The Architecture of the City

The benefits of using prefabrication are many, and can result in beautiful homes that function just as well or better than custom ones built on site.

Using modular techniques for construction allows for stronger purchasing power. The process of building on site is also much quicker—and cheaper. Prefabrication is also greener since it uses computer technology to manufacture the modules, which creates 50% to 75% less material waste. The one limitation of prefabrication is that the pieces of the home need to be able to be shipped from the factory to the site of assembly.

But the benefits of prefabrication are many, and can result in beautiful homes that function just as well or better than custom ones built on site.

 

Check out these 10 examples of prefab architecture at the link.

Via Lauren Moss

We’ve covered 3D Printing a lot here at ArchDaily, but most of our coverage has been speculative and, frankly, futuristic – could we, one day, print out Gaudi-esque stone structures? Or even print a biologically-inspired, living house?

 

But today we heard a story about an alternative to 3D Printing‘s capabilities in the here and now - and its implications are pretty exciting.In a small town outside of Copenhagen, Danish architects Eentileen joined forces with London-based digital fabrication and architecture specialists, Facit Homes, to create Villa Asserbo: a 1,250 square foot, sustainable home made from Nordic plywood fabricated via CNC miller and easily “snapped” together.No heavy machinery, no cranes, no large labor force. Just a couple of guys, a few easily printed pieces, and six weeks.

The architects are looking to make the houses open to the public soon. If their easy, sustainable, well-designed model is the immediate future of alternative to 3D Printing (and considering it’s such a “snap,” it very well might be), then we’re all aboard...

Via Lauren Moss

Seattle Architect Matthew Coates, President of Coates Design Architects, has teamed up with Aircraft Structural Engineer James Green of Building Container LLC, to create a container home like no other.

Imagine a container that can be delivered to nearly any site on the globe and enclosed within are the structural components to build a house. Better yet….there’s no need to return the container; it becomes an integral part of the structure.

The Coates-Green team turns the idea of container homes inside out, literally.

The traditional container home uses the box as shelter; the team’s improved concept integrates the container into the structure of the home. For example, it may be reborn as the kitchen, living room or bedroom. The original idea came about when Green designed and built a home in remote Turkey on a site stipulating no concrete foundation. Using a shipping container, the conventional concrete foundation was replaced with removable frames to support the container and extended framework, forming the structure for the house...

Via Lauren Moss