Mayfair: A Modular Case Study
Previously used as a surface parking lot for commuters accessing public transit, the Mayfair development on a city-owned block in El Cerrito, Calif. brings 223 new housing units to a long-neglected stretch near the El Cerrito del Norte Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Station.
The affordable and market-rate units will be in their own U-shaped buildings that surround a pair of open courtyards. The central open space between buildings will be open to the public during daylight hours to encourage activity in the transit-oriented development. 67 of the units will be classified as affordable housing, ranging in affordability from 30% – 60% of area median income.
The program mix between the two buildings consist of 10,500 sf of ground floor retail, parking, bicycle parking, property management, community rooms, dog wash and tenant service offices as amenities available for tenants. Program open space will include play areas, vegetable gardens, BBQ area and an outdoor kitchen.
Named for the grocery chain that once occupied the block, The Mayfair project received its first stacked module unit October 2020 and reached its full building height of six stories after ten days of assembly.
The modules for the 156-market rate units of the project started production in June 2019. The modules were fabricated by Factory_OS, only 19 miles away from the site in Vallejo, Calif.
Design Intent
This project sits on a dynamic site in terms of passers-by. It is located on a major thoroughfare (San Pablo Ave.), next door to the El Cerrito del Norte BART stop and regional transit hub. The building façade was envisioned to push the boundaries of modular design while creating a dynamic expression that could hold up to the power of the site. Responding to the movement of the BART trains, the design has horizontal undulating angles that stagger between floors, not common in modular construction.
Normally, a site bounded by heavy traffic and a major public transit line would seek to turn itself inward to protect against these challenges to living; however, the design instead opens toward the BART parking lot with a two-story portal that offers glimpses into the inner courtyard and puts the building’s common space on display for the neighborhood to see.
The plan was arranged with building circulation in a single loaded corridor on the exterior, where the façade faces the BART track. This serves as a sound buffer to the interior units and creates a mostly solid area of the façade that will have a large-scale public artwork facing BART.
Rounding out the aesthetics, the design team is working with a local artist on an installation incorporating areas of mirrored building skin that will blur and change daily for commuters on BART. The idea is that as the time of day and colors of sky change, the rider approach and experience of passing by the building will be unique.
Related Reading:
Modular Design Through the Construction Perspective
Unlike traditional, site-built projects, modular projects require a significant amount of up-front coordination, not just on design, but with project scheduling and factory bidding. This article explores how development teams will benefit from a deeper understanding of some of the contractor’s considerations unique to the modular approach.
Modular Highlights
Initially, the Mayfair project was considered unbuildable as a modular project, given the complexity of exterior façade design. The architect and engineering team collaborated to figure out the best way to build the exterior envelope, which included the following challenges:
- Articulation – Façade articulation was very important to this project. To break up the façade plane, the design was broken horizontally – an aesthetic element that contextually related to the nearby BART tracks and station. In achieving this, the placement of shear walls needed to be strategically coordinated with the structural engineer. With no repeating, stacking façade elements, the modular manufacturer had to be onboard to fabricate the building. The two-story, site-built portal design required coordination with the structural engineers and the factory to get the final installation to work.
- Portal Design – The site-built portal is made up of both steel and wood framing construction. The design element is intended to activate the southern portion of building and support the modular units that sit above and adjacent to the opening. The coordination of steel placement was achieved with the help of a third-party clash detection agency, which was critical to overlay factory as-built conditions with site construction.
- Single Loaded Corridor – The eastern portion of the building consists of a single loaded corridor. Though saw box units are generally not efficient in modular design, here, they allow the eastern corridor to face the street while the units face the courtyard – a move necessary to achieve the desired density of units. The single loaded corridor also allows for an acoustic buffer and provides space for innovative art panel installation at the eastern exterior wall.
- Combination of Factory + Site Built for Common Rooms – Requested by planning to activate the façade, the common rooms were site built from structural steel, allowing for a greater span for programming including a lounge adjacent to the two-story portal and across from a fitness space.
Project Specifications
- Type 3A Construction
- Estimated completion: June 2021
- Team:
- Lowney Architects
- DCI Engineers
- FARD Engineers
- Cannon Cononstructors
- Factory_OS
- Holliday Development
More from Modular Advantage
DORÇE Navigates Mountainous Terrain, Extreme Weather to Help Rebuild Türkiye
The February 6 earthquakes in 2023 were enormous. In response, DORÇE moved quickly, obtaining a government bid to help create housing and multipurpose structures—both temporary and permanent—for earthquake victims and laborers hired for reconstruction efforts.
Modern Desert Oasis: Building Reset Hotel the Modular Way
While the off-site construction part of the Reset Hotel project has been carefully controlled and with every necessity close at hand at BECC Modular’s factory in Ontario, Canada, the remote location of the project site has created additional challenges for the on site portion of the build.
Revisiting Yellowstone Canyon Village—a Groundbreaking Modular Construction Feat—Ten Years On
With such a short building period due to impending cold, it made the most sense for park developer Xanterra to pursue modular. Yellowstone’s high visitor traffic also required some odd transportation scheduling, as traffic from the West Yellowstone entrance determined the times when trucks could unload modules. Guerdon was up to the challenge.
Built for Brutal Cold, This Modular Office Building Shines
Houlton, the county seat of Aroostook County, Maine, is a small town with a population of about 6,000 residents. Situated along the border between the U.S. and Canada, what the town is most known for is bitterly cold winters. When the U.S. Border Patrol needed new office space, a modular building approach from Modular Genius offered the perfect solution.
Panel Replacement Adds Years of Life to Navy Vessel
Panel Built, Inc., recently replaced all the wall and roof panels on a two-story US Navy barge deck house that the company had originally installed 30 years ago, giving the vessel new life. Now, the commanding officer of the unit that uses the barge said the difference between the condition and appearance from when the barge left their facility to when the project was complete was beyond his expectations of what was possible.
True Modular Building Seeks to Revolutionize Housing. It’s Next Stop: MBI’s World of Modular Europe
True Modular Building (TMB) specializes in crafting attainable, eco-friendly, and comfortable build-to-rent (BTR) housing with modern designs and customizable features, ensuring that residents feel at home both today and tomorrow.
From Toronto to Suriname: A Global Modular Building Story
When I AM Gold – a Canadian gold mining operation based in Toronto, Ontario – wanted to expand its mining operations in Suriname, it knew it would also need to expand its infrastructure. More specifically, they needed to build a mechanical services compound that would allow their local crews to maintain and equipment critical to their mining operations. They also knew that it would be a challenge.
There Were a “Sea of Challenges” for this Modular, Island Development
Question: Can modular construction be used to build a series of affordable, unique housing buildings, all styled to look like they were built in 1845, on an
island that caters to the wealthy? The answer is, of course, yes, but how the
team at Signature Building Systems and KOH Architecture got there is quite a story.
America’s Construction Economy: A Race Against Time
If the economy has been able to handle higher interest rates thus far, undoubtedly it will be able to manage the lower interest rates to come. But many economists are pointing out that the Federal Reserve may already be too late to the game. While they gradually reduce interest rates, the U.S. economy could quickly decelerate, at least based on theoretical grounds if not on the most recent data releases, culminating in that long-predicted recession. Only time will tell.
Top Five Benefits of Modular Office Space
Modular office spaces are transforming how businesses think about their work environments. These innovative structures offer a mix of flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability, making them a smart choice for companies looking to gain an advantage.