The Potential of Advanced Modular Housing Design for Post-Disaster Housing

Natural disasters often create an acute and urgent need for affordable temporary housing units to accommodate displaced households as they and their communities recover. When a disaster strikes, the ability to supply temporary housing quickly is critical, especially for vulnerable households. HUD funded a University of Florida project to design rapidly deployable modular homes that are resilient, sustainable, and affordable and can be used as temporary or permanent housing. The research team designed blueprints for units called Advanced Modular Housing (AMH) consisting of three types of units: the Core, Space, and Dwell units. The research team incorporated the feedback of industry stakeholders, including modular home manufacturers, to design the final units. These designs can withstand natural disasters common to the southeastern United States.

The Core unit is designed to be deployed in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and incorporates the essential housing functions of a kitchen, bathroom, laundry area, and sleeping loft. The 160-square-foot unit can be delivered quickly to a temporary or permanent site post-disaster. The Core unit can withstand rain and high winds in high-risk areas and is rigid and hardened so that it can be installed on various foundation types. The structure combines light-gauge metal framing, sheathing, and closed-cell foam insulation. The Space unit can be either deployed alongside the Core unit or added to the Core later. The Space unit is 193 square feet and can be configured as a den, sleeping porch, or bedroom. Unlike the Core unit, the Space unit is wind resistant but not hardened, so it must be supported by the foundation. Finally, the Dwell unit is a 794-square-foot unit that can be delivered on a temporary chassis and, when combined with the Core and Space units, brings the overall area of the home to 1,147 square feet. The Dwell unit includes three full bedrooms and a full bathroom.

The Core, Space, and Dwell modular units (Core+) are designed to address sustainability, resiliency, and affordability. The modular units incorporate climate-responsive and passive energy strategies to achieve hyper energy efficiency, and they can readily accept solar and wind renewable-energy systems. AMH addresses resiliency through structural strength that meets or exceeds Florida's building code requirements for wind loading, systems to mitigate extended power failures, and an adaptable piling system that alters the structure's elevation to accommodate the site's risk profile. Finally, AMH addresses affordability through the savings achieved by employing a factory-built, modular manufacturing process that reduces labor costs; shortens building time; uses low-cost, durable, and energy-efficient materials; and avoids weather-related construction delays, an especially important consideration in post-disaster situations in which the building site likely is still recovering. AMH's sustainability, resiliency, and affordability make it an attractive option not only for temporary post-disaster housing but also for permanent housing in light of worsening affordability in Florida.

Through this project, the research team developed a scalable design and associated construction documents, including blueprints for the Core, Space, and Dwell units and information for solar installation and energy storage system integration, and produced a life-cycle cost analysis. The research offers a viable pathway for developing rapidly deployable post-disaster housing that meets urgent and ongoing needs for resilience, sustainability, and affordability.

See the original post:
The Potential of Advanced Modular Housing Design for Post-Disaster Housing | HUD USER - HUD User

A family on Fort Myers Beach is building a modular home after Hurricane Ian wrecked their home. But forget what you think you know about construction, there is a new and affordable way many are choosing to rebuild.It was a 1965 little cinder block house, and it completely imploded," said Charlie Hornfeck. He and his wife Leslie moved into their home years before Ian hit.The Hornfecks could never have imagined this would happen to their home on Fort Myers Beach.Standing on top of a pile of rubble a year ago," Charlie said.They went back through the bad memories, recollecting a time when they could barely recognize their slice of paradise.Our house wasnt even as high as the storm surge, so it didnt stand a chance -- it was underwater completely," they said.The Hornfecks said many of their neighbors on Jefferson Street suffered the same fate. The damage was great, but their drive to recover was greater.We knew that we would rebuild and that it would be fast," Leslie said.Here we are a year later, and things look a little different for Charlie and Leslie.The permitting took a little over three weeks," Idyll Construction owner Mark Raudenbush said.The couple partnered with Raudenbush to build a new home.These homes are more energy efficient, more storm efficient, they will create better capacity for families to be here on the beach," Raudenbush said.But this rebuild looks a little different.It is a new beginning for the island and its a new beginning for my customers and my family," he said.Raudenbush works with a company that creates modular homes.Think of these houses like a giant puzzle, or a Lego piece. It is assembled piece by piece. Instead of building everything on-site, workers create sections of the home in a factory. Once the sections are ready, they are delivered to the actual building site and put together. Weve got about 28 of them right now planned on the island and Ive been talking to some people today that are probably going to get on board with it as well," Raudenbush said.There are two reasons why the homeowners went with this option. They told ABC7 that the first is affordability, the cost of this modular home is about a third of what conventional construction would cost. The second is the speed. It took crews less than six minutes to put up just a quarter of this home.The crew came in this morning at about 7 oclock and started setting up and now here we are at 1 oclock and weve got a full three-bedroom two-bath home on the site," Raudenbush said.The house fits together like Lego pieces, with cranes lifting the four pieces in place on top of the foundation. The entire operation took just under seven hours.Its very exciting," Charlie said. "Very exciting to watch those pieces swing into place. Its awesome.Raudenbush said building the house and laying down the foundation took the same amount of time as it took to build this house.It took us about two weeks to get the foundation built," he said. "Meanwhile, the actual construction of the house in the factory was 21 days.The owners did not have to deal with supply chain shortages, however, there is still a little bit of work to be done.It will take about four to six weeks to finish the on-site work," Raudenbush said. "Weve got some stucco work some drywall work and finishing out the mating of these four sections, and the house into one home.But after that short amount of time, the doors to this home will be open in March.People can come by and see if it is something that they might want to do and hopefully that will also help with rebuilding the island back faster," Leslie said.And in case of another hurricane, this home should still be standing afterward.Its built to code now and this construction can withstand 180 mph winds," Charlie said.It's thanks to this new method of construction that the Hornfecks and dozens of other families will be able to keep their homes.Coming back better, stronger, and safer than they were before.

