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icewater
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:10 am Post subject: gropius predicted widespread prefab construction? |
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in his 1965 essay, "The New Architecture and the Bauhaus", gropius predicts the emergence of prefab construction that is higher quality and lower cost compared to traditional build methods, due to the controlled environment and modern manufacturing processes available in a factory setting. it doesn't seem to have come to pass, at least in residential housing. prefabs are available, but they're expensive compared to conventional build methods.
any thoughts on why is this the case? |
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phansford
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 500
Location: SW Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:33 am Post subject: |
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Based on your other post, I will assume we are talking about modernist designs. Let's also assume you are reading Dwell magazine, if not then you should go purchase a copy. Dwell has sponsored a couple of prefab modern houses.
I can think of two things that limit pre-fab construction. One is the public impression that it is inferior housing. And of course, in terms of design, there is a reason for some of those impressions. Now pre-fab can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. It can mean the whole house being delivered on-site, or in modules (or just halves), or panelized sections. Actually, panelization seems to have taken hold with some of the national production builders. What does pre-fab mean to you?
The second thing - from what I have read and understand - is that the pre-fab modern houses we currently know are not only designed by the architect, he/she also secures the manufacturer as a subcontractor to fabricate the home and in effect is the "manufacturer" of the home. This allows them to have control over many things, including material and product selections, quality, and of course profit. So the SF costs you see for modern pre-fab ($200/SF or more) is based on the materials selected by the architects. Check out the Flat Pack house which is a system of components/modules that you use to create your "individual" design.
What you have to do is compare the cost of a Flat Pack House and a custom designed modern house? You can't look at the cost for a modern pre-fab alone.
Now that does not mean there is some one out there, such as yourself, who wants to begin to design and manufacture pre-fab modern houses and have them compete in cost with traditional pre-fab houses
One other thing to discuss would be stock plans for modern houses, which have also begun to emerge. I really like what New Jersey architect Greg La Vardera is doing. After a few years of hard work, several of Greg's houses are getting built and were featured in a recent New York Time article concerning modern stock plans.
BTW - Greg is a frequent user of this site in the PowerCadd forum. |
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