TheReview_July_Aug_2021

Image credits: Neighborhood Redevelopment opportunities, Beckett & Raeder, Inc. BONE Structure brochure: BONE Structure.

" Housing is generally in the purview of the private sector, where the rule is ' no profit, no project. '"

John’s Vision And here is John Meyers' comfort zone: people-based community building. An ordained minister whose professional background includes teaching wood shop and survival camping to at-risk youth, he says, “My background was not in specs, techs, and facts. I feel like I run out of steam when there’s so much need and all I hear is, ‘There's no money.’ What happens if we stop and say, ‘Let's change the financials’?” In his vision, he’d like to re-create something similar to a past partnership he had with Lawrence Tech University, retrofitting an existing building to meet current community needs, but this time partnering with high schools that have building programs. The homes would be learning tools for the students, with a city inspector specializing in residential building instruction. “We need to show that we can build a two-story multifamily building on a 50’ lot that integrates with the neighborhood and is attractive and affordable. By the time we build two of these with high schoolers or even nonprofits, they will have an understanding of how buildings work that they can take into a career in construction or inspection.” Actually, if he’s really dreaming, Meyers would prefer to have these homes built by Lincoln Park’s own high school students, because he is a true believer in complete neighborhoods that serve their residents’ educational, recreational, and convenience needs in addition to offering a roof over their heads.

What he learned impressed him. “The modular system says, ‘I have the house built well,’” explained Meyers, “and my contractor only has to worry about foundations, footings, connections, and finishing. So now instead of 10 months from the ground up, it may only take six. It's not so much a cost savings as it is rearranging the timing. This particular company has their own drawings, and instead of building it out of wood, they can build out of steel. I find a lot of positive in it, even though I've not built much with steel. All of the mechanicals are pre-set and drawn—everything is calculated.” Overall, he sees a strong potential for a better-quality product with longer-term value and lower utility costs. Quality input makes this prefab system work. Bone uses detailed site information to craft its blueprints, which the city would need to commit to gathering and delivering to the company in a usable format. Meyers hopes this could offer an immediate opportunity to contain costs: “There’s no reason we wouldn’t be starting this with seven buildings of the same model.” The blueprint significantly lowers the bar for implementation. “In Michigan, commercial buildings are governed by architecturally sealed drawings,” he noted, “but residential buildings can be executed by licensed contractors. So, we still need someone to read a blueprint and match it to the construction process. But after that—where do we get our people who are doing the work? If we're not worried about lack of skill, we can bring in a different group of people.”

JULY / AUGUST 2021

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THE REVIEW