Cube Connect

The word home can invoke many meanings. For some, home is the place where they grew up and matured. For others, home is a place of spiritual comfort. Home is where our family, our processions, and our heart lies. Throughout our highs and lows, it is there for us. Except when it isn't.

Throughout the past decade, the US housing crisis has manifested into becoming one of the top priorities of the nation. I have designed Cube Connect, an attempt to address the aforementioned problem by providing a form of housing that is affordable, customizable, and scalable. This project is designed to address homelessness and environmental impacts as secondary goals in addition to helping with the affordable housing crisis.

Autodesk Fusion 360 - I chose this for modeling because it is a CAD software I already know how to use it.

Blender + Blenderkit - I believe that Blender generally renders better than Fusion 360 so I used it to render the final product.

Google Draw - I used Google Draw to create the graphics and concept boards.

The housing crisis in America was one of the most prevalent and problems in the lead up to the 2024 election. The JCHS (Joint Center For Housing Studies) reports decades record high prices, driving people into homelessness and poverty. Affordable housing is at an all-time low supply which is compounded by an increasing population that is unlikely to stabilize until 2033 (source). Additionally, insurance and property tax add another layer of financial burden that many cannot afford.

With all these problems it begs the question: why isn't affordable housing being built? The fact is that with rising land and construction costs, it is quite expensive to build new units and prices have to be raised to recuperate these losses. Additionally, NIMBY (not in my backyard) is a sentiment where current residents oppose large scale projects nearby and results in increasing costs and delays. There are also lots of design/zoning regulations which limit the construction of new housing.

The aforementioned housing crisis has been fanning the flames of homelessness, causes financial and mental strain upon millions of families, and is responsible for worsening inflation and job markets. Homelessness rates have been increasing by 12.1% in 2024 and one of the reasons cited is rent being too expensive while incomes being too low. This is a sign that affordable housing is lacking. One additional factor noted by the JCHS is that renters are left with very little money after paying for all their utilities, something this design will attempt to address. Admittedly, homelessness problem will not entirely be fixed by building new homes given that a big part of the problem stems from mental health and domestic issues. However, affordable housing can prevent people near homelessness from falling into it and can be a place for people to transition out of shelters to free up more shelter space.

Additionally, the housing crisis has been responsible for drastic environmental effects. Houses take up lots of land which leads to the usage of cars to get places and displacement of wild habitats. Constructing houses uses lots of machinery and takes up materials that also emit lots of CO2. In addition to their construction, people need to power their homes, which often leaves fossil fuels to burn more emissions. Houses also use lots of water, which can lead to depletion of local sources and increased costs, though houses are not as big of a contributing factor as irrigation and agriculture.

The above image is a concept board I created to get a sense of how to tackle the above problems. From this, I brainstormed a general solution and sketched it out. One of my previous Instructables detailed a modular hexagonal shelter which I used as a basic starting point. I didn't want to use hexagons again since I wanted a house that would blend in more with the local community and it would be pretty pointless to do the same thing twice in a row.

I initially considered doing a container home as well. However, I didn't do one for a few reasons. I felt a container home would look pretty out of place, that zoning and permit laws would be a lot harder to allow for the selection of a home, and finally that bad ventilation and possible contamination could lead to adverse health hazards.

Cube Connect is a solution is an attempt to lessen the costs associated with housing which will enable more and more houses to be built for cheaper. It consists of a bunch of identical rooms which are connected together to form a house. This makes it modular and cheap to build. With a design like this, building more homes will be a lot easier than before. More homes will provide more places for homeless, and the nature of this design means they could be converted into shelters as well. Self-sustaining technologies like rainwater filtration and solar panels will reduce the cost of utilities, while simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint of the housing. Finally, community housing allows people to enjoy amenities like a kitchen and laundry room without having to purchase them for every house in the community.

I choose Portland, Oregon as my site. To me it seems like the quintessential place that is suffering most from this crisis. It has one of the lowest vacancy rates ever (4.76%), has a value-to-income ratio of 5.57 (this means that the value of most houses is 5.57 times the annual income of the average annual income), and it appears with a housing unit approval rate of 8.69 / 1000 that there isn't enough new housing being built. On top of all this, Portland suffers from a severe homeless problem that still keeps deteriorating. Affordable housing is only one part of the problem, yet more housing will still help.

The design also utilizes rainwater collection and solar panels. Oregon has many incentives for homeowners using these technologies. There is also lots of rainwater to be collected, but conversely there are enough sunny days that having a solar panel system is still a good investment.

