Miller Hull

Miller Hull partnered with Matt’s Place Foundation to create an access home for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients. The prefabricated, modular, mass timber prototype meets the unique needs of patients and families navigating the challenges of an ALS diagnosis. Founded by former marine Matthew Wild, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2015, Matt’s Place Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to maintaining dignity for ALS sufferers by providing opportunities for accessibility, independence, autonomy, and family living through technology and housing. In support of this mission, Miller Hull teamed up with leaders in prefabrication, mass timber production, engineering, and construction, donating their services to design and deliver Matt’s Place 2.0 (MP 2.0).

Matt’s Place Foundation built Matt’s Place 1.0 (MP 1.0) in Coeur d’Alene, ID using conventional methods and materials but recognized the need for a more economical, scalable, and rapidly deployable solution for future homes. These two realities are often at odds with one another—having an innovative prefabricated home that is also sensitive and immediately responsive to its inhabitants—but Miller Hull led the design team through a series of planning sessions that resulted in several breakthroughs. Prefabricated units of cross-laminated timber (CLT) allow for different configurations on a variety of sites. Module-to-module joints simultaneously accommodate pressure-fit weather barrier joints on the exterior face and structural splines along the centerline. Wiring and plumbing chases are located on the interior face of the joint and are accessible for future access from the interior. This integrated joint allows for an exposed CLT interior finish with fully recessed junction boxes and outlets, providing greater wheelchair clearances on the interior.

Read the full story at Archello