Prefab homes have always been a part of the Dwell DNA. Here you will find prefab homes published in dwell magazine as well as great prefab home ideas. Prefabricated means either panelized, modular, or kit homes. Prefab architecture works for both remote sites and dense urban spaces. Modular homes are popular but can be the most expensive to customize. It is best to change as little as possible when buying prefab. Possible advantages of pre fab include lower cost, higher degree of precision, and less construction waste.

Q&A With David Lai of Hello Design
It goes without saying that David Lai, Principal and Creative Director of Hello Design, has had a lot of experience creating...
Kevin Roche on How He Got His Start—Nodding Off in an Interview With Eero Saarinen
The Pritzker Prize–winning architect reflects on his achievements and his mentor.
Prefab Builder Blu Homes to Disrupt the Construction Industry
Prefab builder Blu Homes, helmed by CEO Bill Haney, aims to disrupt the construction industry supply chain by interacting...
Creatives of the Bay Area Series: Charles de Lisle
We’re excited to announce that we’ll be showcasing several homes of creative individuals we admire in the Bay Area—and we’re...
Prefab, Proven
In January 2003, we issued a challenge to 16 architects: Design a modern prefab home for $200,000.
Prefab for Humanity
In inner-city Baltimore, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake paves a path to affordable prefab.
Photographer Q&A: Matthew Williams
From Jakarta to Brazil, Brooklyn based photographer Matthew Williams has traveled the globe for Dwell.
An Australian Builder’s Cramped Family Cottage Gets an Industrial-Inspired Extension
In Melbourne’s Newport suburb, OOF! Architecture leads a skillful remodel packed with playful surprises like exposed trusses, a...
When Prefab Is Painless
An easy construction process reduces any drama for a couple in California.
Q&A with Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban
The Japanese architect—and winner of the 2014 Pritzker Prize—is working with Muji on a new endeavor: using furniture as a module...
A Picturesque Desert Prefab
Jim Murren’s prefab house in Sin City, designed by Marmol Radziner, is as artful as it is art-filled, thanks to an asymmetrical...
Not Ready For a Prefab House? How About a Prefab Kitchen.
Kitchen systems are a lot like prefab housing: they're designed to be modular but they're endlessly customizable—not that that's...
We Dream of Prefabs
...and wake up, every so often, to a project that fulfills the potential of mass-produced housing.
Q&A with Textile Designer Jack Lenor Larsen
We chat with the masterful weaver, textile designer, and gardener whose global aesthetic continues to reverberate and influence...
7 Coolest California Prefabs
With their main components manufactured in a factory and assembled on-site, prefab homes often cost less to build, offer a higher...
An Unconventional Prefab on Fishers Island
A family’s remote island retreat becomes a more permanent home base, thanks to the efficiency of building modular.
9 Modern Prefabs in the Desert
The barren beauty of a desert landscape can be a source of inspiration for off-the-grid prefab living.
This Isolated Prefab Is One with the Wild
A home in Ontario, Canada, demonstrates how factory-built housing can be as site sensitive as traditional construction.
A Ruddy Shipping Container House Is Installed in New York in Only Two Days
With a prefab structure near Hudson, LOT-EK—the pioneers of shipping container architecture—make a new case for the genre.
7 Prefabs Set in Nature
One of the benefits of prefabricated and modular buildings is that they leave minimal construction waste and can be built without...
A Family’s Glass-Enclosed Cabin Hovers in a Pine Forest in Ecuador
To turn a 700-square-foot home into a more permanent residence for a family of four, RAMA estudio attached a prefab...
This Eco-Minded Home in São Paulo Raises the Bar For Prefab
Made of 100-percent recyclable materials and equipped with smart home technology, SysHaus is a new model by a Brazilian...
This Island Retreat in the Netherlands Flexes the Power of Prefab
Designed by Orange Architects, the compact, energy-efficient home features open and airy interiors that can instantly be adjusted...
This Black Prefab Cabin in Uruguay “Melts” Into the Woods
The modular design by iHouse is clad with sustainably sourced wood in a black finish, making it at home with the forest in more...
A Massive Metal “Caterpillar” Brings Eight Cost-Effective Apartments to Detroit
Prince Concepts slices up a prefab Quonset hut to create a series of light-filled dwellings.
A Prefab Passive House Takes Root in the Catskills
Assembled in just two weeks, the idyllic retreat near Woodstock, New York, realizes a couple’s dream of rural living.
A Seattle Musician Improvises During the Pandemic by Building Out His Own Backyard Cottage
Starting with a design from prefab builder NODE, musician Michael Lerner relies on YouTube tutorials and perseverance to complete...
The Timber Screens of This Off-Grid Prefab in Italy Lift Up Like Wings
Designed for a couple needing a temporary home, MU50 is a modular cabin whose moving sunshades create a dappled effect, called...
Raised in Just 10 Days, This Airtight Prefab Is a Lesson in Efficiency
This stunning forest retreat in England uses prefabricated panels to minimize site impact, shorten construction time, and protect...
This Timber Prefab by Manta North Is What Dreams Are Made Of
The Scandinavian-inspired prefab—a minimalist design that starts at $179K—is one family’s happy place by the sea.
10 Sunny Poolside Prefabs
The idea of relaxing poolside or jumping in for a quick dip is pretty enticing—especially if the body of water is accompanied by...
Two Prefab Prisms Form an A-Frame Retreat in the Chilean Wilderness
With an off-the-grid house on a remote mountain, architect Smiljan Radić rebuilds the past.
Muji Just Unveiled a New Prefab Home—and it’s a Minimalist Dream Come True
The Japanese “no-brand” masters of minimalism unveil the first single-story design in their line of prefab homes.
Video: Prefab Japanese Joinery
In our September 2011 Japan Style issue (now on newsstands!) we showcase a plethora of Japanese-influenced houses as well as...
This Floating, Off-Grid Prefab Can Be Assembled in Just Two Days
Ready for life on land or water, the net-zero LilliHaus is a plug-and-play prefab by SysHaus.
A Dutch Couple Are the First Tenants of This Boulder-Shaped 3D-Printed Home
The Flintstones-style home in Eindhoven is the first legally habitable house in Europe with 3D-printed load-bearing walls.

2,843 more articles