Tag Archives: prefab home

This line of prefab tiny homes built from disused shipping containers proves that less is more!

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VMD (Vivienda Minima de Descanso) from STUDIOROCA is a line of prefabricated tiny homes built from disused shipping containers in Mexico, with an interior equipped with off-grid capabilities and simple luxuries.

These days, everyone’s downsizing. Tiny homes have become the answer to our neverending quest for a smaller carbon footprint and campers bring us that much closer to the mobile lifestyle each one of us dreams about. For Mexico-based architecture firm, STUDIOROCA, shipping containers hold the key.

After asking the question of our times, “What would you do with less?”, Rodrigo Alegre and Carlos Acosta of STUDIOROCA pumped out a line of prefabricated homes, VMD (Vivienda Minima de Descanso) constructed from disused shipping containers.

STUDIOROCA designed the line of prefabricated homes to provide a “no-fuss, low-cost building solution,” outfitting the exterior and interior with environmentally friendly materials and smart home automation systems. Tracing the interior’s open layout, each one-bedroom shipping container provides an open-plan kitchenette, a dining area, and living space on one end, then a bathroom and storage space can be found in the middle, whereas the bedroom finds privacy on its own end.

The distinguishable corrugated siding on the shipping container’s exterior is constructed from black Hunter Douglass Quadroline aluminum, which merges into gray Valchromat Viroc cement-bonded particle board, giving the home a rich, industrial look amidst natural surroundings. Constructed to last, the exterior of VMD shipping containers is resistant against water and fire, non-toxic, thermally insulating, and sound-dampening, providing a quiet, safe retreat.

Following a minimal-impact assembly process, each shipping container from STUDIOROCA’s VMD line is constructed in an offsite factory over the span of three months to be installed within a time frame of only seven days. While each prefab home can be customized to fit the taste of each client, they also come with preset elements.

The flooring, for instance, comes from FSC-certified engineered oak and each home comes equipped with smart home appliances. After choosing between a 320-square-foot one-bedroom home, 640-square-foot two-bedroom home, or a 640-square-foot three-bedroom home, clients can add on elements like an outdoor deck and off-grid capacities.

Designer: STUDIOROCA

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This floating treehouse perched on steel stilts was inspired by the family’s young daughter’s sketch!

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Designed by a couple’s daughter, the Tree House was built by Ryan Street Architecture Studio to provide a fun and rugged, forested escape from the family’s main residence.

The imagination of children never ceases to inspire. Brimming with daydreams, children are constantly drawing up sketches and coming up with zany ideas. Inspired by the drawings of their own daughter, an Austin-based couple turned to Ryan Street Architecture Studio for help building a treehouse in their backyard. Primarily designed to be a backyard play space for their two daughters, the couple decided to turn the treehouse into something much larger.

Perched atop a system of stilts that mimic clusters of tree branches, the Tree House almost appears like it’s floating above the clearing below. Transforming the floor plans from a children’s treehouse into a much more refined, spacious, and functional guesthouse manifested through the Tree House’s dizzying exterior details.

Paneled with incongruent, uneven wooden slats, the Douglas fir timber chosen for the Tree House’s exterior facades closely resembles the wooden panels that line the couple’s main residence, stationed only a couple meters in front of the Tree House. Having worked on the couple’s main residence, Ryan Street’s choice for the Tree House to mimic the main residence seemed natural.

As project manager Jeremy Ristau notes, “We wanted the Tree House to feel special, while also keeping it relatable in color palette and materials to their main residence since they are in close proximity and it will ultimately feel like one cohesive estate.”

While the sketch became the Tree House’s main and primary source for inspiration, Ryan Street Architecture Studio promptly turned its gaze to the Tree House’s surroundings to better embody the sketches. Punctuated with mirror panels throughout, the Tree House literally reflects its surroundings.

Giving the illusion that trees and brush are closer than they may appear, the mirrors root the Tree House firmly in its natural surroundings. Even the underbelly of the Tree House is anchored with a large mirror to really send home the Tree House’s floating look.

Taking only around five days to reach its final form, Ryan Street asked the Escobedo Group, a local construction company, to develop a panelized prefabricated system called Dario. Constructed offsite, the panels were transported from the Escobedo Group’s factory to the Tree House, avoiding excess waste and streamlining the home’s assembly process.

