Three housing innovators team up to offer more accessory dwelling units in nation’s capital to fight housing crisis—and the units are smarter than ever
URBANEER, Inc., a market leader in compact living solutions, has launched their first 510 sq. ft. accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to be manufactured by Champion Home Builders, a subsidiary of Skyline Champion Corporation, as part of its Genesis brand of products and distributed in the Northern Virginia market by Backyard Cottages, located in, Arlington, VA.
The smart ADUs are considered tools in “the fight against the national housing crisis” for a number of reasons, among them the reduction in real estate costs, as well as potentially providing rental income or separate additional living space on an existing property. The flexibility is a large part of what provides value to the homeowner, as a family’s needs will change over time, said Pierre Tracy, CEO of Backyard Cottages, a subsidiary of Classic Cottages LLC, one of Northern Virginia’s premier single-family custom home builders.
“There is an immediate need for new, affordable housing stock in the DC area, and we see this detached ADU sector as a large, new opportunity to help serve that need in this region for years to come,” Tracy said. “The URBANEER 510 model will be unlike other ADU options on the market. Our ability to showcase one of the first units built in the country next spring will provide an opportunity for our local residents to see the innovation and quality of these units first-hand.”
The first URBANEER 510 ADU will be on exhibit at the International Builder’s Show this January 2020 at the Champion Home Builders’ “Genesis” exhibit in the Outdoor Exhibits area, spaces P10 and P12. It will be on display for tours this spring/summer.
“Champion Home Builders is the perfect partner to help URBANEER realize its vision to offer all types of consumers a line of compact, configurable and connected homes. We have been working on our fully integrated compact designs for over six years with engineers, architects, industrial designers, manufacturers, and environmental psychologists and are thrilled to see them beginning to be offered in Virginia,” said Bruce Thompson, URBANEER Co-Founder and CEO.
URBANEER was created to transforms the way homes are designed, built, and managed. The company’s suite of intelligent homes and home furnishings leverage innovation and technology to create multifunctional spaces that offer maximum flexibility of use. By using prefabricated components, wall systems, and multipurpose furnishings, URBANEER has made construction more efficient, resulting in reduced spatial needs and associated real estate costs.
URBANEER has patents on its movable wall with wireless power and re-configurability of space. An URBANEER space incorporates technology to support wellness, security and connectivity for the occupant. Its homes incorporate these elements into the architecture specifications, which are then shared with Champion Home Builders for manufacturing and sale to builders and developers as part of its Genesis brand.
“URBANEER and Champion Home Builders have defined Living 2.0 – smarter, compact, affordable living solutions that will relieve the pressure on housing in and near city centers,” said URBANEER lead investor Raul Fernandez, vice chairman and owner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment. “URBANEER’s technology and design transform 500 square feet into 800 square feet of smart living for consumers. URBANEER, Skyline Champion, and Backyard Cottages are changing the way we live, work, and play.”
Skyline Champion Corporation Skyline Corp was formed in June of 2018 as the result of the combination of Skyline Corporation and the operating assets of Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC. The combined company employs more than 7,000 people and is the largest independent factory-built housing company in North America, building homes under some of the most well-known brand names in the factory-built housing industry including Skyline Homes, Champion Home Builders, Athens Park Model RVs, Dutch Housing, Excel Homes, Homes of Merit, New Era, Redman Homes, Shore Park, Silvercrest, and Titan Homes in the U.S.; and Moduline and SRI Homes in western Canada. With more than 65 years of homebuilding experience and 36 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and western Canada, Skyline Champion is well positioned with a leading portfolio of manufactured and modular homes, park models, and modular buildings for the multi-family, hospitality, senior and workforce housing sectors.
