BearGrass

Hello and welcome! I’m Sebastian, a rising freshman attending the University of Florida, from Riviera Beach, Florida.

After participating in the Make it Real series, I’ve been thinking about what it really means to “Make it Real.” For this challenge, I see "Making it Real" as making something that feels alive, something that could grow and interact with the people who use and live in it.

And that brings me to the name:

BearGrass

I came across bear grass during a trip earlier this year to the Pacific Northwest, and it stuck with me. At first, it just looked like another plant, but the more I looked at it, the more it reminded me of something bigger. Bear grass grows in dense clusters, with long blades all rooted in one stem. It doesn’t spread out randomly or grow in isolation. It builds a strong, connected system, one that works together and thrives as a unit.

That idea really clicked for me. It reminded me of how housing should work, not just scattered, typical urban buildings, but dense, walkable, community-driven spaces that are designed to support connection and shared growth.

And that’s why I created BearGrass, not as a single product, but as a framework. A flexible system that helps people build real communities, ones that are more walkable, more communal, and more enjoyable to live in. It’s meant to grow with its residents and adapt to the modern world, all while staying local and retaining diverse cultural identity.

Digital Side:

-Fusion360

-3DsMax

-Computer

-These Filler/Propt Models for Renders

Physical:

1. Plaster of Paris
2. Artificial Turf
3. Balsa wood sheets
4. Balsa wood Sticks
5. Various Paints
6. Scissors
7. 3D Printer
8. Hot Glue Gun / Super Glue
9. Ruler
10. Tape
11. Exacto Blade

BearGrass isn’t meant to be just another set of buildings. It should feel like a system people can plug into.

It should give people the tools to build the kind of community they want to live in, one that’s walkable without needing a car for everything and designed to bring people together instead of keeping them apart.

BearGrass should be flexible. That means different layouts for different types of residents, like students, veterans, or working families. It should support a mix of uses, housing, small businesses, gardens, shared spaces, so people don’t have to leave their neighborhood or get in a car to meet their daily needs.

Most importantly, it should also feel human. A place that doesn’t just check off boxes for affordability or sustainability, but actually feels good to live in. Comfortable spaces, natural light, places to gather, and areas to slow down. These things matter.

To keep BearGrass both affordable and sustainable, I focused on a few core strategies that came from research into real-world building systems.

First, design for disassembly. This means building in a way that allows parts to be taken apart, reused, or upgraded instead of demolished. It reduces waste and makes it easier to adapt the space over time.

Second, modularity through nodes. By creating a set of reusable assets, facades, floors, roofs, and utility cores, that connect through standardized nodes, you can build faster and more efficiently. It also allows different unit layouts without redesigning everything from scratch, saving time, money, and excess manufacturing.

Third, mass timber. Mass timber, a relatively new technology being adapted in the construction industry, like CLT (cross-laminated timber) and Glulam, is not only strong and lightweight, but also sequesters (stores) carbon instead of releasing it like concrete or steel, meaning that over its lifetime, it can actually have a Net-Negative Co2 footprint. They can be prefabricated very easily and installed quickly much lower skill necessary, keeping costs down, job opportunities high, and construction timelines short.

To keep BearGrass practical and scalable, I studied real-world systems using mass timber and modular nodes, and made sure to integrate key methods and design principles into BearGrass.

Mass timber like CLT and glulam is lightweight, strong, and stores carbon. The U.S. Forest Service highlights its environmental benefits and suitability for prefabrication, making it ideal for affordable housing.

At UBC’s Brock Commons (shown above), one of the best modern examples of mass timber construction, mass timber was used with a simple post-and-slab system. Glulam columns, CLT floors, and steel connectors created a fast, repeatable structure. Most impressive was the use of modular nodes for structure and services, which sped up construction and reduced labor.

Curtain walls, used at Brock Commons, acted as a lightweight, non-load-bearing skin. This kept the structure consistent while allowing flexibility in exterior design and helped meet fire and energy codes.

The chosen site is a 55-acre former warehouse property in the heart of Riviera Beach, Florida. It sits right next to a major train and bus station, making it one of the most connected spots in the city. The site was recently listed for $7 million, which is relatively low considering its size and central access.

About 15 acres are wooded, offering space for green areas, trails, or even future community farming. The remaining 40 acres are open for development, making it an ideal space for affordable housing, local businesses, and shared infrastructure.

Because of its scale and location, the site has the potential to become a walkable, mixed-use community, where people can live, work, and access transit without needing a car. It's a chance to re-center the city around people, not parking lots.

Riviera Beach has faced some economic challenges in recent years, but it’s also a city full of potential and resilience. These changes have created an important moment to rethink how we build and grow the community, focusing on solutions that empower residents and attract new opportunities.