Equipped with plumbing and electricity rooted in the home’s steel stilt supports, while the exterior might appear ruggedly refined, the interior is as comfortable as any hotel. With a single bedroom located on the home’s first floor and a loft bedroom with two beds, the Tree House functions as a getaway for the family of four and a whimsical house for guests.

Designers: Ryan Street Architecture Studio & Escobedo Group

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This prefabricated steel residence is built from a single Quonset hut to find community through modularity

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The Caterpillar is a 192-foot-long, 46-foot-wide modular residence designed and built from a Quonset hut that features a compact and inhabitable cube in the center of each unit for services such as a bathroom, shower, and kitchen.

In the United States, Quonset huts were introduced in the years following World War I. Based on the earlier Nissen hut, another type of prefabricated steel structure designed by the United Kingdom for military use, Quonset huts were designated for primary use by the U.S. Navy. Chosen for its lightweight profile, the Quonset Hut is an all-purpose building that can be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor.

Today, in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, real estate development company Prince Concepts, teamed with architect Ishtiaq Rafiuddin and landscape architect Julie Bargmann to turn the Quonset hut into a 9,000sf sculpture with six residences and two live-and-work spaces.

Following True North, the neighborhood’s first live-and-work communal space, the team of architects and developers hoped to merge that same sense of community into a single Quonset hut. Dividing the lengthy residential complex into eight units, each live-and-work space features 23-foot tall ceilings that are lined with clerestory windows and a ‘Jetsons’ style genesis chamber where residents can “transform from ‘just barely awake’ to ‘ready for action,’” as the architects describe.

Constructed from unstained, polished wood, the genesis chamber is positioned neatly in the center of each unit and brings a railroad-style flow to each unit. Separating the bedroom from the kitchen and dining area, the genesis chamber contains all the services available to each unit, including the bathroom, shower, and kitchen. From the kitchen, residents pass through the bathroom to get to the main bedroom and vice versa.

Finding inspiration everywhere from music notes on a piece of sheet music to a UFO crash landing in the forest, the team of architects behind Caterpillar set out to create a type of communal sanctuary in Core City’s urban woodland, where over 150 trees call home.

Caterpillar homes in on porch culture to outfit its exterior with the same sense of openness that floods the inside of each residential unit. From windows to doors, Caterpillar features 36 different openings that bring in pools of natural light indoors during the day and emanate a golden glow from the outside come dark.

Designers: Undecorated, Studio Detroit, Prince Concepts, D.I.R.T. Studio, and SteelMaster

The inhabitable center cube outfits the home with services such as a bathroom, shower, and kitchen. 

The curved walls evoke a similar open layout seen in spiritual dome buildings. 

Designed in railroad style, the genesis chamber divides the home into two different living areas. 

The bathroom takes on a minimalist personality to blend with the unit’s open layout.

Skylights and clerestory windows bring in pools of natural light throughout each unit. 

Each unit is split into its own half-circle splice with 36 different openings lining the facades of Caterpillar. 

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This prefab tiny home is made sustainably from cross-laminated timber & gives major Japandi vibes!

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Prefabricated architecture minimizes construction waste, reduces carbon footprint, and has a quicker turnaround than a traditional home. Minima is a 215-square-foot (20-square-meter) prefab module designed to be a flexible structure to serve as a standalone tiny home or as an additional unit in the backyard that can be used as a home office or spacious guest house. It is constructed with CLT (cross-laminated timber) which is a sustainable material and cuts down on the carbon emissions that concrete produces. The modern micro-home is giving me major Japandi vibes!

The boxy exterior is clad with a skin of cypress battens and a steel roof which maintains its minimal look. The unit has a streamlined, modern profile that still feels warm and human-centric. The facade opens up with hardwood-framed glass doors that can slide over to reveal its Scandinavian and Japandi-inspired interior. It can be partially closed off with a hardwood-encased screen door or a translucent curtain.

Australian studio TRIAS designed the unit in collaboration with prefab manufacturer FABPREFAB. The aim was to not only make architecturally designed homes more accessible and affordable but to make prefabs more widely appealing. “We did a lot of research into the Australian and overseas markets. In Australia, the emphasis tends to be on low cost, whereas in Europe the emphasis is on quality and longevity. This aligns perfectly with the philosophy of our practice. We wanted to create something consciously good quality, but also to explore how to make a prefab house not look like a prefab,” says Jennifer McMaster, Director of TRIAS.

