With off-site construction, homeowners can benefit from things like accelerated construction, controlled construction, construction without the elements, reduced construction waste, access to a skilled workforce, etc. So it’s no surprise that the prefab industry continues to expand — we’re tracking that! In fact, here are 22 built projects that we mentioned in the last year (with high hopes for several more next year, too):
For your Friday viewing, check out what California architects Karl Wanaselja and Cate Leger used to make a backyard office. They split a 40-foot, refrigerated shipping container and placed the two parts in a T shape with a crane. Then they cut windows into the ends and covered the floor with soy-based, formaldehyde-free Purebond. And the container only set them back $1800.
SUNY’s Centennial Hall, a student dorm completed this summer, has earned LEED Gold certification, according to gbNYC, making it one of the largest modular construction projects in the state of New York. It’s not the only modular student building — The Modules is but another modular project on my mind — though The Centennial showcases what’s good about off-site construction with a total of about 184 wood modules.
A while back, I mentioned The Crib, an “enviresponsible shelter” by Broadhurst Architects that can be used as a weekend cabin, backyard office, exercise studio, or guest house — you name it. Well it’s time for a short update from our last article, if you haven’t already noticed, that a 250 square-foot Crib was built on the grounds of the Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland. It’s being used as a visual arts studio, a lab, and a gallery and is open to visitors during certain events and various other times.
Here’s a beautiful garden studio in Oxford overlooking the Thames River. The custom and contemporary structure was completed by in.it studios with a special plinth foundation, birch ply interior walls, a green sedum roof, and sustainably harvested timber. The design allows natural light through bi-folding doors, while insulated walls and a glass-panel heater keep the warmth inside in the winter. The tiny studio has a bathroom and kitchen for use as a guest house and an extra deck space for entertaining.
Project Profiles