Since BearGrass is a framework and not a one-fits-all solution, the concept that I have come up with is what would most likely be the popular choice of house for most: a 1600sqft row house meant for younger adults and families. In a period like now, starting a family, let alone buying a home, has become extremely difficult; that's why I think taking this approach would be the most useful.

The example house that I will be building will have two floors, and be composed of a mainly open-concept first floor that will run like a "row", with a central, wide hallway. Upstairs, a more regular, 3-bedroom and two-bath upper story will be created, with one master bedroom featuring a master bathroom, walk-in closet, and home office, and two additional bedrooms with one shared bathroom.

Above is a (bad XD) sketch of what the BearGrass community could look like in Riviera Beach. Yellow represents apartment-style homes, red represents traditional single-family homes, blue represents communal cottage-style living, and purple represents the row house that I will build in this Instructable. Additionally, the top right corner of the plot would house a newly expanded transit station so that residents could have their services more readily available.

Opening up Fusion 360, I begin with modeling the most important part of the building: the frame. The frame consists of a post-and-beam style mass timbre frame, where multiple columns or posts hold up long, sturdy glulam beams that support the timber flooring above. Using a post-and-beam frame is much more efficient because it reduces the amount of heavy material needed and simplifies construction. It lowers costs while still providing a durable, flexible structure that can easily accommodate modular connections and future changes.

To create the frame itself in Fusion360, I first started by extruding a simple square to the desired height of the interior portion of the building. I then extruded a negative cavity into the column to create a pocket for the internal nodes that I've designed to connect all components of the frame together. After extruding the void, I then continued to create the node itself. This node has several connection points: one for the post below it, one for the beam that passes through it, one for the cross beams, and finally one for the column above. Being made out of 3/4" steel, these nodes are more than plenty to securely connect components of the building. After creating this node, I then extruded the beam portion of frame and the connecting cross beam. Along with the cross beams, cross beam hangers were created to support the cross beams

After creating the supporting section of the frame, next came the floor. To make the floor more rigid, easier to connect, and easier to disassemble, I opted for a mainly interlacing pattern, where each floor segment would fit together with the next, creating a strong friction fit. In addition to the friction hold, mounting holes are drilled along the edges to secure the floors to the beams below them.

This overall design ensures not just a modular, node-based system, but primarily creates a simple design that is extremely easy to assemble, requiring little skilled labour, and also enables a very high degree of disassembly.

Opening up Fusion 360, one of the most powerful features I use throughout the BearGrass modeling process is the parameters function. At its core, this feature allows me to assign values, essentially variables, to key dimensions of the model. To start, I navigate to the “Modify” dropdown and select “Change Parameters.” Here, I can define user parameters like height, width, beamSpacing, or columnDiameter, each with its own unit and value. These act as global variables that can be referenced in sketches or features throughout the model.

For example, when creating the vertical columns of the post-and-beam frame, instead of manually entering a static height during extrusion, I simply input the parameter name buildingHeight. This way, if I later decide to make the building taller or adjust it for a different site, I can update the value in one place, and the entire model automatically adapts. I use this same approach when defining spacing between beams, dimensions of cross sections, or even the floor panel thickness.

This parametric method fits seamlessly with the core design philosophy of BearGrass, creating a flexible, modular building framework. The entire post-and-beam structure becomes scalable. Want to change from a 1-story to a 2-story version? Just double the height parameter. Need wider column spacing to open up interior space? Adjust the beamSpacing value and all connected geometry shifts accordingly. Even the location of joinery pockets, beam notches, and floorboard alignment adapts without needing to manually re-sketch.

By modeling with this mindset and building everything on a foundation of parameters, a system is created that can easyly adapt to different building types and site conditions.

Continuing with the model, I then began designing the mounting spikes that would secure the curtain walls to both the floor and ceiling of the building. These spikes serve as simple but effective anchoring points, helping hold the lightweight wall panels in place while allowing for easy disassembly or replacement. The spikes are held on with self-taping wood-specific lug bolts to ensure design-for-disassembly.

To start, I sketched a simple rectangle on the XY plane to represent the base profile of the spike, then extruded it vertically to the desired height. From there, I added a tapered chamfer to the tip, ensuring the spike could be pressed into the facade cavity at an angle, allowing for easy installation. I then used the fillet tool to round off the edges near the base for a cleaner insert.

To make sure the spike had enough structural grip, I added a set of circular ridges using the coil tool set to a low pitch. These ridges improve the frictional hold without making it too difficult to remove the spike later.

To connect the facade to the spike itself, I sketched a hole through the center, creating a cavity so that a bolt or fastener could pass through. I then used the pattern tool to copy the spikes along the wall edge, matching the spacing of the vertical posts of the facades.