Minima doesn’t need a concrete foundation and instead uses a special type of ground screw that can ease relocation if necessary which heavily reduces the impact on the construction site’s surroundings. Since it is a modular design, you can add an extra module in a T-formation to double the area. The impressive prefab home could fit almost anywhere there might be open space creating more opportunities to build accessible and affordable communities that can be scaled.

The compact floor area is divided into various zones that group different functions together. For instance, “wet” areas like the kitchen and bathroom are on one side of the micro-house while the living and sleeping areas are concentrated into one flexible zone in the center of the home.





The interior walls, ceiling, and floor are covered with lots of cross-laminated timber (CLT) – a sustainable engineered wood product that involves layers of fast-growth timber that are glued perpendicular to each other, resulting in a structurally robust and fire-resistant material that not only looks good but is also perfect for prefabrication.





Everything in the home has been intentionally made to look seamless.”Keeping all the joints and lines as simple and seamless as possible is important in a small space. We’ve lived in tiny apartment spaces, so we know how critical those lines are in making a space feel larger,” adds Jonathon Donnelly, Director at TRIAS.





In the living area, there is plenty of built-in furniture to help save maximize space, like this integrated seating bench, which also has storage space tucked below and above. Right in the center, there’s a wall-to-floor cabinet that actually has a bed, table, and shelving integrated inside. During the day, the bed can be folded away, and a multifunctional table pulled out for eating or working on. At night, the bed can be pulled down to reveal a sizeable queen mattress, as well as lighting and storage behind.





The kitchen features a pared-down countertop that has all the essentials of the sink, stove, oven, range hood, concealed refrigerator, and plenty of storage. Cross-ventilation is helped along with the addition of another small door off to the side of the kitchen, and which also functions as a secondary entrance. There is a bathroom behind the kitchen and past a pocket door. The slate-gray tiles, in combination with the CLT cabinets, create a soothing, calming atmosphere, lit with help of a skylight over the shower.





“Something that’s always stuck with us is a finding from a 2018 Grattan Institute report into Australian cities: ‘The quickest way to double density is to add something small to every existing block.’ Small insertions can help retain the suburban character while adding enormously to social cohesion and housing,” says the team and that wonderful sentiment is what we need right now to guide us away from skyscrapers and towards sustainable architecture.

Designer: TRIAS

This prefab house is an energy-efficient & modular dwelling made entirely from aluminum!

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Prefab architecture is the future of the home construction industry – they reduce the impact on the environment, have a much faster turnaround time, and are relatively cost-effective. A shining example of what the future will look like is the Pi House that was assembled in 45 days on a wooded hillside in the Mexico City Colonia of Bosques de las Lomas. The highly energy-efficient home was built with an ingenious, fully customizable modular construction system, and only aluminum was used for the frame.

The prefab dwelling comes flat-packed in multiple boxes and can be assembled in 45 days without the help of heavy machinery. It uses extrusion-die aluminum framing that’s anchored with rebar to the ground or a poured concrete foundation. Just like a Lego set, there is a network of steel doughnuts that spans lengths of up to 30 feet to support the structure.

The aluminum studs link seamlessly to joists and the exterior cladding is clipped onto the frame. It’s a method that could be extended to 45 feet which makes it modular and easier to expand in case the home belongs to a growing family. Pi House can be shipped anywhere, the system allows it to be the perfect structure for single-family homes as well as larger projects like social housing.

Pi Home can be fully customized right from the interior to furniture selection and even the fabrics to the veneer of the wall panels. The walls and floors are composed of MDF with the wood veneer clipped to the aluminum structure. Insulation between the exterior cladding and interior walls gives the home an energy-efficiency rating as high as R30 depending on its thickness.

The rear curtain wall system opens to an outdoor patio raised above the wooded landscape. Retractable screens allow for shade and privacy in the living area. The main bedroom on the second floor takes advantage of the curtain wall’s openness. The first prototype is a luxurious version that is furnished with state-of-the-art appliances and high-quality materials.

The Pi Home is adaptable to different site conditions and has been engineered to withstand the earthquakes that are common to Mexico City. Double-glazed windows facing south provide both insulation and adequate heat gain for the cooler climate of the city’s higher altitude in Bosques de las Lomas. “You have all of this midcentury inheritance, but truly, when you visit these houses in California, it was all very aesthetic, but it was unlivable on a hot or cold day. We have to take the step and accomplish having efficient thermal living inside the house,” elaborates Aragonés.

