We love prefab designs, but we love seeing them come to life even more! Last July, we brought you renderings for the House Arc, a bicycle rack-inspired modular home designed by Joseph Bellomo, and now we’re thrilled to give you a peek of the prototype version which was just unveiled. Prefabricated and flat-packed into a 4-by-10-by-3 foot box, the House Arc can easily be shipped and assembled at its final destination.
From its modular modern design to its shipping container components, Olgga’s student housing complex struck us as a pitch perfect project for prefab friday. The French architecture firm designed the complex to be constructed from 100 repurposed shipping containers. Talk about putting your students in a box!
We’re all about prefab homes for humans, but cats need shelter too! Luckily, there’s Caboodle – a corrugated cardboard modular condo that your feline friends will be delighted to move their little cat possessions into immediately. Aside from having architectural details that are the cat’s meow, Caboodle’s are also made in the good old United States from 40% post-consumer recycled cardboard.
The tragic earthquake in Haiti has provoked a number of architects to think about how they can help with disaster relief. One recent example we looked at was the SEED project, which uses shipping containers as temporary housing. Now architect Andres Duany has designed a fireproof, waterproof, and moldproof flat-pack temporary house that could easily be shipped to the ailing country.
The European Solar Decathlon takes place this summer, and the competition is already heating up with some stunning designs for zero energy homes! One of the first we’ve seen is the FabLab House from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Completely unlike any of the designs we saw in the US competition, the solar panel-coated passive house is rounded and built off the ground.
Thailand-based modular home designer Site-Specific has announced that they are expanding their line and have even formed a new company specifically devoted to prefab homes for the Thai Market. The first home in their new line is the MDL 5.5×6, a home inspired by the shipping container but modified to make it more practical and livable. Made from recycled materials, the one bedroom prefab home is modern, simple, and totally affordable.
We first saw renderings of the futuristic MercuryHouseOne this past summer, and now that construction is complete we’re thrilled to unveil the finished project! The MercuryHouseOne is a mobile lounge powered by solar panels and decked out with all the latest and greatest sound equipment and lighting. Architecture and Vision designed, built and then debuted it at the Venice Biennale, and now we have pictures of it in action.
If you’re in the market for a floating home but not diggin’ the dark, cramped image that the word “houseboat” typically brings to mind, we think the Tafoni Floating Home will really “sway” you (get it – because boats rock back and forth? Okay nevermind.). Designed by Joanna Borek-Clement with the San Francisco Bay Area’s on-the-water community in mind, this spacious and modern version of the houseboat …
Fabulous prefab design just became more accessible as LivingHomes has announced that homes by award-winning architect Ray Kappe will be available at lower cost on a national scale. The six Kappe designs now available nationwide come chock-full of all the green features that LivingHomes are known for, delivering high quality design in a sustainable package.
Our hearts reach out to the people of Haiti who are trying to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of this week’s horrific earthquake. The country still has an incredibly long road ahead of them – first, in rescuing survivors and then providing them with safe, healthy and environmentally friendly shelters. Since Hurricane Katrina, a number of individuals and companies have worked to develop new and improved emergency relief structures. Read on to see the ones that we hope can be put to use in Haiti.
Houseboats are a staple of the San Francisco Bay Area, but many people find them too cramped to be a permanent residence. The Tafoni Floating Home, designed by Joanna Borek-Clement aims to change that with a design that is both spacious and compact. The home, which is inspired by smooth, oval California coastal pebbles, is ideally meant for the houseboat district of Sausalito, and is roomy enough for even the most claustrophobic customer.
Straw bale construction is both sustainable and remarkably energy efficient, and its organic nature can create some incredibly beautiful homes. But this building technique is not for everyone, nor every climate, and using straw bales in construction requires an almost artisan-like craftsmanship. A prefab company in the UK called ModCell, has taken an innovative approach that merges straw bale construction with prefabricated panels, with an end result that is highly attractive, energy-efficient and very sustainable. If prefab is your thing, ModCell is definitely a company you’ll want to look into.
It’s been a big year for green architecture and a landmark decade for green building awareness. Ten years ago, most people thought green building was still some hippy-dippy exercise in building grass-covered hobbit-huts, and now we know that not only can green building be modern and chic – it is also one of the best ways to combat climate change. Our passion for green building isn’t just that we are into environmental friendliness, but because green buildings are better designed, healthier, have lower energy bills, and are just plain smart. Read on for our top 6 green architecture stories of the year, and vote on your favorite!
Living in a land filled with perpetual snow, we can only imagine that Santa Claus has some special magic to keep him and all his elves warm all year. For the rest of us, a stay in the North Pole requires proper equipment — like this arctic mobile unit designed by 2-B-2 Architecture’s Andrey Bondarenko. The compact little unit operates off a solar battery and power generator and can keep its occupants safe and warm for 15 days, operating between -40 to +10C and withstanding winds up to 85 km/hour (about 50 mph).
As COP15 delegations continue in Copenhagen, Danish architects MAPT have erected a striking pavilion composed of a set of old shipping containers stacked up like building blocks. The recycled pavilion will host an interactive exhibit focusing on urban sustainability, and the interior of the structure is constructed entirely of materials salvaged from the wood and wind turbine industries.
These new M112 Pod Miniatures by Paris Renfroe Design are diminutive counterparts to the life-sized shipping container homes which are rising in popularity as green living space options. These tiny dwellings for dolls boast a Baltic birch interior ceiling, walls …
While not totally prefabricated, the Manifesto House by Infiniski utilizes pre-made materials like shipping containers and wooden pallets to create a totally rad modern house. Infiniski’s mission is to build homes cheaply and quickly using sustainable materials while incorporating renewable energy systems. They have many designs already available, which can be interchanged and easily modified.
LivingHomes had the honor of building the first LEED Platinum certified home in the US, and now they’re on schedule to deliver the first LEED Platinum certified home in Orange County. The new KieranTimberlake LivingHome 1.5 (KTLH1.5) was erected earlier this month in a single day. Located in the city of Newport Beach, we carry no doubts that the home will be LEED Platinum certified given LivingHomes‘ track record.
Hive Modular recently unveiled a brand new pre-fabulous house chock full of eco-friendly materials and lots of high-tech home system controls. Situated in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, the new X-Line 003 is a 4 bedroom, 3 bath home that boasts clean lines and a sleek interior. There are a lot of prefab companies out there serving up brilliant concepts, but not all of them have actually built a house. Hive Modular has — quite a few actually — and they’ve got the project gallery to show for it.
If pop art were to cross paths with prefab housing, the result would likely look this Warhol-worthy prefab home. Designed by Austin + Mergold, A-House-In-A-Can is a single-family residence built in the round interior of a grain silo. Constructed with off-the-shelf components and clad with a prefabricated steel facade, this innovative prefab home design could be the perfect solution for your Warhol-loving, farm-living dreams.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
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