In the last two articles of our Green Guide to Prefab series, we showed you the best way to build a prefab home that suits your lifestyle and makes the most of your building site. In our latest article, we’ll look at the elements you need to consider to ensure the financial success of your project – green homes offer dynamic environments that are a joy to live in, but in order to successfully build one it’s essential to be realistic and control costs to avoid winding up in the red. Read on as former Lindal Cedar Homes CEO and green design consultant Michael Harris returns to Inhabitat to discuss the ins and outs of building your dream home on a budget.

Read the rest of GREEN GUIDE TO PREFAB: Building Your Green Prefab Home on Budget

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Post tags: architecture and budgeting, architecture budgets, budget homes, budgeting a new home, building a home on a budget, building a kit home, building a prefab home on a budget, controlling costs when building a new home, designing your home on a budget, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, financing a new home, flat pack architecture, green architecture, green guide to prefab, green modern family homes, how to create a budget for a new home, kit homes, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal homes, michael harris, modern home, modernism, money and building a new home, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, Prefab, prefab architecture, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, volumetric homes

In the last three articles of our Green Guide to Prefab series we discussed the history of prefab design, the evolution of mobile homes into modular prefabricated homes, and how to best choose a site for your prefab. Despite key components being prefabricated off-site, prefab homes actually offer a lot in the way of customization, allowing individuals to custom tailor many features to create their ideal living space. In our latest Green Guide to Prefab series, we’ll be taking a closer look at the concept of “lifestyle”, and we’ll tell you the questions you need to ask in order to build a home that fits best with your life. Read ahead as former Lindal Cedar Homes CEO and green design consultant Michael Harris returns to Inhabitat to walk us through the business of examining lifestyle and understanding why this element is crucial to creating a happy, comfortable and enduring home.

Read the rest of GREEN GUIDE TO PREFAB: Finding a Prefab Home That Works With Your Lifestyle

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Post tags: architecture and lifestyle, architecture sites, designing your home to meet your lifestyle, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pak architecture, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, lifestyle and design, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal homes, michael harris, mobil homes, modern family homes, modern home, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, Prefab, prefab architecture, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, siting your home, volumetric homes

The Koby Cottage was designed by Garrison Architects for a boarding school for troubled teens in order to allow families to visit with their children in a private, domestic setting surrounded by nature. The 1,100 square foot prefab cottage consists of two modules raised and separated for light, space and privacy. Koby is the first building constructed using the KFS (Kullman Frame System), an extremely strong and efficient modular space frame system consisting of hollow tubular steel and allowing large cantilevers and window openings.

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Read the rest of Garrison Architects’ Koby Cottage is a Beautiful Prefabricated Woodland Retreat

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Post tags: "prefabricated housing", "sustainable architecture", Garrison Architects, green architecture, Green Building, green design, KFS prefab system, koby cottage, Kullman Frame System, prefab building, prefab house, prefabricated architecture, sustainable design

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Post tags: Altius Architecture, Altius Architecture lindal prefab, and The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture lindal prefab, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pack architecture, getting the most from your building site, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal collaborative architects program, lindal homes, marmol radziner, Marmol Radziner lindal prefab, Mates Masi + Architects, Mates Masi + Architects lindal prefab, michael harris, mobil homes, modern family homes, modern home, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, prefab architecture, prefab building for mainstream buyers, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, siting your home, The Lindal Architects Collaborative, trailer homes, volumetric homes

In the last two installments of our Green Guide to Prefab series on Inhabitat we highlighted the history of prefab design and the evolution of mobile homes into modular prefabricated homes. Within the last ten years, consumers have come to expect a new level of design quality in prefab homes, and this new generation is looking to not only personalize their home, but to create a sustainable, modern space that is able to support eco-conscious lifestyle without any sacrifices. Prefab home builders have taken notice and are responding to the new demand by providing more options to prospective prefab homeowners. But if you’re looking to buy prefab, you may wonder which type of manufactured home is right for you? Inhabitat’s Green Guide To Prefab is here to help. Our latest article will focus on every project’s most important consideration — the building site. If your home isn’t in perfect harmony with its site – considering and responding to the location’s natural environmental characteristics – you’re not getting the best green home you can get. So what must a prefab home do in order to get the most from its site? Jump ahead for the answer as former Lindal Cedar Homes CEO and green design consultant Michael Harris returns to Inhabitat give us some insight.