Personally, I love the wraparound veranda the most. It is bordered with glass which creates additional outdoor space. The walls and joists have thermal and waffle insulation packages that meet California’s high R22 sustainability standards. This achieves a complete thermal break to prevent leakage of heat through the structure.

The sweeping windows are all double-glazed and using aluminum for the construction makes it a far more sustainable structure compared to traditional homes. Aluminum is one of the most easily and widely recycled materials giving the house an especially circular life cycle while those made with concrete are the biggest global contributors of carbon emissions for the construction industry.

“It’s important to emphasize this being not only a modular system, but a construction system, so it can transform according to the site’s topography and dimensions. If you need to adapt it for a particular project or landscape, you’re easily able to adjust the construction system,” adds Rafael Aragonés who is the son of architect Miguel Aragonés and an associate in the studio.

The Pi House has received an international patent in Switzerland for being the first-of-its-kind structure for aluminum houses and once the International Code Council building certified the process, Taller Aragonés will expand the market to California, New York, and Texas. The aluminum frame, speed of assembly, and cheaper shipping make it about a third of the cost of a typical construction — which is why I called it the modern home affordable of the future that will help more people become homeowners faster while reducing the carbon footprint at a family level.

Designer: Taller Aragonés

This zero-emissions tiny house makes your ultimate micro-living dreams come true for $50,000!

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I will take a smart tiny house over a big apartment any day and that is why I am forever on a quest to find one. Right now, Microhaus tops my list – it is the ultimate affordable, modern, energy-efficient apartment for one. You could be living your best flexible lifestyle while traveling across the country or just want to drop your anchor in your backyard, either way, Microhaus is a super convenient solution. Haus.me is known for building some of the best 3D printed, autonomous mobile homes and this latest addition to their range comes at an affordable price of $50,000 so that more people can be homeowners even if they are in their 20s! The 120-square-foot dwelling comes with a fully equipped, high-tech living space that can run self-sufficiently. Want to step inside and take a look? You can – enjoy the 3D house tour!

Designer: Haus.me

Microhaus has been constructed using 3D-printed structural components and arrives move-in ready with a kitchenette, double bed, bathroom, and plenty of storage. “The Microhaus also comes with our fully integrated Cloud Self-Diagnosis System, which provides a new generation of Smart Home amenities, full remote control, and machine learning,” explains Haus.me CEO, Max Gerbut.




The Microhaus measures 120 square feet and can be fully assembled within a few minutes! The composite structure is supremely durable, its yacht-inspired exterior is made from fiberglass, stainless steel, and teak. It has a modern, futuristic yet overall minimal aesthetic.

 

It is one of the most advanced micro-apartments in the world and to complement its high-tech capabilities, the tiny, portable dwelling has a sleek exterior and interior. The exterior is composed of rounded fiberglass and stainless steel whereas the interior is layered with warm wooden details and illuminated by natural light.




“The unit comes with an array of high-tech features, including a motorized door, touchless access, touchless faucets, adaptive lights, and air-quality sensors” adds Gerbut.




Not only is it mobile and flexible, it is also energy efficient and has low operating costs. The durable unit is made from eco-friendly materials that are safe for both people and the environment.

The mobile home is durable but also lightweight, making it a far better choice than any other trailer home or glamper on the market.

Mirohaus’ interior has a sun-kissed vibe thanks to its extensive glazing and large windows. It features white custom cabinetry contrasts with the natural wood elements found throughout the space.




One of the most futuristic details about Microhaus is the keyless entry and a tight security system that can be all controlled via an app.

The sleeping area has plenty of storage space and includes a floor-to-ceiling cabinetry unit with a lit wardrobe.

The bed is cushy and has a TV installed for an optimized Netflix and Chill experience. Under the TV is a spacious niche for books or snacks!

The sweeping windows bring in plenty of natural light and your favorite views so park your home wisely!

There is a large mirror across the kitchenette which helps to visually open up the interior space some more.

Microhaus has a lot of hidden storage and the cabinet separating the sleeping area and the pantry can be opened up into a sliding desk.

The studio home is perfect for one person who leads a flexible and sustainable lifestyle.

The kitchenette is also fully stocked with utensils and includes a smart waste disposal bin.

The sleeping zone also doubles up as a living space during the daytime.

