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The exterior of Site Shack is covered in steel panels that are bolted to the framing. Look closely and you won’t see any visible fasteners, as Powers Construction’s welder was fastidious, creating a seamless shell with just steel and glass.

In Australia, a manufacturer and an architecture firm create an off-grid home that can be broken down and shipped across the world.

Architect couple Andreas Lyckefors and Josefine Wikholm took an unusual approach to designing their dream home. While living in a small apartment with three young children, they bought a site in Askim, a popular suburb close to Gothenburg, where they designed a pair of mirrored residences under a single gable roof.

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.

“We call it the Traveler because it will travel to you, you can travel to it, or you travel within it, into your own healthy world," says the Coexist team.

My Cabin launched after Draugs couldn't find a prefab structure he'd want to vacation in. The exterior is made of spruce, which can be stained according to customer specifications.

In the foreground are Float beanbag chairs and poufs from Paola Lenti. Mamagreen sofas nestle near the house on the sun-dappled deck. A 9.5-foot-tall shade cloth curtain seals off the entire length of the house when the couple is away, keeping the heat out of the interior and preventing accidental bird suicides against the floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

All of Scott Palamar’s selections and customizations brought the total to $150,000 for the 640-square-foot home and surrounding land. “I feel like I struck on such a novel solution because I was able to afford a home tailored to my lifestyle,” he says.

"Radical sustainability

Passing the rain garden on your way back to the house, watch out for the local wildlife, from herds of deer to soaring eagles, to the local Bengal cat. The rain garden is the Barn Gallery's most talked about landscaping feature;  if you're lucky enough to be there when it rains you can see it in action.... Sustainability is exemplified by the rough fir siding, re-purposed from an old movie prop storage warehouse in Los Angeles. Every piece of reclaimed wood and metal inside or outside the house has a story to tell.

A pitched roof optimizes the RPA LivingHome 1 for solar panels.

Take Dry January beyond the 31st with these non-alcoholic sips.

The ESCAPE One XL tiny home is one of the larger of models in the community, and it features generous glazing.

In the Dank Lounge, a film screen lowers in front of room-darkening curtains on movie nights. The deep sectional was built by Lizz and Isaac while the Blob coffee table is by Project Room, and the Scandinavian rya rug is vintage. The couple’s art collection includes works by many friends and local artists. A print by Alex Smith, along with drawings by Cammie Staros and Karl Haendel, hang in the lounge beside a painting by John Finneran and a photo by Lizz.

These artists, makers, and small businesses are essential voices in the design community.

The nominees for this year’s Dwell Design Awards may be petite, but they pack a big punch.

Along the front of the home, tiered landscape sections are bordered by panels of COR-TEN steel, with a central walkway and staircase leading up to the main entrance. The glassy front facade provides multiple vantage points for enjoying views of the active neighborhood.