Type:
rESIDENTIAL
LOCATION:
LOS ANGELES, CA
STATUS:
Comeptition
DATE:
2025
SMALL LOTS BIG IMPACT 2025
COLLABORATORS:
DANNY ORTEGA, ANNA LIM, NICHOLAS HOUSER, BUMJIN KIM
3x is a replicable housing model that uses prefabricated volumetric modules and today’s advancements in offsite manufacturing to create adaptable, efficient, and affordable dwellings. Designed for infill lots across Los Angeles, the system introduces nine housing units on a standard single family parcel: tripling the base yield through thoughtful design and strategic use of SB1123. The project emphasizes mass customization over prescriptive models, allowing for configurations that respond to different user groups, site conditions, and neighborhood contexts. Centralized service cores consolidate utilities and circulation, freeing the remaining volumes to be reorganized for various programs and layouts. Built using mass timber and finished with renewable and recycled materials, the homes minimize environmental impact while preserving architectural character that is both quiet and attuned to the fabric of the city.
To reduce timelines and lower construction costs, the project follows a five-step delivery model. The process begins with a design phase tailored to user needs and site constraints, followed by concurrent site preparation and offsite manufacturing of modules. Once the site is formed and modules are fabricated, a rapid on-site assembly takes place, minimizing disruption and delays. The final step is occupancy, allowing residents to move in shortly after installation. This parallel workflow compresses the traditional timeline and offers a scalable strategy to bring much-needed housing to the city in a faster, more controlled manner.
Site adaptability
The modular system is designed for flexibility across a range of lot types and densities. While the demonstration model shows nine units on a single family lot, the same kit of parts can be reconfigured into single family homes, linear townhomes, or small-scale multifamily housing. The modules can adjust in footprint and orientation to fit irregular or constrained parcels, making them viable for a wide range of infill conditions throughout Southern California. This flexibility allows each site to host a tailored configuration while benefiting from the same efficient construction logic.
Centralized Utilities
A key strategy of the project is the use of centralized service cores that house mechanical, plumbing, and circulation elements. By consolidating these utility-rich functions into a compact core, the rest of the building is freed to accommodate a wide range of spatial layouts. This allows for maximum adaptability of living areas while maintaining cost and operational efficiency. These cores simplify both construction and maintenance, supporting long-term flexibility without sacrificing performance or clarity in the design.
A key strategy of the project is the use of centralized service cores that house mechanical, plumbing, and circulation elements. By consolidating these utility-rich functions into a compact core, the rest of the building is freed to accommodate a wide range of spatial layouts. This allows for maximum adaptability of living areas while maintaining cost and operational efficiency. These cores simplify both construction and maintenance, supporting long-term flexibility without sacrificing performance or clarity in the design.
