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How to Fix Prefab Architecture? Make It More Like Product Design
I'm right there with you Gordon. Thinking about homes as products is the way to go. Too long buildings have been rough draft, prototype, and finished product all in one. It's not fair to the individuals building them to find out all the pitfalls of home construction, only after going too far down the rabbit hole. I understand your homes are made in California, and being products, are allowed the opportunity for refinement over time, but as products of mass production, shouldn't they be more affordable? $200/ft isn't nothing. So much of what you said sounded like opportunity for efficiency. And in my mind efficiency equals affordability. Right?
Hey Sean. Totally. Right now, we make tons of sense in high-cost-to-build-regions -- we are about 1/3rd the cost of building an architect-designed house in SF. About 1/2 in LA and NY region. And we are all-steel moment frame construction, which is pretty much the most expensive way to build a house, but necessary for the shipping component we are trying to solve. If you live somewhere expensive and you want to live in a modern glass/steel box, we have you covered and we can save you a ton. That is why it is important that we can serve all markets -- so we can reach enough of these high-cost regions to generate the volume to bring costs down. Not to punt your affordability question down the field a bit, but we are working to bring costs down and IMHO, our prefab competitors offer much less home for much more money.... Stay tuned.
I agree with you there. The comparative cost in regions without access to low cost labor or land, it makes a lot of sense. Hopefully you'll blow up in those markets to scale up production and scale back cost soon. It's a great idea that I'm sure will catch on. I'll be first in line for your "economy" built homes.
this steel frame reminded me Blue Sky Building System's Bolted Moment Frame, are you guys using the same technology? and how is the steel handling california earthquake?
Hey Sam,
I've long been looking at shipping containers as a potential housing solution given my circumstances. One thing I like about the shipping container solution vs others, is that one can always get containers over time and store them on your plot of land or on land where they will be converted. A sort of stockpiling solution that results in eventually having the bits to start a home but paying as you go.
This seems like a decent alternative to mortgages for those who already took a house-sized debt for design school, but maybe I'm just disenfranchised in the banking system and should be ignored, that's fine too!
If these house-part modules were things that could be purchased and then stuffed under a tarp in a warehouse or on a plot of land for a period of 2-5 years while the owner slowly pays for new ones and then can all be conjoined at the end without worrying about a 2017 model being incompatible with a 2020 model, it would be an option.
If these units have to be bought and planned as a complete house project, and aren't universal then there's not much deviation from the standard house model which puts it less attractive to some.
Interesting. I have been watching the prefab industry for a couple of years now and wondering if it will ever get a solid foot hold. Here is a company with an interesting approach. http://bonestructure.ca/en/
Thanks, Steve. Totally. Although it is interesting to note that Charles Eames framed the Eames house with his buddies in 16 hours. A system like bonestructures means that you still leave months of finish work to be done onsite. If you are in a high cost region.... you end up paying a lot. Okay. I'm going to stop sitting on the comments section. Thanks for reading!
Interesting post, also worth mentioning, the Vipp Shelter is a beautiful merger of industrial design and architecture. Not intended to be a permanent home, interesting execution though.
Thanks, Alex. That Vipp house is super sweet. (And ungodly expensive. And the approvals thing is kinda spotty). But great execution on the wow factors. And sleeping in that little skylight hatch seems like it would be a blast. Certainly the right direction.