mad house

The Modular Architectural Dwelling (MAD House) is a modular housing system. The MAD House maximizes the benefits of modular construction and has a high level of sustainability.

Modular homes are not "mobile" homes. Mobile homes are regulated by federal standards. Modular construction conforms to the same state building codes as buildings constructed on-site. Modular home foundations are built on site, and then the building is delivered to the site in pieces, or modules, and permanently assembled.

The MAD House framing system uses pre-engineered, manufactured, wood products. Wood is the most sustainable building material available, and pre-manufactured products such as wood I beams and structural insulated panels (SIPs) reduce fabrication time. In addition to this, the MAD House takes advantage of the decreased on-site construction time typical of all prefabricated projects. Every MAD House is designed on a four foot grid system, which matches the width of SIPs, plywood and sheet rock as well as the standard lengths of the engineered lumber, used to build it. As such, the production of a MAD House required less cutting and produces less waste.

The MAD house is extremely energy efficient and is less expensive to live in than other prefabricated and traditional homes. Structural insulated panels (SIPs), used for exterior walls and roofs, are significantly more energy efficient than traditional wood framed walls, and all duct-work and water piping are kept inside the thermal envelope of the building. Therefore, heating and cooling costs are kept to a minimum.

The MAD House is designed to accept any type of exterior finish material. The house can be finished with metal, wood, stucco or composite materials to suit local conditions and owner preferences. Exterior finishes can be prefabricated as modular panels or applied on-site using traditional methods.