Read the rest of GREEN GUIDE TO PREFAB: Siting Your Home to Maximize Eco Efficiency

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Post tags: architecture sites, choosing your building site, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pak architecture, getting the most from your building site, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal homes, michael harris, mobil homes, modern family homes, modern home, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, prefab architecture, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, siting your home, trailer homes, volumetric homes

Last month we kicked off our Green Guide to Prefab series with an article exploring the history of prefabricated housing. Now we’re back with another article in this series to take a look at mobile homes and their influence on the development of prefabricated housing.  Although the words ‘mobile home’ today often conjure up images of sprawling trailer parks outside cities, these compact homes-on-wheels were, in fact, part of a design revolution that gave way to a low-cost, portable option for single-family home ownership. Read on for the second installment of our Green Guide to Prefab, where former Lindal Cedar Homes CEO, and green design consultant Michael Harris schools us on the history of the mobile home and how it helped shape modern prefabricated housing.

Read the rest of GREEN GUIDE TO PREFAB: The History of the Mobile Home and Its Influence on the Modern Prefab

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Post tags: Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pak architecture, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal homes, michael harris, mobil homes, mobile homes, modern family homes, modern home, modern trailer homes, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, prefab architecture, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, trailer homes, volumetric homes

Frank Lloyd Wright meets modern day prefab in the stunning Mod.Fab home, developed by students at Taliesin West in collaboration with their Dean Victor Sidy and Inhabitat favorite Jennifer Siegal. The goal of the collaboration was to build a prototype prefab conducive to elegant and sustainable living within the heart of the desert landscape. It only took a single picture for us to become instantaneous fans, and from passive solar design to photovoltaic panels and SIPs we’re thoroughly impressed with the project’s sustainable elements.

Read the rest of MOD.FAB: Stunning Prefab by the School of Frank Lloyd Wright

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Post tags: green architecture, green design, Jennifer Siegal, modfab prefab, Office of Mobile Design, Office of Mobile Design. PrairieMod, PrairieMod, prefab architecture, prefab design, Prefab Housing, PreFab Modern, prefabricated architecture, school of frank lloyd wright, Sustainable Building, Taliesin West

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Post tags: adjustable modular homes, eco design, green design, Hong Kong, modular architecture, plug-in housing, Prefab, prefabricated architecture, sustainable design, Unit Fusion, Vertical high rise, vertical living, Y Design Office

Prefabricated housing has seen a surge in popularity over the last few years as an affordable, eco-friendly and modern alternative to custom stick-built housing or suburban tract homes. Although prefab construction has experienced a recent spike in popularity in this past decade, the idea of prefabricated building construction is nothing new – prefab designs have been around for over a century, embedded in the history of the modern architecture movement. In order to really understand prefab housing, we’re going to dive into a history lesson and take a look back at the prefab home movement during the last century.

Inhabitat is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new six-part series, The Green Guide To Prefab Housing, where we are enlisting the expertise of graduate architect, former Lindal Cedar Homes CEO and green design consultant Michael Harris. In our first three installments, Michael introduces us to the prefabricated home as a modern, green design alternative, analyzing the roots of factory-made housing and how its core concepts have converged with the precepts of sustainability and modernism. How has factory-built housing been informed by modernism and the green movement? And how has prefab construction influenced green, modern design? Jump ahead to part one this series where Michael will take you on an in-depth tour of a particular type of prefab package; the kit-home.

Read the rest of GREEN GUIDE TO PREFAB: The History of The Kit Home

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Post tags: Acorn House, carl koch, case study house, Charles and Ray Eames, deck house, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pak architecture, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal homes, michael harris, mobil homes, mobile homes, modern family homes, modern home, modern trailer homes, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, prefab architecture, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, Sears Roebuck Kit House, Sir Walter Lindal, trailer homes, Truck Chassis homes, volumetric homes, Walter Gropius

Read the rest of The Oostvaarders: A Cliff-Like Nature Center Clad in Geometric Prefab Panels

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Drost + van Veen, Drost + van Veen Architects, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, green design, lenotec, Oostvaarders, prefab design, prefabricated architecture, sustainable design, The Oostvaarders

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Post tags: "dutch architecture", ACCOYA, dutch farmhouses, eco-materials, Eva Pfannes, green architecture, green design, green materials, green renovations, green roofs, lenotec, netherlands architecture, ooze architects, pitched roof houses, prefab architecture, prefabricated architecture, residential renovations

Steel Space is a shipping container that can be transformed into a fully stocked restaurant, a kitchen appliance showroom, a compact traveling café, or even into a fast-food franchise. The module can easily be transported by truck, train, helicopter or boat anywhere around the world to promote a brand or product, and the novel space is sure to attract attention. And while it’s envisioned as a food-related venue, Steel Space can really be used for anything – the possibilities are endless!

READ MORE >

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Cargotecture, Eco Architecture, eco design, green architecture, green design, green event space, mobile kitchen, mobile restaurant, prefabricated architecture, shipping container, shipping container architecture, steel space, sustainable design

The funky future beach bum getaway of your dreams is here with the Archinoma transformable modular architectural system. A pod building system, based on the geometry of the stellated octahedron, is made up of low impact rigs which can stand up for months against the elements. Creating mod spaces to throw parties, run a spa or low impact café, or just for the hell of it the Archinome system has a host of unique designs.

