Favorites

In the Brazilian climate, this open-air set-up is a comfortable space for the family to spend most of their time, year-round.

Project 01, a 262-square-foot micro cabin imagined by Canada-based Instead is clad with black-stained pine that helps it to meld with the natural landscape.

Madison points out that the pod concept would make it easy to add an extension if necessary. “We see it as a house that can grow with us—and that we can pay for as we go along.”

Christie Schoepp's main goals for building a cabin on her family's land in Alberta, Canada, were to maximize the views and make the project as cheap as possible.

Perched high in the Santa Monica Mountains, this modern hillside home by Sant Architects consists of a three bedroom main residence and adjacent studio. Floor-to-ceiling windows and dramatic sliding doors offer shifting perspectives of the sublime landscape and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.

Builders, developers, designers, and architects have developed a range of homes that are composed of prefabricated, modular, or kit-of-parts pieces that can allow for lower costs, faster and easier on-site construction, and even higher quality spaces. Here, we delve into the differences—and similarities—among these manufactured residences.

Floor Plan of House by the Cautín River by Iragüen Viñuela Arquitectos

"My goal was to carry on the client’s family legacy by creating a very special place that took inspiration from the landscape,” explains architect Tom Kundig.

Milwaukee studio Vetter Denk Architects designed this eye-catching prefab on the banks of Moose Lake, Wisconsin, as a weekend retreat. The home was based on an idea presented by the home's owner, who was inspired by a screw-top jug of $9.99 red wine.

Named after its rooftop photovoltaic panels, the Solar Studio is the first completed build in NODE’s customizable Trillium Series.

The three townhomes were craned onto the foundation over two days, joined together at the seams, and then finished with siding and utility connections.

"Radical sustainability

Acclaimed for being sustainable, affordable, and adorable, tiny homes are also superb teachers when it comes to organization and design.

Affordable, adorable, and in many cases, transportable, these tiny homes made a big impact on our readers this year.

Based in New York City, Cocoon9 takes a unique approach to prefab homes, offering a line of tiny homes with high-quality construction and finishes, smart technology, energy efficiencies, and versatile spaces that are ready for the modern market.

Plant Prefab’s LivingHome 10 is a 406-square-foot tiny house packed with smart tech that is designed to slot into dense urban environments, making it ideal for a guesthouse or rental.

Haus.me says construction permits and foundations are not needed for the smaller mOne and mTwo units.