The Brookhaven, a three-bedroom manufactured single family home with a two-car detached garage, occupies two narrow, deep inner-city lots in Wichita, Kansas. Comprising two levels, it is constructed entirely of modules of several sizes and shapes (including the staircase) built in the manufacturing plant, which are transported and bolted permanently to the foundation -- the only on-site component of construction.

The project locates itself at the intersection of inner-city revitalization strategies with the objective of re-creating an economic base and increasing depressed property values. The architect/owner of the manufactured housing plant, Charles McAfee, seeks to link economic development, job training, and housing development through manufactured housing that meets high aesthetic standards.

Located in an economically depressed neighborhood, the manufactured housing plant provides an economic impetus through the creation of jobs. Its location in the inner-city minimizes transportation problems. It creates a pool of skilled labor which other industries can draw upon. The Brookhaven modules are built by construction trainees who have lived thus far on the fringes of society, such as ex-convicts and parolees, who are now afforded another chance to reinstate themselves in the mainstream. The inner-city location of the plant where the modules for Brookhaven are constructed minimizes the trainees’ transportation needs. Through this opportunity to learn construction trades, these employees gain skills for employment and provide a pool of skilled labor for other industries. The project not only creates jobs, but high-quality housing as well, and the opportunity for home ownership to workers. (See also McAfee's Townhouse project for another example.)

Contain construction and life cycle costs:

The modular process of construction allows for quality construction within a controlled environment. Every major stage of construction is marked by quality control checks. The cost of a building in such a controlled environment is offset by several factors such as volume building and minimal disruption of site. Labor through job-training programs, to a certain extent, contributes to reduced costs. (The quality of the final product, however, is in no way compromised owing to the rigorous quality control). A major cost-cutting factor lies in resource efficient use of materials in the design of modules: dimensions are derived from the sizes of delivered materials to avoid wastage of material and labor costs. Transportation costs are reduced as the project is located in the inner-city, not far from the plant. Development costs for inner-city infill sites are reduced due to lower acquisition costs and utilization of existing infrastructure.

Support household and neighborhood fit:

The Brookhaven is located in a leafy, old inner city neighborhood that betrays signs of deterioration caused by urban flight: boarded-up houses, vacant lots, and lack of any rental housing stock, a gauge of little developer interest. The Brookhaven was designed to suit the needs of an inner city neighborhood household, as a starter home for young families, second home for rental revenue, or a new home for residents not wanting to move out of the neighborhood. As a modernist box with carefully designed proportions, it resists the typical styles of houses in the city. The aesthetic of a well-proportioned box however ensures a fit in the narrow lots of an old neighborhood. Anecdotal soundings reveal that, while the Brookhaven may be viewed as a box or a "flat-roofed" house, with the inhibitions of the unfamiliar, it is appreciated by neighborhood residents for its clean look and a sense of dignified presence amongst the deteriorated houses that it renders in the neighborhood.