Contributed by mj-d designs.

Our work is a radical departure from conventional home design and construction - it is inexpensive, easy to construct, efficient, and most importantly our homes are great places to live. These single-family residences use panelized construction made possible by fully detailed virtual models. We have taken incredibly complex houses with sloping walls and broken them down into manageable panels. Each panel was then 'constructed' in a digital model.

Every 2x4, 2x10, sheet of plywood and sheet of cladding was drawn and dimensioned. The only skills required to build the panels are proficiency with a tape measure, saw, and hammer. They can be built anywhere and shipped anywhere. Our work also represents an exciting new model in contemporary home development, in which the owners who commission new designs effectively become venture capitalists. They can actually make a profit every time the design for their home is re-sold.

Each house designed by mj-d is an exercise in form follows function unbounded by traditional construction techniques, which usually demand vertical walls and right angles. With intersections of sloping walls, windows and skylights, each space was designed to provide unexpected vistas via sculptural juxtapositions. The resulting houses are irregular faceted jewels, the complexity of which provides inhabitants with a continual process of discovery.

We are also focused on sustainable architecture and construction practices. Our homes have many 'green' features and have the potential for LEED certification

Sculptural design is not new. It has long been provided by top-tier architects to wealthy clients. They use sophisticated contractors to create homes that are expensive, unique, and which possess design qualities that make the residences warm, appealing, and livable, yet also daring and revolutionary. Our houses are just as exciting, but the difference is that they are ready to be mass-produced. Homes are purchased as a finished product like an entertainment center, delivered to the site and assembled as a kit. A contractor, or even a reasonably handy homeowner, can assemble it much faster than it would take to design and construct a conventional house from beginning to end - and for only a slight cost premium to that conventional home... but these are definitely not conventional homes!

With our projects, we are also re-defining the architect/client relationship. We're approaching this in two ways:
1) The consumer can purchase a highly designed custom home from our portfolio of panelized homes, which can be built in a shop and assembled on site - we have a network of pre-approved panelized home builders. Two home models are now available and others are in the development stages.
2) Clients who want to be part of the design process for their home can be brought in on the profit of future sales. When mj-d is hired to design a new custom house for a client, they would pay the normal fee for architectural services. When the design is re-sold, they would receive a commission for each sale until 150% of the original architectural fee is repaid. The architecture can be mass-produced, so the client who pays to originate that design would be thought of more as a venture capitalist.

mj-d designs affordable panelized homes. To further democratize architecture, we have launched open source architecture (mj-d.com/opensource) as a place for free downloads of architectural ideas in build-able form (construction documents in other words). Our initial offering will be expanded in the near future as we offer 'open source design' on one project. Check it out here - mj-d.com/opensourcedesign. See below for more information about us.

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