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As built, the 1,800-square-foot (170-square-meter) Cellophane House had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living and dining space, a roof terrace, and a carport.

The house was built with an aluminum frame that held outer walls made from transparent, recyclable PET plastic film — the same plastic used in soda bottles — and laminated with thin-film photovoltaic cells. The amply daylit prototype was fully disassembled, allowing the materials to moved and reassembled, or otherwise reused or recycled.

The "mass-customizable" structure can be deployed as a single unit or in multi-unit configurations. Rearrangement of the interior floor plan is designed to be simple, with the aluminum frame carrying all structural loads.

"Finally, a significant step towards mass production techniques for creating housing that evidences the promise of transcending architectural novelty," the jury remarked, praising the architects for considering "full life-cycle implications, which is rarely done today."

Additional Awards

Twelve additional projects were honored in the 2010 AIA Housing Awards, announced on May 4.

Special Housing:

Step Up on Fifth supportive housing, Santa Monica, California, by Pugh + Scarpa Architects (previously featured in depth in ArchitectureWeek No. 454)

Multifamily Housing:

Gish Apartments, San Jose, California, by the Office of Jerome King (previously named to the AIA/COTE list of Top Ten Green Projects for 2009)

OneEleven Mixed-Use Development, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, by Remson/ Haley/ Herpin Architects

Formosa 1140, West Hollywood, California, by Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects

The Waterworks at Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, by Gund Partnership

One- and Two-Family Production Housing:

14 Townhouses, Brooklyn, New York, by Rogers Marvel Architects, PLLC

One- and Two-Family Custom Housing:

Ferrous House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by Johnsen Schmaling Architects (previously recognized in the AIA Small Project Awards 2009)

Spiral House, Old Greenwich, Connecticut, by Joeb Moore + Partners, Architects, LLC (previously honored in the Wood Design Awards 2009)

Diamond Project, San Francisco, by Terry & Terry Architecture

Dry Creek Outbuildings, Woodside, California, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Sheldon Gatehouse, Cle Elum, Washington, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Sky Ranch, Seattle, Washington, by The Miller Hull Partnership

The 2010 AIA Housing Awards jury was chaired by Andrew V. Porth, Porth Architects, Red Lodge, Montana, and also included Natalye Appel, Natalye Appel + Associates Architects, Houston, Texas; Jane Kolleeny, Architectural Record and GreenSource; Geoffrey Goldberg, G. Goldberg and Associates, Chicago, Illinois; and Grace Kim, Schemata Workshop, Seattle, Washington.   >>>

Brian Libby is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance writer who has also published in Metropolis, Architectural Record, the Christian Science Monitor, and the New York Times.   More by Brian Libby

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Wood and steel are the dominant materials used in the Port Townsend Residence in Port Townsend, Washington, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Photo: Nic Lehoux Extra Large Image A series of decks and breezeways provide outdoor living spaces that complement the double-height living room. Photo: Nic Lehoux Extra Large Image SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Port Townsend Residence ground-floor and loft plans. Image: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Extra Large Image Port Townsend Residence north-south section looking west. Image: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Extra Large Image In the bedrooms of the Port Townsend Residence, angled bay windows optimize views toward Washington's Olympic Mountains. Photo: Nic Lehoux Extra Large Image The Rose + Guggenheimer Studio designed a dormitory facility for the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Photo: Matthew Snyder Extra Large Image The concrete structure of the Kripalu Center Housing Tower is exposed throughout the building, contributing to the minimalist detailing of the dormitory rooms. Photo: Matthew Snyder Extra Large Image Kripalu Center Housing Tower ground-floor and typical upper-floor plan drawings. Image: The Rose + Guggenheimer Studio Extra Large Image Kripalu Center Housing Tower northwest-southeast section looking northeast. Image: The Rose + Guggenheimer Studio Extra Large Image Sliding cypress screens shade windows in the western facade of the Kripalu Center Housing Tower. Photo: Matthew Snyder Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.