Trend: fab prefab

With the best of 2012 lists safely behind us, we're kicking off 2013 with some trends in architecture that, while perhaps not new, have real staying power. This might be because they are sustainable, economical or simply because they benefit communities and cities.  

The first trend on our list can be said to achieve all three. Prefabrication was one of the six concepts in the Globe and Mail's feature on 2013 home design trends. In the article, Oliver Lang, principal and creative director of Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture in Vancouver, explains how prefabricated modules can be used to save time and money while creating less waste. Essentially, the controlled conditions of the factory result in consistent quality while reducing the need to transport people and materials. 

Prefab homes also tend to combine natural, eco-friendly materials with clean, modern lines for an aesthetic that people really like. The process doesn't have to mean cookie cutter houses, either. "Prefabrication doesn’t mean putting people into boxes," Lang explains. "Rather, we can use prefabricated modules as spatial systems that liberate the possibility of space-making."

 Here are some of the great examples we found. 

 

1. Pavilion Living

Pavilion 65 by Pavilion Living in Sweden. Coming from the pioneers and undisputed masters of flatpacked furniture this makes perfect sense.

2. IKEA

Of course, IKEA itself made headlines last March for launching their own prefab home, Aktiv. Virtually every design site covered the story, but we found a nice photo gallery here.   

Aktiv, a prefab home concept from IKEA that costs $86,500.

 

3. Blue Homes

Late last year, Hurricane Sandy devastated the American Northeast. Blu Homes was perfectly suited to help the tens of thousand of people who lost their homes to the storm by offering discounts to the victims. The company, with offices in Massachusetts and California, can deliver energy efficient and hurricane-resistant homes that are move-in ready in five to nine months.

 An energy efficient and hurricane-resistant home by Blu Homes.

 

4. MZ House 

This example by Barcelona's Calderon-Folch-Sarsanedas Arquitectes has a really interesting layout and we love the use of unfinished wood. We enjoyed reading about this project on Inhabitat. 

MZ House was designed to be cost-effective with a tiny carbon footprint; just what prefab housing is all about. 

 

5. Sky City

Whether the concept of concept can be applied on the scale of the world's tallest skyscrapers remains to be seen. But this month, Broad Group of China is going to try. The company is planning to erect the 220 storey Sky City in just 90 days. 

The proposed Sky City in Hunan Province, China.

 

6. Eames House

We'll end with one of the earliest examples of a prefab home. The Eames House, also known as Case Study House No. 8, was assembled in less than two days in 1949 and serves as an icon of mid-century design. Check out the full gallery on Inhabitat. The site ran this story in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Ray Eames' birth on December 15, 2012.  

The Eames House was built in 1949 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. 

We'll be covering a few more noteworthy trends over the next few weeks. If there are any that you think we should look into, feel free to let us know in the comments and we might cover them on the blog. 

Comments

[Cityzen Group]

Thank you!

[Gildera]

Very nice prefab homes.