The tiny house features a cozy bathroom with a full-sized shower and toilet.

“We designed the Microhaus to be the perfect income-producing asset. “Offered at an affordable price, the structure requires no additional approvals or construction permits, and it comes with very little maintenance costs. Overall, it has the potential to provide a fully remote-controlled business, if desired, with a fast return on investment,” says Gerbut. The best part? No roommates, fully furnished, and full freedom to move anywhere while taking your little home with you!

Designer: Haus.me

The top 10 tiny prefab homes of 2021 are here to convert you into sustainable architecture advocates!

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It is a tricky situation, trying to identify whether the pandemic increased our need for isolated space/solitude or were we heading towards it beforehand and COVID gave us a chance to experience it – for me, it’s almost a problem as convoluted as the chicken and egg first problem. The verdict is unanimous though – tiny mobile architectural homes are here and will be with us for a while. If the Industrial age and wealth created the concept of holiday homes, the millennial age with space constraints and the need for self-identity mixed with climate-conscious behavior means we are fans of prefab homes. So step into a world of beautiful unfolding homes that are sure to make you a fan, if you aren’t one already!

Meet ARCspace, a modular architecture firm that is constantly creating innovative designs and material development to do its part in curbing the emissions for their industry using sustainable, affordable, prefabricated homes. All structures are prefabricated for highly efficient and quick builds which reduce emissions and minimizes waste. ARCspace reports the buildings are “spec-built from the ground up in 40-60% less time and cost than traditional construction.” Residents can fully customize their tiny homes or even scale up to the size of traditional homes and have a huge range of interior design details to choose from including optional elements that provide off-grid power and water. Some homes feature self-contained atmospheric water generators called Hydropanels that are grid-independent and pull a few liters of drinking water out of the air each day.

Developed from the Danish word Hyggee, Hüga was conceptualized, designed, and built over a span of 24 months, during which Grandio’s team of designers were able to produce a 45 m2 residence with space for a bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, and dining area. The final results are these hüga units that are built with reinforced concrete and designed for minimal maintenance as well as reducing your energy costs. These compact homes can withstand all climates and adverse conditions, including earthquakes, wildfires, and hurricanes. Hüga homes are also mobile and modular so much so that you can extend your house in plan in just one day. Weighing about 55-Tn, Hüga requires a team and machinery for transportation but can be placed according to the prospective resident’s preference.

Named the Kvivik Igloo, these tiny, prefab homes have an aesthetic that will stay with you for long. With their hexagonal frame and the surrounding wilderness, these homes bring to mind the hobbit cottages. Lined with asphalt panels, the Kvivik Igloos can sprout grass and greenery from their roofs and sides to really transport residents into their favorite hobbit fairytale. The igloo’s living roof not only adds to its charm but also to the tiny home’s sustainability factor, creating a heightened nesting place for birds and woodland creatures alike.

Pekka Littow’s Majamaja concept is an eco-cabin. This means, the prefab home was born from life on Finland’s archipelago and essentially speaks to a building tradition that prioritizes harmony between humans and nature. Majamaja Wuorio units are prefabricated, transportable, and by making use of off-grid technologies such as solar panels and a recirculating water treatment system, the units can be situated anywhere. The tiny cabin’s closed-loop water treatment system collects both rainwater and air humidity in order to store it, then sends it to the integrated water purification system for residents to use in the shower, kitchen, or bathroom. The design is independently capable of taking care of its resident with ease.





The House in Chamois is a highly modular and adaptable structure, designed to make our sustainable architecture dreams come to life! This modern, prefabricated home by Torino-based firm Leap Factory has named all their projects as ‘Leap Houses’ and each home’s entire design is constructed with a modular system built of natural, recyclable materials that allow for maximum flexibility. Every component for the House in Chamois was produced and designed in Italy to reduce environmental impact and construction site waste.

Initially, My Home Office was designed and created by Cosmas Bronsgeest to have a workspace stationed in his family’s yard that could remain a place where he could retreat for quiet and concentration amidst all the chaos of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. But looking at it, the design to me is something out of a fairytale! The all-season prefab office stands out from the crowd with its sloped triangular roof, creating that cozy yet functional vibe that fills up our Pinterest boards!





