BrightBox: Affordable Housing That Solves Worldwide Problems

Hi, my name is Ari and I am going into eighth grade. I have been passionate about 3D printing and design for a few years. I started with Tinkercad, and after mastering it, decided to look into other CAD software. I have tried many including Freecad and Meshmixer but the only software that suited my needs of an accurate, advanced, user- friendly CAD software was Fusion. Throughout my time designing I have made everything from replacement umbrella parts to print in place dragons that do well on sites like Makerworld.

Affordable housing is an issue dear to me, so this was a perfect opportunity to apply my love of 3D design. I also live in a cohousing community, and believe that it is important to be connected to your neighbors. The other major point that my idea focuses on is the fact that yards make people happier, although this often isn’t available to working class people. My project is a compact mobile home with a yard on top. This allows people to have an outdoor space without taking up space that could be used for more housing. For many people, having a yard/garden to attend to helps them feel more happy.

After a long journey, I am excited to bring you through my process to get to my final product, BrightBox.

1. CAD- I used Fusion and Tinkercad
2. 3D printer- I used a Bambu Labs A1 mini
3. Filament- I used glow in the dark blue, burnt titanium, and black

Optional Materials

AMS or other multi color 3D printer attachment

Expensive housing is a huge issue across the world, so if there is a way to make humane, affordable, compact housing it could put many people into better places than they were before.

Additional problems to add on:

Depression and isolation are huge issues across the world, sometimes leading to suicide

In many parts of the world, there is little or no community and many people don’t even know their neighbors. Having a strong community is essential to humans’ well being.

The environment, particularly global warming, is another huge issue across the planet. Heaters that burn gas or oil contribute a large portion of CO2 emissions.

For a working class person, it is helpful to be close to a city, as a city has readily available jobs. It is also important to take note that many people can’t afford a car, so ideally the location is close to public transit. Another consideration is that you need to find a place with reasonably priced land.

Worcester, MA is perfect as it has public transportation and jobs. I found a 3.35 acre lot at 394 Greenwood St, Millbury MA listed for $95,000. This place is perfect as it is comparatively cheaper than most in this close proximity to downtown Worcester. This location is also only about a mile from frequent public transportation. The trip downtown is about 50 minutes via transit and 10 minutes with a car. Additionally, this location is a 4 minute drive, a 7 minute bike, or a 25 minute walk to the nearest grocery store, Price Chopper.. The nearest public elementary school is a 7 minute drive, a 10 minute bike, or a 34 minute walk away from this location.

The goal is a compact, affordable housing solution that would induce happiness and community. Small housing induces the want to go outside, and if people go outside together, a stronger community is built. A strong community can advantage the people involved in numerous ways. If people have an issue, you can go next door to get help (Ex. You are leaving kids home alone and want someone they can go to if there is an issue). If someone is having a problem like a mental health crisis or drug issue then their neighbors will be more likely to notice. Knowing the people that live near you can help you become happier and even help with anxiety and depression by reducing loneliness and building a sense of safety. A pavilion/gazebo/common house could be built to hold weekly potlucks and other events that bring the community together to give the neighborhood a jump start towards everyone knowing their neighbors. A place like this could also be used for kids' play space, which could even help the kids to get to know each other.

Another advantage of compact housing is that it leads to a more simplistic lifestyle. The more simple your house and life is, the less things there are to go wrong, leading to less stress in your life.

It has been proven that a yard helps people to be happier, but this is usually not available to many working- class people. Plus, in an urban environment, where would you put the yard? Given this, a traditional yard per home seems almost impossible for high concentration housing. The solution? Put it on the roof! Supports would be added to allow the yard to cover a larger area than the house, taking advantage of parking spaces. Having rooftop yards could also help fight global warming as a healthy lawn can increase air quality and absorb carbon dioxide, one of the gasses that contributes the most to global warming. Additionally, heat pumps can be used in place of furnaces and air conditioners. Heat pumps are a new energy efficient technology that can both heat and cool a house. This would also take away the heating bills that many people have to pay.

As problems such as depression, lack of community, and global warming rise and housing that meets these issues has become unaffordable for many people, BrightBox offers affordable housing that meets criteria to help fight depression, global warming, and lack of community. BrightBox is a one story compact mobile home with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a yard. Through its innovative design, BrightBox opens up the possibility for working- class people to live sustainable lives with a strong sense of community.

A BrightBox is 22 feet wide, 40 feet long, and 16 feet tall, including the roof. The base is 12 feet wide, 40 feet long, and 12 feet tall and the roof is 22 feet wide, 38 feet long with a 4 ft fence. The roof allows for parking spots between the units while still taking advantage of the space. For transit, the roof and its supports can be removed and shipped separately from the rest of the unit. BrightBox is designed so that modules can be placed against the road and next to other modules. In a line of BrightBox modules, each unit only takes up 23 feet of roadspace while allowing parking in between units.

To help in getting the full idea of how this model looks and works in real life, I made a physical model of BrightBox. I printed the model in one piece on a Bambu Labs A1 Mini 3D printer and used an AMS for the multicolor properties of the print. I used black PLA for the windowsills, door, and fence, burnt titanium PLA for the main portion of the unit, and glow in the dark blue PLA for the windows. I used Bambu Studio for slicing the model, and once I had printed it, I arranged the modules in such a way as they would be in real life. I used a HotWheels car for the car. I also added soil to the yard and little pieces of grass and rocks to mimic possible arrangements for the roof.

Other ideas that could work is taking the kitchen out of the units and making a shared kitchen so that people have to be together and coincidentally talk and build a stronger community. A shared lawn or field with a playground or swingset could be a good addition for the kids.

Turning my nameless idea into a physical model and beyond has been a very interesting and rewarding (at times ;) experience. To go through making CAD files, deciding how to fit everything into a small space, and even learning how to make a floor plan ( even if it was messy) was a lot of fun and has pushed me to learn many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I think that it is great that I can apply my skillset to make models that attack real- world issues that are dear to me. Making this has helped me to realize how much difference can be made by anyone who wants to put their head down and try. After going through the labor I put into this project, it feels like this and many other innovative ideas are more than just projects and more like a new way of thinking for the long term.

Thank you for reading through my entire project. It means a lot to me that you care this much about these issues.