Marta Serrats - PreFab Houses DesignSource

Marta Serrats Assembly, instead of construction, is an alternative method of house building that is attracting more and more followers, especially in Nordic countries and the United States, where prefabricated modules and McMansions are gaining popularity in zones with high seismic risk. The use of factory-produced, prefabricated components that are later assembled on-site is becoming more common. This type of home is defended by many as a solution that speeds up the construction process, and reduces costs and environmental impact. The concept of the prefabricated home is in line with modular home proposals, whose components have been manufactured in a factory miles away from the final location. The pieces are sold and purchased as a kit, and the end result is usually a one-story, detached, eco-efficient house, built according to sustainable construction criteria. There are also multi-family constructionshousing that uses prefabricated elements such as columns, floors, and roofs, ensuring that the building is constructed in less time.

A prefabricated house can be assembled and occupied in a matter of days. This is one of the key arguments in favor of prefabricated architecture: savings in the time needed to build, labor, and materials, resulting in significant economic benefits. From an environmental point of view, it also reduces construction waste because the prefabricated components are manufactured off-site and consequently generate less waste in the area where the house will be built. Moreover, the fact that the panels can be built earlier allows for the use of energy-efficient products, which provide greater insulation from the interior and a higher quality, without them being exposed to inclement weather during construction. A new path is opening up in the world of building at a time when the construction industry cannot seem to find a way out of the recent economic crisis. Prefabricated houses make housing more accessible for many people whose main concern is a lower final price.

This is a new, environmentally viable, alternative that avoids intensive labor, exorbitant costs, and the use of materials and processes that do damage to the very neighborhoods were building in. Prefab Houses DesignSource offers readers the opportunity to view a selection of current prefabricated homes that show the possibility of a new way. If the consumer opts for a prefabricated home with specific technologies and local, low impact materials, which is built with local labor, it not only reduces the ecological footprint, but will mean they acquire a good home at an affordable price.

Architect:Marmol Radziner PrefabLocation:Moab, UT, United StatesPhotos:Joe Fletcher The interior of the house features eco-efficient appliances, a geothermal ventilation control system, and paints that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The main axis of this vacation home runs along a rocky hillside, providing spectacular desert views. Architect:Manfred Adams, Huf HausLocation:Hartenfels, GermanyPhotos:Huf Haus GMBH & Co.

KG The Huf Haus Company sells homes from a catalog. All of their constructions feature bioclimatic designs, environmental technology, and modern lines that blend with their surroundings. The interiors feature clean surfaces, versatile spaces, and a feeling of space.

Architect:M. J. J. J.

Neal The west wing is clad in a blue glass faade. The same material was used on the south faade together with a metal panel that acts as a protective screen.