UMass DesignBuild (UMDB) brings together students from the UMass Department of Architecture, the UMass Building and Construction Technology Program, and the Five College Architectural Studies Program to design and build innovative, small-scale, affordable housing for under-served communities in Western Massachusetts.
Our mission is to provide transformational educational experiences that empower our students to become ethical leaders in their chosen professions.
As energy codes in Massachusetts continue to become more stringent, UMDB projects continue to improve on energy efficiency while also reducing embodied carbon through the incorporation of alternative sustainable materials including wood fiber insulation, locally-sourced wood products, and compressed straw-bale wall assemblies.
Timeline
Now in its fourth year, the UMDB program has expanded the cohort to include 16 students who are designing and building a home in collaboration with the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity chapter on land donated by the Holyoke Housing Authority. This is the first time the students will get to work with the future residents – in this case homebuyers! – to design their new home.
In 2024, students were challenged to design a third small house for OneHolyoke CDC; a single family residence located in an urban infill site in the “Flats” neighborhood of Holyoke. The students’ proposal – named the “8th Sister“ in reference to Holyoke’s nearby Seven Sister Mountain Range – is a 600 square foot home that includes one bedroom and bathroom and an expanded open space for entry, kitchen, dining, and socializing. The 8th sister continues to explore the opportunities of small-scale housing building with low embodied carbon materials and an efficient design.
In 2023, UMDB continued to partner with OneHolyoke CDC and delivered an innovative, small-scale, single family residential affordable housing unit the “Paper House“. Checkout our interactive guide to the project as well as our informational video that includes a walk-through of the home.
In 2022, UMDB completed the construction of a 350 square foot, net-zero ready accessory dwelling unit (ADU). After being showcased at the Green River Music Festival, the “Hygge House“ was donated to OneHolyoke Community Development Corporation, a not-for-profit community housing provider in Holyoke, MA.
Latest Blog Posts
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- Work continues on Chestnut Street
Punctuated by winter days of snow, ice, and even spots of sunshine, the crew from Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity has been chipping away at the remaining parts of the Casita de Vida. After Cozy Home Performance installed insulation in the roof, rim joists and basement walls, we had a stellar blower door test conducted… Read more: Work continues on Chestnut Street - Donor Spotlight: Louisiana Pacific and Bluelinx
A huge thank you to Louisiana Pacific and Bluelinx for supplying this year’s project with LP SmartSide board and batten siding. This is our second year using the product line and couldn’t be happier about this regionally produced, engineered wood product that saves us time and energy because it comes pre-finished and ready to install. - Final Week and Open House
by Ben Leinfelder After 12 intense weeks of building, we wrapped up the summer sessions with a celebration of everything we accomplished. Our dedicated students stayed late on many occasions to finish what they were working on, and it shows. Sure, there are a couple more doors and some baseboard to install, but our 16… Read more: Final Week and Open House - Week 5 – Are the Walls Dry Yet?(They sure are after this week!) by David Perevala Monday started off by sanding our first layer of dried joint compound to smoothly apply our next coats of “mud.” Hiding away the beige drywall tape and beginning to make the walls and ceilings as smooth as possible. Some rooms of Casita de Vida required more… Read more: Week 5 – Are the Walls Dry Yet?
- Week 4 – Drywall
A busy week with drywall install, a visit from Saint-Gobain and a field trip to Rare Forms to see how they construct compressed straw panels (exactly like the ones they donated to our project). Rare Forms Saint-Gobain