Read the rest of Futuristic Archinoma for the Prefab Beach Bum in All of Us

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Post tags: chillout colony, Eco Architecture, eco design, extended octahedron, green design, portable party venue, Prefab, prefab architecture, prefab home, prefab structure, prefabricated architecture, pyramid architecture, Sierpinski triangle, stellated octahedron, Y-bio

Read the rest of Porte Cochère is a Spiraling Prefab Pavilion for the UN Campus in NYC

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Post tags: Amedeo Perlas, Ashish Soni, Eco Architecture, Eric Smith, ftl, FTL Design Engineering Studio, Gold Smith, green architecture, green design, HLW International, Joe Schedlbauer, Matthew Hilyard, Michael Barrett, Michael Tegnell, pop up pavilion, pop up structure, pop up tent, Porte Cochere, prefab architecture, prefabricated architecture, temporary structure, UN, UN Interim Canopy, United Nations

Who wouldn’t want to have a spot of afternoon tea at this delightful lime green shipping container cafe overlooking the site of the London 2012 Olympics? Dubbed the View Tube, the eatery and gallery caught our eye this morning, and upon further investigation we found out that the charming structure is 100% recycled, has motion sensor controlled lighting, low energy light bulbs, solar controlled glass and weather compensation controlled heating. While we won’t be getting shipped off to the UK ourselves to check out the colorful building in person, props to Bonnie Alter of Treehugger for her original photography of the space.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", bonnie alter, cafe, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, lime green shipping container cafe, London Olympics, olympics, prefabricated architecture, Recycled Materials, shipping container, shipping container building, sustainable design, treehugger, UK, united kingdom, view tube

German company HUF HAUS is offering gorgeous green houses to the masses by bringing Bauhaus style to factory-made green homes. The company’s signature post-and-beam construction allows for big open spaces, and they serve them up with solar panels and even an optional geothermal heating system.

Read the rest of From Bauhaus to HUF HAUS: Energy Efficient Prefab Homes

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", factory-built, green design, green home, huf haus, modular homes, pre-fab homes, Prefab Housing, prefabricated architecture, sustainable design

ADEX is a system for building self-sufficient prefabricated pod houses that are capable of adapting to different sites while meeting the changing needs of their inhabitants. The modular eco houses are constructed from an interlocking system of prefabricated pieces, are capable of gathering renewable resources from their surroundings, and can be installed anywhere with no site-specific requirements.

Read the rest of ADEX: Futuristic PreFab for Modular Off-Grid Living

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Post tags: ADEX, Alberto Lara, Future, green architecture, Green Building, housing, Paula Nogueron, Prefab, prefabricated architecture, sustainable design

The Herbert Art Gallery recently received a stunning renovation by Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects that fuses a modern extension with the walls of an ancient medieval city that once stood on its site. The £20 million refurbishment and extension incorporates an ancient vault and includes 8 new permanent galleries, spaces for temporary exhibitions and events, educational gatherings and a new History Center along with Herbert Media Studios. The most notable addition is the 500 square meter glazed glass-covered court which lets in plenty of daylight from sunrise to sunset and is supported by the new prefabricated gallery extension.

Read the rest of Renovated Herbert Art Gallery Fuses Modern with Medieval

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Post tags: Daylighting, green design, Herbert Gallery, prefabricated architecture, Pringle Richards Sharratt, Refurbished Building, sustainable design

This gorgeous wood container prefab from Olgga Architects was turning heads at Salon Europeen du Bois in Grenoble last month. At just 70 square meters (about 753 square feet), this energy efficient abode is made of two prefabricated modules perched one on top of the other. Rather than box out the structure with a stacked configuration, the designers pivoted the top unit to create a variety of interesting and integrated outdoor spaces, as well as a variety of structural possibilities.


Read the rest of PREFAB FRIDAY: Maison EvolutiV by Olgga

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Post tags: Maison EvolutiV prefab, olgga architects, prefab friday inhabitat, prefab structures, prefabricated architecture, Salon Europeen du Bois, wooden modular buildings

We have been fans of Canadian architect Carsten Jensen since the inception of his British Columbia-based company Jenesys, which specializes in environmentally responsible buildings. We were completely impressed with the flatpack E-cube design that Jenesys created as a modular kit with extreme energy efficiency. Jenesys now has a new prefab out that is also getting rave reviews. His newest design, Wings, is one Jensen calls “kind of a sexy design,” and we tend to agree. With all of the energy-efficiency of its predecessor, Wings is taking off in great prefab form.


Read the rest of PREFAB FRIDAY: Jenesys Wings Prefab Home

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Post tags: Canadian architect Carsten Jensen, Jenysys Building Corporation Canada, Jenysys prefab homes, modular residential architecture, prefab architecture Canada, prefabricated architecture