Hariri & Hariri, a New York based architecture firm draws inspiration from the intricate paper folding art of Origami to design this pod. The prefab home’s initial folded form can fit onto flatbed trucks for efficient and manageable shipping. Once positioned for assembly, the pod readily expands and unfolds to create a prefabricated and modular, single-story housing unit. Born out of a need for emergency shelter across the globe, the architects behind the pod note, “In the middle of a hurricane you don’t have time for a screwdriver.” With this in mind, the pod was designed to instantaneously unfold and build itself with the push of a button. Structured like a pop-up cardboard box, hinges and hidden panels strewn across the pod’s creases aid in the unit’s assembly process.

Modern-Shed, a leader in innovative, sustainable, prefabricated structures, heard our 11:11 wishes and designed Dwelling on Wheels, or DW for short. Their Dwelling on Wheels is a 220-square-feet tiny home on wheels that buyers can bring with them on the road and situate on coastlines or nearby riverbeds for overnight stays and views. Built to withstand varying climates and temperatures, a steel rib cage and standing seam metal siding wraps around the exterior of DW for a durable and weather-tight finish. Complementing the industrial cottage design, red cedar wood accents warm up the walls, eaves, and even the tiny home’s awning that hangs overhead a durable, ironwood deck, accessible through the dwelling’s double-pane glazed gable door.





Putting an absolutely new kind of spin on “Home Delivery”, Brette Haus’ prefabricated cabins are literally shipped to your location on the back of a trailer. In a matter of 3 hours, the home is placed on the site, unfolded, and secured in place, turning it from one weird wooden carton into a liveable cabin with anywhere between 22 to 47 sq. ft. of space (depending on the cabin’s variant). Each cabin takes roughly 8 weeks to fabricate and comes made entirely from carbon-neutral, weather-proof, and sustainable cross-laminated timber. There is no need for a permanent foundation… the cabins can easily be unfolded on any leveled ground before being secured in place using screw piles. The hinges on the cabin can survive up to 100 folding cycles.

While the term ‘futuristic sustainability’ definitely sounds like jargon, designer Chester Goh explains futuristic sustainability as a design where the architecture is nomadic in nature, so you don’t need to build multiple homes. The idea of Time Holiday mobile home really makes sense from an ecological and economical standpoint. The mobile home belongs solely to you and isn’t bound by a location. It gives you the freedom to constantly relocate, finding a suitable spot to park yourself and live in, so you’re not stuck in expensive cities, compartmentalized in tiny overpriced rental apartments, or heavily affected by natural calamities affecting your neighborhood.

This eco-friendly prefab cabin in the Italian alpines needs to be on AirBnB!

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Who wouldn’t want to pack up and move to a beautiful tiny home that sits atop a hill in Aosta Valley, Italy? The House in Chamois is made of our sustainable architecture dreams – a modern, prefabricated home by Torino-based firm Leap Factory. As with all “Leap Houses,” the home’s entire design and construction process was managed by the Leap Factory team and was constructed with a modular system built of natural, recyclable materials to allow for maximum flexibility. All of the components provided by Leap Factory for the House in Chamois were also designed and produced in Italy.

The House in Chamois was created for Barbara and Giorgio, a duo with a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Used as a base for exploring the alpine landscape, the two-story home echoes the traditional vernacular with its gabled shape but is undeniably contemporary as defined by its streamlined form, minimalist design and full-height glazing. Its position above a main road turns the house into a new landmark for the village and has become a local attraction for visiting hikers.

As a ‘Living Ecological Alpine Pod’ (LEAP), the House in Chamois was designed to be environmentally friendly. The use of prefabrication helps minimize construction waste, and the installation process was done with minimal site impact. The structure is also “hyper secure” and engineered to resist earthquakes, hurricanes and other extreme climate activities.

The modular nature of the home also makes it modifiable. As with all Leap Houses, the House in Chamois was also designed with integrated furniture and finishes. “With its minimal shapes and spaces full of light, the house shows incredible attention to details, lines and materials,” the architects explained. “The layout of the rooms, furnishings and technical systems are fully integrated to give life to spaces where one can fully express their personality and live in harmony with their surroundings.”

Designer: Leap Factory

This sustainable, self-sufficient, prefab house can be flat-packed & it looks like a cruise ship!

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When you can’t go on a cruise, you bring the cruise home – literally! The Sail House is a spacious, self-sufficient, nautical-themed home with a unique form inspired by large white sails on ships. It is designed by Los Angeles-based architect David Hertz who is celebrated for sustainable architecture. Sail House was also selected as the 2021 Architizer A+Awards Jury Winner for Residential/Private House!

