PreFabs

In 2021, Daniel Lopez-Perez and Celine Vargas founded Polyhaus to build fire-resilient, prefabricated homes quickly and efficiently. Their first 540-square-foot Tetra-One ADU in La Jolla proved that advanced engineering and CLT panels could create beautiful, flexible, and compact spaces while reducing construction time and environmental impact.

“The name 'Unfinished House' refers to an aesthetic attitude…. Self-finishing materials were selected to reduce resources and reveal the building’s construction. Tile and plywood are the only added ‘finishes’; They cover areas with wiring and plumbing,” the architects tell us. “The building is an all-timber structure with cellulose and wood fiber board insulation. Many of the materials were locally-produced including the wood framing, plywood, corrugated metal, and wood cladding.”

Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect and Majamaja cofounder Pekka Littow designed a seaside retreat in Finland to showcase the potential of self-sustaining homes. The first cabin was built in 2020, and there are now four along the archipelago outside Helsinki. Prefabricated elements like vertical wood cladding and crisp gables allow the cabins to be dismounted with minimal impact on the landscape.

As a standalone suite, the Moliving prefab can be tailored to its location based on the owner's specifications. The process can take as little as three months to complete.

Frontal facade - Street view

To install Charles Willson’s prefab house, Stillwater Dwellings lifted the structure over an existing barn on the one-acre property. Willson, who is often on the road, wired the house with the latest in smart technology.

Each of MyCabin's offerings were designed to work in concert and form a complete residential set, where My Milla (25 or long) houses daily living, My Kalmus provides a dedicated work space, and My Galia adds a bit of wellful luxury.

The four containers are also the same brand, which was an important consideration as each brand has slightly different dimensions, and the highly detailed design of the hide-out necessitated precision.

La Base also designed the bathroom’s modular hangers.

A wood-burning stove heats the 840-square-foot home during winter months.