City of Davis Predesigned ADUs

The City of Davis approached us seeking a program with smaller ADUs, suitable for housing college students or young graduates. As a university town, they see ADUs as a critical part of addressing their current housing crisis. To meet the goals and aggressive timeline, we leveraged existing designs from other ADU programs, and updated exteriors to better suit the city’s architectural vernacular, bringing in local architect, Adam Mayberry, for visual renderings.

Aerial view of a campus with colorful buildings, trees, and a water tower under a vibrant sunset sky.

Client

City of Davis, CA

Status

Approved designs released to public September 2023

Design Sizes

300 SF, 1-Bedroom, 1-Bath
612 SF, 2-Bedroom, 1-Bath
742 SF, 3-Bedroom, 2-Bath

Services

Architecture, Pre-designed ADU Materials

Very quick Timeline

Less than 6-month kickoff to approval, delivered on-time and on budget.

Leveraging & Updating Existing Designs

The key word for this project was collaboration. The city worked quickly on all turnarounds/reviews, and pre-reviewed some parts of the plan set, so when we got to final planning and building department approval, the jurisdiction review process was very straightforward. Davis did an excellent job of project management on their side, so their BO was ready to review the day we submitted, as planned.

Small modern house with white walls, brown roof, and glass windows, surrounded by a lawn and trees.
Small modern house with white siding, black roof, and large windows in a grassy yard with trees.
Small wooden cabin with a pitched roof, surrounded by grass and trees, featuring a stone pathway leading to the entrance.
Small white house with gable roof, black-framed windows, and a black door, surrounded by a grassy yard with trees and plants.

Studio 300 SF

Floor plan showing a small apartment with a bathroom, kitchen, and main living area. The bathroom includes a bathtub, toilet, and sink. The kitchen features a sink and stove.

One Bedroom 612 SF

Small white house with a brown shingle roof, surrounded by trees and grass. The house features arched windows, a main entrance with an arched porch, and windows with black frames.
Architectural floor plan of a small apartment with a living area, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

Two Bedroom 742 SF

Modern single-story house with white siding and black roof, featuring large windows and a minimalist design, surrounded by landscaped greenery.
A black and white floor plan layout depicting a single-story house with multiple rooms. The layout includes a kitchen with appliances, a bathroom with a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet, and various rooms with doors and walls arranged in a compact design.

Design Team

Jamileh Cannon
Libby Barnes, AIA
Alexandra Sklar, AIA
Manasi Bapat
Adam Mayberry

Consultants

Structural: CM Taylor Structural Engineering, Inc.
Mechanical: ZAL Engineering
Renderings: Mayberry Studio

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