The facade system was developed with two main structural components: a primary internal frame and a secondary external support frame. I began by creating a detailed profile of the primary frame using the sketch and sweep tools, incorporating internal ridges, flanges, and channels directly into the aluminum extrusion to improve rigidity without excess material. This frame acts as the core structure, anchoring to the mass timber shell and the spikes and supporting the interior finishes, internal utilities, and the curtain wall base.

The secondary frame was designed to mount onto the outer face of the primary one. It holds the rain cladding and upper section of the curtain wall panels. Every major piece, like the cladding rails, primary and secondary frames, fiberglass separator, and more, was built as a standalone body and combined into a master assembly. I also imported all relevant fasteners from the McMaster-Carr parts library to keep up with hole sizing and clearances.

I relied heavily on the parameters tool to make the design adaptive. Dimensions like frame width, insulation offset, cladding gap, and curtain wall height could all be adjusted instantly to test proportions and and different modular variations.

The final facade consists of four major layers, each with a specific function. Closest to the interior is a finish panel, mounted to the primary aluminum frame (more on this below). This panel adds warmth and texture inside while concealing the structure. Behind it, the recycled aluminum frame supports just the facade.

Next is a fiberglass-bonded aluminum sheeting, sealed around all seams and acting as an airtight, watertight barrier to protect the mass timbre structure. This layer also includes a breathable house wrap membrane, modeled as a thin shell. Over this is exterior insulation, offset from the cladding layer to make sure spacing for airflow so that built-up humidity can exit/evaporate.

Finally, the rainscreen cladding is mounted onto the outer secondary. It includes vertical slats and aluminum spacing brackets, allowing drainage and ventilation behind the surface. This outermost skin serves both aesthetic and environmental purposes, protecting the insulation while giving the facade its finished look. The modularity of this layered design makes it easy for owners to customize their building to their preferences.

A note on the first layer:

If you look at the section analysis picture, you will see that the interior wall layer is attached to a sloped bracket. This allows the panel to be easily removed by lifting the panel upwards. This ease-of-access design was created to allow for workers to easily install utilities along the channels (just above the bracket) in the frame. Additionally, this feature makes it much easier to address and fix utility-related issues in the future, as compared to a traditional home where walls are sealed in place, and also helps keep up the design for disassembly goals.

One of the main limitations of building with mass timber is that utilities, like HVAC ducting, electrical conduits, and plumbing, cannot be routed through the structural walls or roof without risking fire resistance or structural integrity. To address this, I designed the entire system around externally mounted utilities, inspired by industrial architecture. Exposed ducts, cable trays, and conduits run visibly across ceilings and walls, creating a modular, yet aesthetic look that also makes future maintenance and upgrades far easier.

This approach also supports design for disassembly: systems can be accessed, replaced, or rerouted without damaging the structure, and without needing to cut into walls or ceilings.

In addition to the externally mounted utilities, I designed the curtain wall system to act as a utility channel (as seen in the third picture above), with internal cavities between the frame layers that allow wiring, sensor lines, or even small-scale air ducts to be integrated into the envelope itself. This technique preserves the integrity of the mass timber structure and turns a typical constraint into a feature.

The main reason I chose Post & Beam over more traditional post-and-plate framing or CLT Wall panel systems comes down to flexibility and prefabrication. With Post & Beam construction, the entire structural load is carried by the timber columns and beams, meaning the walls themselves are non-load-bearing and can be fully modular. This opened up the ability to design and build curtain wall panels off-site, or swap them out later if needed — which directly supports the broader theme of Design for Disassembly throughout the project.

Another major reason behind this choice is material optimization. Mass timber is most efficient when used in large, uniform members, and the Post & Beam system lets me use this by focusing strength exactly where it’s needed, instead of just using excessive material throughout the wall plane. The exposed beam structure also creates more space inside the home, making the frame of the house be part of the architecture, as opposed to than hiding it behind drywall.

Choosing a non-structural facade system was key to solving the environmental challenges of mass timber construction.

The major benefit of this approach is improved moisture control. Because the facade is independent, it creates a ventilated cavity between the exterior cladding and the main structure, reducing the risk of water damage and prolonging the life of the timber frame. This ventilation gap is a key part of rainscreen design and helps prevent mold or rot, common problems with mass timber construction.

Since the non-structural facades are also fully modular, they allow easier upgrades and repairs. Panels can be swapped out individually if damaged or if better materials become available, without disturbing the structural frame or interior finishes. This adaptability enhances the building’s sustainability by extending its lifespan and reducing waste.

Finally, the non-structural facade allows for more design freedom with appearances, materials, and protection levels, allowing for a combination of insulation, cladding, and air barriers to be tailored to the local climate and site conditions. It keeps the building flexible, manageable.

Above is a short render I made in 3Ds Max that shows all the inside portions of the home. All filler/propt objects are listed in the credits link in the beginning.