Sail House has a central structure called the main house with several guest houses bordering it and all nestled on the lush Bequia Island in the Caribbean – didn’t I say it literally brings a cruise home? Since the Caribbean is a notoriously difficult area to source building materials, the team made sure that the entire project – the main house and the guesthouses – were prefabricated offsite, flat-packed, and delivered in 15 shipping containers. This ensured minimal site impact to the sensitive ecosystem and was nearly zero waste which is important because otherwise, the construction waste would have had to be transported out of the island which would increase emissions.

The luxurious home was named after its eye-catching tensile roofs inspired by the history of sailing on the island. “The main inspiration for the Sail House was a wooden boat with its masts and sails, the expressed stainless steel rigging and hardware, which is referenced in the home,” said Hertz. The roof membranes also act as a rain collection system by funneling water into a concrete foundation for storage. This nifty system provides for 100% of water needs and the air pulled from the stored water is then used to cool the space when needed. Additionally, the cantilevered roofline provides more shade and ventilation to increase cooling naturally. The electricity needs are covered by solar panels.

Both the interior and exterior of Sail House include natural construction materials such as woven palm, coconut shell fragments and surfaces crafted by Javanese and Balinese artisans. “Sustainability was one of the main goals of the Sail House project. The non-corrosive and termite-resistant aluminum structural system is wrapped in reclaimed ironwood planks recycled from an abandoned pier in Borneo, as are the plank floors, decks, and the vertical louvers that control low sun and prevailing breezes,” Hertz explained. It is truly one of the most beautiful, resilient, and functional homes I’ve seen that flawlessly balances luxury with sustainability!

Designer: David Hertz Architects





These prefab homes take 60% less time & money to build – an affordable solution to sustainable homes!

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ARCspace began as a pilot program as a potential solution to the extreme homelessness crisis in L.A. but has now grown into a range of several accommodation options ranging from 160 to 10,000 square feet.

The construction industry is responsible for 28% of the global emissions and construction-related industries like glass and cement add another 10% to the global emissions. If you think about it 38% of the world’s emissions is a lot and if we find sustainable solutions for the construction industry, we can make a large positive impact rather quickly because it will ripple out to related industries and therefore we can scale up sustainable development faster. I know it is an unlikely approach, but to make the biggest dent when solving a problem we have to start by untangling the biggest knot! ARCspace is a modular architecture firm that is constantly creating innovative designs and material development to do its part in curbing the emissions for their industry using sustainable, affordable, prefabricated homes.

Fun Fact: ARCspace is a division of Sustainable Building Council Ltd., located in the Los Angeles Cleantech Corridor so as a parent company, the goal of Sustainable Building Council Ltd. is to bring together experts in construction, architectural design, engineering, building, environmentalism, and innovative technology to address housing needs around the world. The mission is to work together to create efficient, cost-efficient, and long-lasting housing. It began as a pilot program as a potential solution to the extreme homelessness crisis in L.A. but has now grown into a range of several accommodation options ranging from 160 to 10,000 square feet. All structures are prefabricated for highly efficient and quick builds which reduce emissions and minimizes waste. ARCspace reports the buildings are “spec-built from the ground up in 40-60% less time and cost than traditional construction.”

Residents can fully customize their tiny homes or even scale up to the size of traditional homes and have a huge range of interior design details to choose from including optional elements that provide off-grid power and water. Some homes feature self-contained atmospheric water generators called Hydropanels that are grid-independent and pull a few liters of drinking water out of the air each day. Affordable solar panels are another add-on option, however, the primary supply still comes from onsite plumbing and electrical systems. Units can be linked end to end or stacked up to four units high with stairways connecting each unit.

In addition to avoiding toxins in construction, ARCspace puts a focus on smart home features that are energy-efficient and healthy. The company employs a variety of sustainable technologies such as environmentally friendly, vegetable-based spray foam insulation and specialized window coatings that keep excessive heat out while allowing natural light in. It also uses recycled materials throughout, including for decking and outer cladding. For temporary work sites or emergency housing needs, impermanent foundations mean the units can be relocated with minimal site impact. They can also be set up in as little as 24 hours once onsite with a small team using cranes to stack modules then following up with window installations.

