Taking Care of Business
A look back through the history of prefab reveals a few failures that proved to be great opportunities for learning and improvement.
The history of prefab has offered
us some ingenious architecture and engineering. The Dymaxion House by Buckminster Fuller was made of aluminum and featured an efficient heating and passive air-conditioning system based on the physical properties of the round structure. From 1948 to 1950, Lustron Corporation made steel houses with porcelain-enamel-coated panels that could be cleaned with
a garden hose. The kitchen featured an unusual combination dishwasher–kitchen sink–washing machine appliance. The Packaged House, devised in the 1940s by Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann for General Panel Corporation, could be erected or
dismantled in a single day.
Consumer interest in these design innovations was high, with over 60,000 people touring a Lustron show home in New York City in 1948, and a single advertisement in Life magazine gen-
erating more than 150,000 inquiries.
The problem was that none of them suc-
ceeded commercially. This is prefab at its worst: a host of engineering marvels and a litany of business failures.
From the home buyer’s perspective, too many architects and engineers have assumed that the self-evident genius of a construction system will compel buyers to purchase the product. The truth is that home buyers are more interested in the features of the finished home, its durability, and its resale value than in the building system that delivered the house.
The prevalence of unrealized ideas is even greater today given that architects can quickly conjure up a photo-realistic image of a concept using CAD software and post it online for millions of people to see. Configuring an efficient fabrication and fulfillment system is not as much fun as designing eye candy, but it’s necessary if an idea is to avoid the prefab scrap heap.
Articles
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101 Prefab
Everything you wanted to know about prefab but were afraid to ask! We've tapped the brain behind popular web resource FabPreFab to explain the birds and bees of manufactured housing.
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Prefab, Proven
In January 2003, we issued a challenge to 16 architects: Design a modern prefab home for $200,000. Here’s the story of the house that resulted from that challenge—and what we learned…
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Prefab Parlance
From Kynar and Galvalume to SIPs, the terminology associated with prefab construction can be daunting. We asked a handful of architects and designers to help us build a prefab glossary of the top…
Products
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Prefab Prototypes: Site-Specific Design for Offsite Construction
A detailed guide to six different prefab systems, weighing the pros and cons of each and explaining how they work.
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Type 03
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Studio Shed
Dwell Collections
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Mapping Prefab
In just under ten years, dozens of prefab projects from all over the world have graced the pages of Dwell. We sifted through our archives to find some of our best-loved pieces, revisiting stories…
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Editors' Picks Places
Editors' Picks Places
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Editors' Picks Homes
Editors' Picks Homes
Tips
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Think Smaller. Think Efficient.
Don’t target a prefab project and forget to adapt your wish list to fit the capabilities of the task at hand. A prefabricated house or commercial project has certain limitations, one of which…
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The More Complete, the More Prefab
There are quite a few companies out there that are marketing “prefab” but not all of them are designing and producing entirely finished products. Many projects we have seen appear to be…
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Prefab is Not Necessarily Less Expensive
It certainly can be, but as with any project it depends on the architect, the fabricator, and how everything is organized in anticipation of installation at your site. Your architect needs to be…
Videos
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Design Leader: Michelle Kaufmann
As part of our Design Leaders video series, prefab specialist Michelle Kaufmann shares her philosophy on sustainable modular construction.
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Contained
In a quest to create some private space in a soaring loft, two San Franciscans turned to shipping containers as a design solution. View the final transformation, which includes a teak-and-copper…
Event
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Prefab Education Workshop
Join Ryan E. Smith, professor of architectural technology and author of Prefab Architecture, in the Prefab Education workshop on January 13th, 2012. Learn about the history of industrialized…
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Perhaps prefab companies would be more successful if they had an inhouse general contracting or such type service that helped a homeowner obtain permits, lay a foundation, add plumbing and electricity, etc. I love prefab but am intimidated by all of the preparation needed before the house even arrives on the truck!
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