These are some of the images from the render above

These are the remaining images from the upper floor.

After creating the renders, I then moved on to creating my scale model. This model is a 1/80 scale model. I used the following items to create the model:

1. Plaster of Paris
2. Artificial Turf
3. Balsa wood sheets
4. Balsa wood Sticks
5. Various Paints
6. Scissors
7. 3D Printer
8. Hot Glue Gun / Super Glue
9. Ruler
10. Tape
11. Exacto Blade

First, I created the "concrete" base of the model. I did this by creating a cardboard mold and then filling it in with plaster of Paris. To make the mold, I outlined the the shape of the concrete on paper, cut out that shape from the cardboard, and lined the void with aluminum paper. I then filled the void with the plaster and smoothed it out to the level of the cardboard. Finally I painted it to my liked to represent the asphalt/concrete. This created a pretty good surface, the only problem was that it cracked when I got it out of the mold :(

I then created the base of the dioramma by using a cardboard box. I cut out the diorama grass to size and glued it to the surface using hot glue.

Next, I moved on to making the frame of the house by cutting out the balsa wood sheets and sticks. This was very straightforwad, just a bit repetative.

After making the frame, I then 3D printed simplified versions of the interior part of the house. After post-processting, I used regular arcylic paint to paint all parts

I did the same thing with the facades, only this time I made sure to apply multiple layers of primer because these parts were much thinner than the interior parts.

Et Viola! Hopefully it lives up to the BearGrass name!

Home Dimensions: 40 ft x 20 ft x 2 stories = 1,600 ft²

Target Budget: <$175,000

Estimated Total: ~$172,000

------------------------------------

1. Structural System – $63,000

1. CLT Panels (8 total – 5" thick, 10' x 20')
2. ~200 sq ft per panel × 8 = 1600 ft²
3. Est. $22/ft² (raw cost incl. shipping, no CNC)
4. Total: $35,200

2.Glulam Beams (12 – 18in x 20ft)

1. Est. $600 per beam
2. Total: $7,200

3.Glulam Posts (18 – 10"x10" x 8ft)

1. Est. $300 per post
2. Total: $5,400

4.Hardware & Connections (screws, plates, etc.)

1. Estimated: $3,400

5. Foundation – $11,000

1. Plain Slab
2. Includes site prep, compacting, forming, rebar, and pouring
3. Estimated: $11,000

4. Facade & Cladding – $15,000

1. Non-structural rainscreen cladding (fiber cement, wood, or metal)
2. Includes all recycled aluminum, fasteners, air gap, and house wrap
3. Estimated: $15,000

5. Windows & Doors – $12,000

1. High-performance windows hurricane (6-8 units for average unit) = ~$5,000
2. 2 exterior doors = ~$1,000
3. Flashing & sealing = ~$2,000
4. Estimated: $12,000

6. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) – $23,000

1. Mini-split HVAC system = ~$5,000
2. Electric panel, wiring, and fixtures = ~$7,000
3. Plumbing, fixtures, water heater = ~$7,000
4. Labor buffer = ~$4,000
5. Estimated: $23,000

7. Interiors – $22,000

1. Basic kitchen (IKEA or prefab), appliances = ~$6,000
2. Bathroom (toilet, shower, vanity) = ~$4,000
3. Drywall/plywood/paint for partitions = ~$5,000
4. Fixtures & finishes buffer = ~$2,000
5. Estimated: $17,000

8. Labor (General Contractor / DIY Hybrid) – $26,000

1. Assumes owner participation / prefab assembly
2. Light equipment rental, GC support, project mgmt.
3. Estimated: $26,000

9.Land - ~$17,000

Total Cost: ~$172,000

According to recent census data, the median household income in Riviera Beach is approximately $57,000 per year. Following the widely accepted 30% income rule for housing affordability, a family earning this amount should ideally spend no more than $1,425 per month on housing costs.

At an estimated construction cost of $175,000, and assuming a 30-year mortgage with a 6.5% interest rate and 5% down payment, monthly payments (including property taxes and insurance) would be around $1,250–$1,350. This falls comfortably within the affordability threshold, making the home a financially realistic option for a typical Riviera Beach family while still offering high design quality, energy efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

At its core, BearGrass isn’t just about cutting costs, it’s about breaking cycles. By keeping the total cost under $175,000 and within reach for the average family in Riviera Beach, it challenges the idea that sustainable, resilient design must be expensive or out of reach.

But affordability alone doesn’t rebuild community trust or opportunity. That’s why this design also addresses disconnection—between neighbors, between people and nature, and between those in need and the systems meant to support them. Through a system that creates walkable blocks, shade-first design, and modular systems that create future growth, this home becomes part of something larger: a framework for equity.