Sustainable Living Innovations Debuts Innovative Prefab Building System

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/architecture/prefab-housing">Prefab construction</a> has the potential to be a major game changer in the field of green housing, and <a href="http://www.sustainablelivinginnovations.com/" target="_blank">Sustainable Living Innovations</a> is shaping up to be one of the major players. During the recession, a group of firms led by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/eco-student-village-fit-for-a-naturopathic-university/">CollinsWoerman</a> developed a new prefab system that can be used to quickly an economically build more affordable and sustainable mid-rise buildings and apartments. Their unique plug-and-play steel and concrete system features a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/stackable-mobile-home-tower-takes-portable-housing-to-new-heights/">steel frame exoskeleton</a> that is filled in with modular walls to create efficient and affordable housing.

Sustainable Living Innovations is composed of a consortium of design and engineering firms that have spent the last couple of years designing a ground-up integrated prefab system.

The system is both scalable and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/modular">modular</a>, and it consists of flexible floor plans that are factory-built and then transported to the site to be assembled.

First, a concrete slab is poured and then the steel frame is assembled.

Afterwards, the concrete roof slab is poured and raised from the ground to the top.

Then the prefab wall systems are installed apartment by apartment.

To test their theories and design, SLI recently built a prototype apartment in a Seattle warehouse.

The advantages of the SLI system include fast construction times, high-quality consistent construction, waste reduction, off-site fabrication, and savings in labor costs.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/weave-housing-futuristic-prefabricated-apartment-concept-for-denver-co/">prefab apartments</a> are designed to be streamlined, spacious yet moderately-sized, and full of daylighting.

All SLI projects are expected to receive LEED Silver certification or higher.

The consortium, which consists of CollinsWoerman, McKinstry, Lydig Construction, and DCI Engineers, expects these types of apartment buildings to be most appealing to Gen Yers and states that they could also make for efficient and cost effective hotels or resorts.

A concept for an urban infill apartment building.

More concept drawings for the SLI system.

A concept for a university housing project.