The site I choose was 10010 NW Thompson Rd, Portland, OR 97229. It is a large plot of land (5.02 acres) suitable for multiple housing units, has utilities like electricity and water already built in, and has a good location. It is only a few minutes away from nearby schools and about 20 minutes from downtown Portland, where people can commute to for work. Note that a design like cohousing (as discussed later) will be a lot less efficient with only 1-2 houses, so a large plot of land is necessary for the full effect.

Autodesk Fusion was used to model everything, from the houses to the furniture to the filtration systems. The model went through multiple iterations. The steps I followed for the first iteration are roughly as follows:

1. I first started by modeling a single room, making sure to dimension it properly
2. I created separate rooms as components and then hand modeled furniture to go in these rooms. I tried to dimension most of the models as accurately as possible.
3. I modeled each room with two entrances and one window.
4. I put roofs on each house and modeled solar panels on top of them.

This iteration had multiple problems however:

1. The roofs did not look very natural, and the way I modeled them was also poorly done.
2. My staircase that I made was incorrectly spaced so it didn't fit in the room.
3. I didn't to joint the rooms together, meaning there were slight gaps and misalignment throughout the model.

With this iteration:

1. I made it so the roofs faced each other which gave the house a more natural look.
2. I modeled a rainwater collection system. I added water pipes using Fusion 360's pipe feature.
3. I jointed everything together.
4. I fixed the faulty staircase.

I later made a few small changes, such as changing the roof texture, but no large changes were made from this model. The diagram is how you would get through the house through the doors.

Each separate room in the house is the exact same, with the exception of the top room and the room that contains the stairs since those need a gap in the floor and ceiling for the staircase. This is to streamline the process of making the rooms to be as quick and cheap as possible. There are two viable ways to construct these rooms: 3D printing them on site or building in a factory and shipping them to the location to be assembled (you could also use more expensive conventional means).

3D printing on site (source):

Pros:

1. Generally cheaper and quicker than traditional assembly.
2. Allows for building complex shapes at a similar price to walls.

Cons:

1. Can be environmentally impactful given that with very few exceptions, most 3D printing uses plastic and concrete. This can be offset a bit by the automated nature of 3D printing and the fact that renewable energy can easily be used to offset the energy cost as opposed to traditional housing using diesel machinery.
2. Time and cost saved generally exaggerated as 3D printing generally only does around 1/4th of the construction work, leaving 3/4s to conventional methods.
3. Local building codes are often hazy and difficult to interpret in regards to 3D printing.

Modular factory assembly (source):

Pros:

1. Again, cheaper and quicker than traditional methods.
2. Factory setting allows for protection against weather during construction and the fact that every module is standardized makes building more efficient.
3. A factory-controlled setting reduces the amount of waste and emissions generated.

Cons:

1. Transportation is harder. I am not sure if the modules that this design uses will fit on a truck, which means they might need to be transported disassembled and then assembled at the construction site.

I believe that for this design, modular assembly is better. 3D printing is certainly better to make the frame, but it does not account for numerous utilities that must be put inside the walls like electricity and plumbing. Thus, it's likely that after printing the frame a lot of the work would be done at the construction site which is more expensive and time consuming. Meanwhile for a modular design this can just be done in factory which again is cheaper and faster. This design also does not use that many complex shapes in which it would be easier to 3D print them rather than constructing them in a factory.

The site I have selected likely needs to be cleared out before a foundation can be laid. The site should be adequately mapped and planned such that each module can fit into a selected spot like a puzzle piece. The stacking of modules can be done using cranes. The areas where two modules meet have to be individually connected, utilities must be installed/connected, and exterior finishes have to be chosen. The water filtration systems and solar panels should be installed last.

There are many ways to use innovative materials to improve the shelter. For example, using reclaimed wood for flooring, furniture, and doors is more durable, has a unique look, and is environmentally friendly, though it will be a bit more costly. The house could also use prefabricated panels which will be quick, cheap, and probably environmentally friendly to install. Other materials like glass, concrete, tiles, plastic, and more are going to be needed.

For the rainwater collection system, PEX pipes can be used which are good for hot and cold water temperatures, are more durable than copper, and are relatively inexpensive.

The furniture in each module is only an example of what could be put in, as the actual specifics should be up to the homeowner's discretion. I chose bunkbeds to minimize the space they would take up, while still being able to house multiple people comfortably. Each bedroom has enough space for two people to sleep, store their belongings, and work on a desk. With the restroom, using compost or water saving toilets could help with the environment. The facilities in the restroom would get water from the rainwater collection system.

