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Collection by Zach Edelson

Why 8 Architects Chose Prefab and Modular Designs

From the heart of Chicago to the Australian coast, prefab and modular approaches are proving to be more advantageous (if not necessary) as compared to traditional construction. These quotes, culled from our recent 2016 Prefab issue, cut to the heart of the architect's and client's thinking.

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The back of the house was designed by owner-architect Caroline Djuric as a contemporary counterpoint to the more traditional front facade. A pergola reaches beyond the roof and over the deck on the second story. An asymmetrical wooden stairway leads down to the garden.
The back of the house was designed by owner-architect Caroline Djuric as a contemporary counterpoint to the more traditional front facade. A pergola reaches beyond the roof and over the deck on the second story. An asymmetrical wooden stairway leads down to the garden.
This project’s owners, Mel Matthews and her husband, Roy, had lived on five acres of this preternaturally lovely Hampshire woodland setting for 24 years—first in a static trailer and then in an off-the-shelf mobile home—before they finally decided that they’d had enough of cold winters in their poorly insulated park home. “We looked at larger houses in the area, but we kept coming back to our beautiful site surrounded by bluebell woods and streams,” Mel says. With that in mind, the couple set out to find an architect to build a bespoke house on the site. They found their match in PAD Studio, attracted by the firm’s design approach and Passivhaus principals. While new permanent construction is prohibited in this protected conservation area, planning permission existed for a mobile dwelling. Following extensive research into the field, PAD Studio designed Forest Lodge: a steel-frame structure featuring an open-plan layout combining living, dining, and kitchen areas, and two bedrooms, one of which doubles as an office. The house was prefabricated and fully fitted out internally—down to the ceiling fans and limestone countertops—in Yorkshire over the course of five months. It arrived on site in two parts on two flatbed trucks, and was then lifted by crane onto the existing concrete-and-limestone plinth.
This project’s owners, Mel Matthews and her husband, Roy, had lived on five acres of this preternaturally lovely Hampshire woodland setting for 24 years—first in a static trailer and then in an off-the-shelf mobile home—before they finally decided that they’d had enough of cold winters in their poorly insulated park home. “We looked at larger houses in the area, but we kept coming back to our beautiful site surrounded by bluebell woods and streams,” Mel says. With that in mind, the couple set out to find an architect to build a bespoke house on the site. They found their match in PAD Studio, attracted by the firm’s design approach and Passivhaus principals. While new permanent construction is prohibited in this protected conservation area, planning permission existed for a mobile dwelling. Following extensive research into the field, PAD Studio designed Forest Lodge: a steel-frame structure featuring an open-plan layout combining living, dining, and kitchen areas, and two bedrooms, one of which doubles as an office. The house was prefabricated and fully fitted out internally—down to the ceiling fans and limestone countertops—in Yorkshire over the course of five months. It arrived on site in two parts on two flatbed trucks, and was then lifted by crane onto the existing concrete-and-limestone plinth.
Careful districting has made West Grand Avenue one of the last places in Chicago’s West Town where factories and family homes still exist side by side. Zoned as a planned manufacturing district (PMD) to bolster local commerce, the south side of the street is populated by brick warehouses, while the northern half is mostly residential. Despite the proximity of live and work spaces, incorporating both elements into a single building is practically unheard of in the area, as Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko discovered when they began researching the arterial as a home for themselves and their vegan food company, Upton’s Naturals. The business, founded by Daniel in 2006, requires space for office and storefront operations, as well as manufacturing for their signature product, seitan, a protein-filled meat alternative made by rinsing the starch from wheat. Daniel knew he wanted to be close at all times, a decision that greatly narrowed their search. “We could find plenty of industrial buildings that we could put a factory in, but they weren’t appropriate for retail and definitely not for living,” he recalls. A vacant lot across from the PMD met all their criteria but necessitated a fresh build. Looking to offset the cost of construction, Daniel and Nicole, Upton’s vice president, turned to architect Martin Felsen and designer Sarah Dunn of UrbanLab. The designers had used prefab elements to make their own live-work space, and set out to create a mixed-use building that wouldn’t shortchange any of Upton’s functions. Going completely prefab, the UrbanLab team reasoned, would mitigate cost but would also sacrifice flexibility. “Everybody’s dream is: You call and order [a home], and two weeks later it arrives,” Dunn says. “Our strategy is to prefab intelligently.”
Careful districting has made West Grand Avenue one of the last places in Chicago’s West Town where factories and family homes still exist side by side. Zoned as a planned manufacturing district (PMD) to bolster local commerce, the south side of the street is populated by brick warehouses, while the northern half is mostly residential. Despite the proximity of live and work spaces, incorporating both elements into a single building is practically unheard of in the area, as Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko discovered when they began researching the arterial as a home for themselves and their vegan food company, Upton’s Naturals. The business, founded by Daniel in 2006, requires space for office and storefront operations, as well as manufacturing for their signature product, seitan, a protein-filled meat alternative made by rinsing the starch from wheat. Daniel knew he wanted to be close at all times, a decision that greatly narrowed their search. “We could find plenty of industrial buildings that we could put a factory in, but they weren’t appropriate for retail and definitely not for living,” he recalls. A vacant lot across from the PMD met all their criteria but necessitated a fresh build. Looking to offset the cost of construction, Daniel and Nicole, Upton’s vice president, turned to architect Martin Felsen and designer Sarah Dunn of UrbanLab. The designers had used prefab elements to make their own live-work space, and set out to create a mixed-use building that wouldn’t shortchange any of Upton’s functions. Going completely prefab, the UrbanLab team reasoned, would mitigate cost but would also sacrifice flexibility. “Everybody’s dream is: You call and order [a home], and two weeks later it arrives,” Dunn says. “Our strategy is to prefab intelligently.”
After an unprecedented year of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, a bright light has been shed on the benefits of building with concrete.
After an unprecedented year of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, a bright light has been shed on the benefits of building with concrete.
In Palm Springs, Sander Architects created an energy-efficient hybrid prefab home that’s designed to stay naturally cool in the desert heat, which often climbs to triple digits in the summer.
In Palm Springs, Sander Architects created an energy-efficient hybrid prefab home that’s designed to stay naturally cool in the desert heat, which often climbs to triple digits in the summer.
Completed in just six weeks by Australian practice Archiblox, this modest prefab home is perched atop cliffs with prime views of Avalon Beach, just a short drive away from Sydney. Oriented east to west to maximize cross ventilation, the house is clad in marine-grade Colorbond Ultra steel and Queensland blue gum to protect against the elements.
Completed in just six weeks by Australian practice Archiblox, this modest prefab home is perched atop cliffs with prime views of Avalon Beach, just a short drive away from Sydney. Oriented east to west to maximize cross ventilation, the house is clad in marine-grade Colorbond Ultra steel and Queensland blue gum to protect against the elements.
The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."
The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."