Prefabricated Housing

Modular housing being installed with crane.

Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.

Two bills currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.

October 29, 2024 - Jordan Rogove

View of small town of Craig, Colorado with flat-topped mountain in background.

Colorado Cities Seek to Address Housing Crisis With Modular Housing, STR Rules

Cities are incentivizing more affordable housing types and limiting permits for short-term rentals in an effort to keep housing affordable for residents.

May 30, 2024 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Japan Prefab

Lessons on the Future of Prefab Housing from Japan

When it comes to prefabricated housing, Japan is far ahead of the rest of the world. Will techniques from Japan's efficient modular home manufacturers inform a growing prefab industry in the United States?

November 14, 2017 - Curbed

Skyscrapers Overnight: China's Obsession With Turbo-Prefab

Jonathan Kaiman takes a look at a new hotel in China's Hunan Province that's pushing the envelope of how quickly high-rise buildings can be constructed – and raising eyebrows, and safety concerns, in the process.

March 9, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

SmartSpace: A Look Inside San Francisco's Newest Microapartments

Kirsten Dirksen reports on one housing developer's 160-square-foot vision for San Francisco singles.

March 7, 2012 - *faircompanies

Prefab, 10' by 10' Affordable Homes

Stación-ARquitectura Arquitectos has designed a modular home to house poor families in Monterrey, Mexico.

October 23, 2011 - Inhabitat

Plan for Haiti Unveiled

Trans_City Architecture and Urbanism have unveiled a comprehensive plan for Jacmel, Haiti. Highlights of the plan, which took a year and a half to draw up, include prefab homes that work around the city's "topographical challenges."

September 21, 2011 - International Business Times

The LEED Silver, Prefab, Quick-to-Build Apartment Building

When one thinks of prefab, its usually a lowslung modernist building sitting by itself on a lot. A group of designers and engineers are debuting a plan for multi-story prefabricated buildings.

April 20, 2011 - Fast Company

Expanding or Shrinking Your House at Will

The Klip House is a series of modular, prefab units that can be clipped together much like the binding on a ski boot, allowing homeowners to lease or own the home parts they need for their stage in life, then upgrade or downgrade when necessary.

March 27, 2010 - BLDBLOG

Why is Prefab Impossible to Get Built?

A new study out in JAPA this week details the fire codes, zoning codes, subdivision regulations, etc., that prevent manufactured housing from being built.

January 14, 2010 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Should We Plan Cities To Be Temporary?

Eoin O'Carroll, writing in the Christian Science Monitor, notes the plans to bulldoze neighborhoods in decaying American cities and wonders if all this waste couldn't be avoided in the future by building more pre-fab houses.

June 30, 2009 - Christian Science Monitor

Prefab for Vancouver's Homeless

The city council of Vancouver is supporting the creation of 550 temporary homes, including some prefab, to house the area's homeless.

April 11, 2009 - The Vancouver Sun

Post-Katrina Housing Goes Ikea

Following the Ikea model, home builder John Sawyer is bringing a new -- and cheaper -- process to affordable housing in New Orleans.

October 25, 2008 - The Christian Science Monitor

The Debate Over Prefab

Prefab is less wasteful, green and affordable? Not according to Chad Ludeman, who has taken the pulse of the prefab field and found it wanting.

September 23, 2008 - Treehugger

Is Prefab Overhyped?

Prefab housing is experiencing a revival of interest among architects and design magazines. But as one realtor puts it, “I just think the whole thing is a false promise."

July 20, 2008 - The Architect's Newspaper

The Modern Prefab Home Movement

In a recent interview, architect Allison Arieff talks about the past, present and future of modern prefabricated housing.

April 10, 2008 - The Chicago Tribune

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