The roofs have solar panels attached. It should be noted that east and west facing solar panels can help provide a balanced output throughout the day and increase energy output. Oregon also has tax incentives for solar power, which will refund some of the cost needed to install the system. Additionally, through net metering if the system produces excess electricity the homeowner can receive energy credits. These can be used when panels are not able to generate electricity (like night or rain).

The living room is just an example of how the modular design can be expanded to include more space. The stairwell and top rooms are empty in the model but could also have their own furnishings. The top room has the doors converted into windows.

The system I designed for this is a very oversimplified model of one of the images above. Thankfully, rainwater collection is allowed in Oregon so the system is completely legal and could even (with some modification) qualify for Portland's Clean River's Program which gives up to a 35% discount on storm water fees.

Basically, rainwater will fall onto the slanted roofs which will feed the water into the gutters. These gutters should be filtered at multiple points and will feed into the first flush diverter. This diverter diverts most of the initial rainwater, which usually contains lots of contaminants and pollutants that are not wanted in the water. Remaining clean rainwater can pass over the first flush diverter into a storage tank. The tank can supply water to bathrooms, a hose, etc. The system will help reduce plumbing costs, and with Portland having quite a lot of rain, the savings will add up.

There is a valid concern about whether rainwater is safe to use in the house for a purpose like showering or even drinking. Assuming the various filters are installed properly, the rainwater that goes into the house should be devoid of sediments and other contaminants. Once filtered like this, the water can be treated and purified using UV disinfection lamps. Note that UV does not kill bacteria/pathogens, merely prevents them from reproducing. This water is safe to use for showering, gardening, and car washing. To get to drinkable quality stage, reverse osmosis and/or nano filters is needed.

One small problem with design is the fact that it does snow in Portland. This is problematic since water expands when freezing and this could definitely damage the systems. However, there are many measures to counter this such as:

1. Burying the storage tank in the ground to take advantage of natural insulation.
2. Draining the tank and disabling it completely during winter months.
3. Using seasonal diverters to implement a different path for water in the winter months.

Another problem with the system is that all this would require a lot of time from the homeowner to make sure the tank is clean constantly. Yet between the potential for water shortages, increasing water costs, and the fact that it will likely pay itself off in a few years, I believe that having one is a worthy investment, though I believe the customer should be able to not include it if they do not want it. A good alternative version would be a rain barrel, which would be lower maintenance.

Another optimization to the plumbing system would be using heat pump water heaters. These draw heat from the surrounding air to heat up the water. They are more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and qualify for tax credits. This makes up for the higher upfront cost, which can actually be repaid in about a year. One problem with using this is that they don't work in cold climates, but this can be circumvented by using a hybrid version that heats conventionally when cold. (source).

One innovation of this design is to put a house with common facilities that can be shared between homes, such as a kitchen or laundry room. This would cut down on costs for the entire community since there would not be a need to equip each house with these features. I did not include dryers as I believe clothes could just be hung outside to save costs. My design only includes two rooms, but more could be included as needed.

There definitely could be another rainwater collection system, given that laundry and kitchens take up a lot of water. The main problem I have with this is that if each house is already equipped with a collection system, the maintenance time will add up and it is uncertain who will take the time to maintain this house. Perhaps, if allowed by city regulations, excess rainwater from other tanks could be pumped to this house.

There is a reasonable concern that the items could be stolen, which can be counteracted by security cameras and a neighborhood watch. This sort of shared housing has already been proven to work to a certain extent such as Marmalade Lane in Cambridge. By sharing these facilities, homes can be more energy efficient, require less space, and foster a sense of community.

Model (to see the inside you can hide the roof components):

I exported the files using the .fbx file format and imported them into Blender. Once in Blender I used the extension BlenderKit to texture the components and created cube projections in UV mode which made the texturing look realistic. I also played around with the light source to make it look as natural as possible. Unfortunately, I was unable to put a wooden floor on the rooms except for the bathroom due to the way I modeled the project. I switched the render engine from EEVEE to Cycles for a better-looking render. There are a few modifications to the default settings, like changing to GPU computing and changing the noise threshold, which allow for the render to be completed very quickly.

One of the other images is also an exploded view that I made by viewing the Fusion 360 file on the web and adjusting the explosion view intensity.

It has been a long journey bringing Cube Connect from conception to finish. I have learned a lot about Fusion 360, designing, and planning a project in general. This has been by far my longest Instructable and one of the best 3D models I've made this year.

I hope you enjoyed or learned something from my Instructable. Thank you for reading!