With central Utah and the Wasatch Front and Back facing a severe housing crisis and skyrocketing land, construction, and material costs, STUDIO 125 will showcase that suburban densification can be legally as well as structurally obtained by adding a second home for a family onto an existing, relatively small parcel of land - therefore going well beyond the Accessory Dwelling Unit model. Normally, the development of a new structure would occupy a novel piece of land, which possibly takes away pristine landscape and/or former agricultural land, and requires additional roads, access, services, and infrastructure. What if one uses an existing piece of land with a building already established, which is already connected to all services, including road access and infrastructure? Different from the ADU, which is usually limited in size to 700-1,200 SF, such a project, if legally feasible, could provide comfortable living space for an entire family, at the same time minimizing its impact on the entire region by almost naturally nestling behind an existing structure, which driveway and access it shares.

This approach is taken by STUDIO 125, which makes the case that higher density does not have to come with a considerably higher impact on a region. Utilizing an existing, 0.36-acre south-facing and wedge-shaped parcel with a 1,000 SF footprint building already existing on its narrow south end, the property offers plenty of space for a generous, 3,300 SF second home with private outdoor spaces for each unit. Thus, STUDIO 125 is about the improvement of existing structures and the redensification of property through the development and addition of a new building. Legally, Summit County building and development code requires the old and new buildings to be connected on a lot less than ½ acre, which is complied to with a 250 SF connector unit. The connector also allows for flexible future use where the entire complex can be comfortably used as one large house for a family of 7 or 8 or as two fully independent 3 and 4-bedroom houses. With high-performance rentable real estate being very sought-after, STUDIO 125 will offer a highly energy-efficient and extremely comfortable housing solution designed to Passive House standard in the area.  

Project Blackboard: 

Design: 2021 - 2022

Construction start: November 2022

Building size: 3,300 SF

Lot size: 0.36 acre

Designed to Passive-to-Active House Standard for 7,000' Elevation

Architecture and Energy Performance Simulation: Atelier Jörg Rügemer

Contractor: Atelier Jörg Rügemer Design Build Process

Structural Engineering: Iridum AE, Murray, Utah

Net Zero Mechanical Technology: Atelier Jörg Rügemer 

Photo credits: Atelier Jörg Rügemer