TrendWatch: Pre-fab houses

2005 was perhaps the break-out year for the pre-fab home. The year's dozen or so inspired offerings drew widespread coverage in the design press. And Dwell Magazine went as far as launching their own line of ready-to-build houses. The appeal of the Dwell Homes — and other pre-fabs — is that they deliver reasonably cost-conscious options for style-seeking nesters. For a quick, satisfying look at the state-of-the-art, this BusinessWeek slide show offers a sampler, including Alchemy Architects' weeHouse (pictured), Charlie Lazor's FlatPak, and Ikea's BoKlok. A few notables that BW skipped: Adam Kalkin's Push Button house, which automatically unpacks itself, and Werner Aisslinger's Loftcube, designed to perch on an urban rooftop.

Comments

[rich]

Could not open the link to BusinessWeek, but there is a wonderful pre-fab house exhibit at the Walker Art Center in lovely Minneapolis for those willing to brave the cold.

[June Cohen]

Thanks so much for the tip, Rich! I'm totally intrigued by the Walker exhibit. Great name (Some Assembly Required: Contemporary Prefabricated Houses) and a spot-on collection. I see they also feature the weeHouse and the FlatPak. And a few I haven't seen, like the Black Barn in Stockholm (very different aesthetic). I'm tempted to brave the cold!

[Piers Fawkes]

Sorry to leave a link and run but thought you might be interested in this: One of our Contributors did a great review of the PreFab movement back in March.

http://www.psfk.com/2005/03/prefab.html

[June Cohen]

Thanks, Piers! Interesting contextual piece there, with some good history to it. It also offers a bridge to a related topic on our minds (and in the news) these days: the need for thoughtfully designed temporary housing for refugee camps and other disaster-relief scenarios. TEDPrize winner Cameron Sinclair spends a lot of time thinking about this challenge (It's an area of focus for his non-profit Architecture for Humanity).

[Kristen Andersen]

Hi June,

I am so glad you wrote about this. The form and function of prefab homes has come a long way over the last few years. While prefab homes tend to have less environmental impact than conventional housing, they are often built using the same unhealthily materials. Thankfully there are options available like the Breezehouse designed by Michelle Kaufman. The Breezehouse is built using sustainable materials including bamboo flooring, galvalume metal roof, on demand hot water, bio-radiant heating, and non toxic paints. Highly customizable, it is a design that has style and substance.

[kathy prost]

Just came across another interesting pre fab design/build company located in Van Nuys Ca. The company is called KItHaus and there gig is what they call " true modularity" they utilize an aluminum beam or frame that essentially locks together with a clamping system. the frame can be easily added on to and taken apart, making the system perfect for the backyard studio i have been comtemplating. The system works on a 16' grid, and comes as a basic box, fully insulated, on a raised foundation, that gets constructed on site. The cool thing i thought was the way additional 16' modules get added, and as they are added the square ft. price of the unit gets cheaper. I also liked the clean modern lines, and the fact that it's aluminum and glass means it will never need painting, it uses sustainable materials, and it can be assembled in a weekend. The company also offers a flat roofed module called the K2 which is more affordable, and the K1 module which boasts a 16' high all glass facade is really impressive. The exterior is clad with a corrugated galvalume material, but they also offer cladding in a wood called Ipe, which looks and functions like teak. You can check out a module at the shop in Van Nuys which you could make an appoinment to go view. Also website is really good for information.

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