Black Street Development video
Vision and Mission
Everyone deserves to live in a space they are proud to call home. Module is on a journey to bring attainable, human-centered housing to the world. We are a housing brand powered by the people it serves. We envision a world where high-quality housing is attainable. Where housing providers create thoughtful, net-zero housing and see good design as an asset, not an afterthought. Where neighborhoods and cities throughout the country can develop more sustainably and equitably. In 2021, the Module team worked to advance our mission by closing out the Black Street project, supporting local workforce housing providers, and embarking on several new ambitious projects in Pittsburgh and beyond.
Environmental Impact
Sustainable building practices are win-win; they are good for the environment and good for the homeowner. That’s why Module homes are all-electric (no fossil fuels used to heat or cool the house), utilize extra insulation, are built with energy-efficient windows and doors, and feature a high-performance HVAC system that uses little energy to heat and cool the home. These features help reduce our homeowner’s energy bills and also reduce the carbon footprint of each house.
In 2021 the Module show home on Black Street was awarded an Innovation Award from the US Department of Energy. The awards program recognizes the very best in innovation on the path to Zero Energy Ready Homes. The show home is projected to save up to $38,400 over the course of thirty years and saves 6800 kw/H in annual energy costs.
Speaking of bills, Module measures the utility bills for each of our homes to ensure the homes are performing at a high standard. On average, the homes on the Black Street Development have an electric bill of $119 per month, a water bill of $56 per month, and a gas bill of $0 per month (the home has no gas lines!). One of our homeowners at Black Street successfully installed solar panels on their home, further reducing their monthly energy consumption.
The metal roofs on the Black Street project allowed for an easy solar install for our homeowner.
Social Impact
Module delivers social impact by making a portion of our homes available to households below 80% of the median income, by supporting women-owned and minority-owned businesses as we develop new housing, and by delivering unique housing solutions to fit unmet needs in our cities. In 2021 we kicked off several exciting projects in Pittsburgh with great partners, including City of Bridges Community Land Trust, Bridgeway Capital, and the Pittsburgh Housing Development Corporation.
Land Trust Housing
We’re serving in a design and construction capacity for a non-profit developer in the Pittsburgh region called City of Bridges Community Land Trust, who develops permanently affordable housing assets in changing communities to stabilize and preserve the character of neighborhoods and prevent the displacement of limited-income families. Module, in partnership with Winston Design + Development, a minority-owned architecture and design firm, is overseeing the design and construction of 5 new high-quality, energy-efficient single-family residences for low and moderate-income, first-time homebuyers. In addition to the new construction homes, City of Bridges will rehabilitate 3 existing homes, to complete one of Pittsburgh’s many quintessential urban rows. The Lanark Street Residences will be made available for sale to income-qualified households earning less than 80% of area median income. For more information about the project and eligibility, please contact City of Bridges CLT.
"As a developer committed to creating homes that are affordable to live in, not just buy, Module is a natural partner for City of Bridges CLT. Their commitment to 21st century, high-quality housing aligns with our mission to set homeowners up for success. Module's integrated design process saves time and headaches allowing us to get to work in an efficient manner to create more permanently affordable homes." - Ed Nusser, Executive Director, City of Bridges CLT
Mixed-Income Housing
Module’s next mixed-income housing development project in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh is in the planning phase. The project will include 10 new homes, with a portion of the homes reserved for families making less than 80% of the median income. Our team conducted several community meetings in Garfield with the help of the neighborhood development corporation and the city of Pittsburgh planning department. To deliver the workforce housing units (those reserved for households with limited income), we are teaming up with a minority-led, nonprofit co-developer on the project Pittsburgh Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) who will assist in securing the necessary gap financing and subsidy. This project is being supported by Bridgeway Capital, whose mission is to “combat injustices and advance opportunities by building capacity, investing capital, and developing underserved areas to grow businesses and revitalize places.”
Missing Middle, Multigenerational Housing
Project on N. Saint Clair Street in Pittsburgh's East Liberty Neighborhood
In the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, we are building a “missing middle” housing project. The term “missing middle” is defined as “a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units—compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes—located in a walkable neighborhood.” Missing middle housing adds additional units to the neighborhood without building a large multifamily building, which may be out of scale for the street. This two-family dwelling is built for a client and her mother. This home will be a great way this family to support multiple generations, each with unique housing needs, all within one building. The beauty of this design is that the family will live adjacent to each other without living “with” each other. Each unit has a separate entrance and only shares a wall on one side of the house, which allows for privacy and proximity at the same time.
We look forward to creating more social and environmental impact in 2022!
Sincerely,
Brian Gaudio
CEO, Module Design Inc