still limited by supply. Another problem is that many middle-income Americans who once paid less than 30% of their income on housing are now among those paying 30% or more⁷ because income has not caught up with rent or mortgage costs. Currently, the median U.S. household income is $67,521.⁸ In June 2022, the median asking rent in the U.S. rose above $2,000.⁹ That amount, according to the HUD definition, is only “affordable” to households earning at least $80,000 per year.

Besides having a major impact on low- and middle-income Americans, the rise of housing costs and low supply of units is disproportionately affecting communities of color.¹⁰ Persistent racial disparities in economic stability¹¹ and wealth position people of color at a disadvantage.

And because they are more likely to experience discrimination in the rental market, including being charged higher rents or being denied access to housing altogether, a housing crisis only perpetuates the disparities. The rising housing costs also contribute to gentrification, which impacts low-income neighborhoods, leading to the displacement of long-time residents, including people of color. Gentrification often leads to the loss of cultural and social ties that communities of color have built over generations.

One reason for the shortage can be attributed to the 2007 housing crash, which hit the construction industry hard, putting small home builders out of business and rattling the survivors. The industry has only recently begun to recover in a way that reflects a pre-bubble pace of construction. According to Harvard University’s 2022 edition of its annual State of the Nation’s Housing report, a decade of underbuilding has created a backlog for housing so large that it could take a decade or more of record-level homebuilding to increase affordability.

One challenge is that a lot of new construction is being priced at the upper end of the market, not at the middle or lower end of the market where it is needed most. Another problem is that some once-affordable housing is aging out of subsidy programs, including some that was built with U.S. Department of Agriculture grants in the 1960s, which is sometimes the only affordable housing option remaining in more rural areas. And in most cases, it’s the elderly, people of color, and people on the edge of houselessness that will suffer the impacts most.

Meanwhile, strong demand and low supply have increased housing prices. In March 2022, home price appreciation was at 20.6%.¹² In addition, those who can afford to buy have sometimes been bidding 30% above the asking price.¹³ The Pew Research Institute reports that those skyrocketing costs have outpaced income for both low- and moderate-income people.¹⁴ For low-income people, even when properties accept tenant-based rental assistance, the housing itself may not be affordable in the current market. For moderate-income people with student debt or new millennial parents who formed families over the pandemic, the housing deficit and income-housing cost gap are causing strain. The Institute’s 2021 survey reported that 70% of Americans believe young adults today have a harder time buying a home than their parents did.¹⁵ The lack of affordable housing supply and the income-housing gap being experienced by middle-income households have created an urgent need for housing that is affordable to a broad range of people.

As organizations and governments seek new policies to address the issue of housing affordability, the architecture, engineering, and construction industry must consider designs and materials that can help offer solutions. Those solutions must result in diverse housing options that support the broad range of people affected by housing affordability issues. Adaptive reuse, multifamily and multi-use projects, and sustainable designs can all contribute to closing the housing shortage gap and providing affordable space. In addition, technologies such as modular construction can help both reduce costs and timelines, so that projects go up faster, while still supporting sustainability goals and the health, safety, and well-being of occupants.²⁰

In this course, we will focus on light-frame wood and mass timber construction as one piece of the puzzle in addressing the housing crisis.

Case Study: Detroit Eco Homes

Photo courtesy of Jason Robinson; SmithGroup

The Detroit Eco Homes in Detroit. The homes are an urban infill project featuring 13 single-family eco homes, a noteworthy addition to a multi-year revitalization effort in midtown Detroit.³⁵

Project: Infill
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Construction: Light-frame wood

The Detroit Eco Homes, developed as part of the larger Selden Corridor Initiative, is a light-frame urban infill project that is part of the multiyear revitalization effort in Midtown Detroit. It is seen as an example of doing infill right—providing needed housing while minimizing carbon footprint. The project was developed by Midtown Detroit, Inc., a community and economic development non-profit that has traditionally focused on historic preservation. This latest project, however, presented the nonprofit with a perfect opportunity to bring sustainable new construction in the form of single-family housing to the urban landscape.

“I’ve always felt like this neighborhood had a lot of potential,” says developer Sue Mosey. “There has been a lot of disinvestment and a lot of vacancy—vacant land, vacant buildings. We [were] asking ourselves, ‘How can we do an appropriate urban infill?’”

Challenge: The site for the Eco Homes was significant in that it was the only block in Midtown zoned for single-family construction. Historic structures prevail, including Victorian-era housing. It’s an eclectic neighborhood, both in its diversity of people and architecture.

“We wanted to make sure that the new homes nestled into the neighborhood and that we didn’t disrupt what was already there,” says Mosey.²²

The challenge was to spearhead an infill project that fit into the neighborhood and created impactful housing even on small lot sizes—some as small as 35 feet wide. Mosey wanted to appeal to single-family residents while also showcasing a commitment to sustainability.

Solution: Mosey worked with Paul Urbanek, design director at SmithGroup, after seeing the results of his award-winning, self-designed personal home. While his firm does not typically design single-family homes, Urbanek agreed to take on this unique challenge pro bono.

Using the project as an educational opportunity, SmithGroup held an internal design competition for the site among its younger architects. From the designs created, the firm developed five design variations to be used to create 13 new houses on the block while still giving individual distinction to each home. The designs looked to light-frame wood to contribute to the sustainable strategy for the homes by sequestering carbon in the frame; the low-cost of dimensional lumber also aided efforts to keep the price tag low.

Innovating at the local level meant community engagement: Mosey shared designs with local residents as part of the project development. In addition, Midtown Detroit, Inc. reserved one of the homes to qualify for low-income housing.

Result: The 13 Eco Homes range in size from 1,400–1,800 square feet, with two-, and three-bedroom models. Each has a sloped gable roof and a porch in the front; the backyards are designed to encourage social interaction and blend with the neighborhood’s Victorian aesthetic.

Behind each facade is sustainable construction.²³ The light-frame wood structure stores carbon, and the homes each include a tight, heavily insulated envelope to improve thermal performance and energy efficiency. Outside, rooftop solar panels help produce energy and rainwater barrels and rain gardens help with stormwater management. Inside, features include low-VOC paint, low-flow toilets, and efficient appliances, giving residents the opportunity to meet net-zero requirements.

A mix of cedar and fiber-cement siding gives a contemporary look that is still in harmony with the neighborhood. The Detroit Free Press described the project as “an updated version of a traditional Detroit residential street, with narrow lots, shaded front porches, patios, peaked roofs, alleys in back, single-car garages, and lots of trees.”

“For me, the coolest thing about this project is what it means for the city of Detroit overall,” Urbanek says. “These are well-designed homes. It sets a new direction for the city when it comes to quality residences, and the neighborhood is taking it to heart.”²⁴