High-grade steel is the primary material selected for durability and seismic safety requirements in California. Steel also makes the prefab homes resilient in the face of high winds while also being highly fire-resistant which is another climate crisis-induced problem in California. It is also easier to maintain and long-lasting because steel won’t succumb to termites. Finally, it can be easily reused or recycled! “We do not utilize or work with any form of used containers, not even 1-trip containers (those only used one time). Shipping containers are manufactured with materials known to cause cancer such as LED paint, DDT wood flooring, and often have insecticide coatings, etc,” says the team as they point out how they are different from shipping containers.

The company said, “Last year, ARCspace collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to create an Emergency Shelter Project in the San Francisco Bay area using America’s first prefabricated foundation and worked with local trade schools to help prepare a new workforce with an understanding of emerging sustainable building technology.” This quick-build housing showed the potential for ARCspace to provide affordable housing but also served as inspiration for those considering a career in green design. ARCscpace is working on changing buildings, landscapes, urban designs, and policies that make cities and living cleaner, more efficient, more beautiful, and more equitable for their citizens.

Designer: ARCspace

The construction industry is responsible for 28% of the global emissions and construction-related industries like glass and cement add another 10% to the global emissions. If you think about it 38% of the world’s emissions is a lot and if we find sustainable solutions for the construction industry, we can make a large positive impact rather quickly because it will ripple out to related industries and therefore we can scale up sustainable development faster. I know it is an unlikely approach, but to make the biggest dent when solving a problem we have to start by untangling the biggest knot! ARCspace is a modular architecture firm that is constantly creating innovative designs and material development to do its part in curbing the emissions for their industry using sustainable, affordable, prefabricated homes.

Fun Fact: ARCspace is a division of Sustainable Building Council Ltd., located in the Los Angeles Cleantech Corridor so as a parent company, the goal of Sustainable Building Council Ltd. is to bring together experts in construction, architectural design, engineering, building, environmentalism, and innovative technology to address housing needs around the world. The mission is to work together to create efficient, cost-efficient, and long-lasting housing. It began as a pilot program as a potential solution to the extreme homelessness crisis in L.A. but has now grown into a range of several accommodation options ranging from 160 to 10,000 square feet. All structures are prefabricated for highly efficient and quick builds which reduce emissions and minimizes waste. ARCspace reports the buildings are “spec-built from the ground up in 40-60% less time and cost than traditional construction.”

High-grade steel is the primary material selected for durability and seismic safety requirements in California. Steel also makes the prefab homes resilient in the face of high winds while also being highly fire-resistant which is another climate crisis-induced problem in California. It is also easier to maintain and long-lasting because steel won’t succumb to termites. Finally, it can be easily reused or recycled! “We do not utilize or work with any form of used containers, not even 1-trip containers (those only used one time). Shipping containers are manufactured with materials known to cause cancer such as LED paint, DDT wood flooring, and often have insecticide coatings, etc,” says the team as they point out how they are different from shipping containers.

Residents can fully customize their tiny homes or even scale up to the size of traditional homes and have a huge range of interior design details to choose from including optional elements that provide off-grid power and water. Some homes feature self-contained atmospheric water generators called Hydropanels that are grid-independent and pull a few liters of drinking water out of the air each day. Affordable solar panels are another add-on option, however, the primary supply still comes from onsite plumbing and electrical systems. Units can be linked end to end or stacked up to four units high with stairways connecting each unit.

In addition to avoiding toxins in construction, ARCspace puts a focus on smart home features that are energy-efficient and healthy. The company employs a variety of sustainable technologies such as environmentally friendly, vegetable-based spray foam insulation and specialized window coatings that keep excessive heat out while allowing natural light in. It also uses recycled materials throughout, including for decking and outer cladding. For temporary work sites or emergency housing needs, impermanent foundations mean the units can be relocated with minimal site impact. They can also be set up in as little as 24 hours once onsite with a small team using cranes to stack modules then following up with window installations.

The company said, “Last year, ARCspace collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to create an Emergency Shelter Project in the San Francisco Bay area using America’s first prefabricated foundation and worked with local trade schools to help prepare a new workforce with an understanding of emerging sustainable building technology.” This quick-build housing showed the potential for ARCspace to provide affordable housing but also served as inspiration for those considering a career in green design. ARCscpace is working on changing buildings, landscapes, urban designs, and policies that make cities and living in the cleaner, more efficient, more beautiful, and more equitable for their citizens.

Designer: ARCspace