Prefab

The roofline of the Tind house prototype, designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune for prefab company Fiskarhedenvillan, has more conventional Swedish gables than the flat-roofed modernism of typical prefab units.

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

Oriented to face the west, the interconnected modules fan out to provide three slightly different views of the adjacent gully between two rises in the landscape.

The compact row houses feature carefully angled solar panels that harness every moment of the sun.

With an off-the-grid house on a remote mountain, architect Smiljan Radić rebuilds the past.

KitHAUS recently completed this custom k9 project in Highland Park, California. The project took approximately six months, with the majority of that time spent waiting for approval from the City of Los Angeles. Shipment of a kitHAUS typically takes about eight to 14 weeks from the time of deposit to delivery.

Los Angeles–based writer Leslie Longworth knew she’d found the perfect retreat when she spotted a five-acre lot in Pioneertown. Immersed in the rugged beauty of Joshua Tree with a dirt road for access, it was an ideal creative space. Seeking a low-impact build, she hired prefab company Cover to draft, construct, and install a custom home. The prefab came complete with fixtures, finishes, Wolf Sub-Zero appliances, and a state-of-the-art radiant heating and cooling system. In order to design around endangered Joshua trees, boulders, and the view, Cover used a combination of 3D mapping via drone imagery and handheld photos.

In Kansas City, Missouri, a family sought to construct a new home using prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPS) instead of traditional frame construction. The entire kit house is composed of 4' x 8' sections, and the shell was constructed in about a week. The project’s relatively low cost, quick build time, and highly insulated envelope were positives, but the panels also have their limitations. “Most SIP projects look pretty stupid,” Jamie says. “They haven’t been manipulated by someone who’s thinking creatively.” In this case, Jamie augmented the simple panel system with a dynamic cantilever.

Amagansett Modular House by MB Architecture

Want a peek at the future of prefab design? Meet the Cube One—a 156-square-foot dwelling with built-in furnishings, voice-controlled tech, and a galvanized steel shell that can withstand extreme heat and natural disasters. Singapore-based Nestron will ship the Cube One anywhere in the world, and it’ll be ready for move-in the day it arrives.

A central "street" runs through the development and affords the feeling of a micro-neighborhood with the recessed front entrances of each home connecting to the communal path.

Settled on a picturesque hillside in Somona, California, the Connect 5 residence features stunning floor-to-ceiling windows, which allow warm natural light to flood through the home.

The 500-square-foot home is designed for empty backyards in Silicon Valley. Abodu imagines the units serving as rentals, or housing for recent graduates or aging loved ones.

Constructed from a single repurposed shipping container, the one-bedroom VMD model includes an open-plan kitchenette, a dining area, and living space on one end. A bathroom and storage space are located in the middle, and the bedroom is on the opposite side.

The Japanese "no-brand" masters of minimalism unveil the first single-story design in their line of prefab homes.

Built on a tight budget of $120,000, a retirement home in the mountains delivers unexpected contemporary design to a rural township.