A Clean Break opened on October 17 in conjunction with DesignPhiladelphia and will run through October 30.

A Clean Break includes an installation in the Old City section of Philadelphia, which is intended to underscore the potential for sustainable, affordable prefab design in dense urban areas as an alternative to new infill development (of course some infill is prefab). The full-scale models on display at this show include the Wee House and miniHome, both of which place big value on living small. Other compact projects will be on view in the form of renderings and drawings.

Beyond the homes themselves, A Clean Break has a larger mission to present a vision of a sustainable urban lifestyle. The curators, who are from Minima Gallery, partnered with the Philadelphia Bike Coalition, the Philadelphia Community Design Collaborative, the Urban Land Institute, and several other organizations, to think through the big picture of prefab's applications within a well-designed city center.

If you can get to Philadelphia, you should check out the show. If you miss it, check out our upcoming Philadelphia Detour in the May 2009 issue of the magazine.