A family on Fort Myers Beach is building a modular home after Hurricane Ian wrecked their home. But forget what you think you know about construction, there is a new and affordable way many are choosing to rebuild.

It was a 1965 little cinder block house, and it completely imploded," said Charlie Hornfeck.

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

He and his wife Leslie moved into their home years before Ian hit.

The Hornfecks could never have imagined this would happen to their home on Fort Myers Beach.

Standing on top of a pile of rubble a year ago," Charlie said.

They went back through the bad memories, recollecting a time when they could barely recognize their slice of paradise.

Our house wasnt even as high as the storm surge, so it didnt stand a chance -- it was underwater completely," they said.

The Hornfecks said many of their neighbors on Jefferson Street suffered the same fate. The damage was great, but their drive to recover was greater.

We knew that we would rebuild and that it would be fast," Leslie said.

Here we are a year later, and things look a little different for Charlie and Leslie.

The permitting took a little over three weeks," Idyll Construction owner Mark Raudenbush said.

The couple partnered with Raudenbush to build a new home.

These homes are more energy efficient, more storm efficient, they will create better capacity for families to be here on the beach," Raudenbush said.

But this rebuild looks a little different.

It is a new beginning for the island and its a new beginning for my customers and my family," he said.

Raudenbush works with a company that creates modular homes.

Think of these houses like a giant puzzle, or a Lego piece. It is assembled piece by piece. Instead of building everything on-site, workers create sections of the home in a factory. Once the sections are ready, they are delivered to the actual building site and put together.

Weve got about 28 of them right now planned on the island and Ive been talking to some people today that are probably going to get on board with it as well," Raudenbush said.

There are two reasons why the homeowners went with this option. They told ABC7 that the first is affordability, the cost of this modular home is about a third of what conventional construction would cost.

The second is the speed. It took crews less than six minutes to put up just a quarter of this home.

The crew came in this morning at about 7 oclock and started setting up and now here we are at 1 oclock and weve got a full three-bedroom two-bath home on the site," Raudenbush said.

The house fits together like Lego pieces, with cranes lifting the four pieces in place on top of the foundation. The entire operation took just under seven hours.

Its very exciting," Charlie said. "Very exciting to watch those pieces swing into place. Its awesome.

Raudenbush said building the house and laying down the foundation took the same amount of time as it took to build this house.

It took us about two weeks to get the foundation built," he said. "Meanwhile, the actual construction of the house in the factory was 21 days.

The owners did not have to deal with supply chain shortages, however, there is still a little bit of work to be done.

It will take about four to six weeks to finish the on-site work," Raudenbush said. "Weve got some stucco work some drywall work and finishing out the mating of these four sections, and the house into one home.

But after that short amount of time, the doors to this home will be open in March.

People can come by and see if it is something that they might want to do and hopefully that will also help with rebuilding the island back faster," Leslie said.

And in case of another hurricane, this home should still be standing afterward.

Its built to code now and this construction can withstand 180 mph winds," Charlie said.

It's thanks to this new method of construction that the Hornfecks and dozens of other families will be able to keep their homes.

Coming back better, stronger, and safer than they were before.

Read the original post:
Fort Myers Beach family rebuilds with quick and affordable modular home after Hurricane Ian - ABC7 News

The world faces an increasing shortage of housing and an escalating climate emergency. These urgent global issues call for quick action and innovative solutions.

The numbers show us how stark things are. Construction activities and building operations produce more than 40% of the carbon emissions driving global warming.

At the same time, 1.6 billion people live in subpar housing. An alarming 100 million have no house at all. In both Australia and globally, the housing crisis is a pressing and unresolved issue.

Prefabricated building technology offers promising alternative solutions to this dual crisis. Prefab housing modules are made offsite in a factory. The finished components/modules can then be transported and assembled swiftly at the site of the building.

This approach could transform the housing scene. Affordable dwellings could be produced on a massive scale, while greatly reducing the environmental impacts.

This is not merely about building homes. A shift to prefab construction would be a strategic move in line with the Paris Agreement to mitigate climate change.

Read more: The world needs to build more than two billion new homes over the next 80 years

Prefab modular construction could be considered a greener alternative in the construction sector. By greatly reducing construction waste (which accounts for 40% of landfill) and carbon emissions, it tackles these major environmental concerns head-on. A 2022 study showed modular construction can slash carbon emissions by up to 45% compared to conventional techniques.

The controlled factory-based environment of prefab construction makes it more efficient. This includes integrated reclamation and recycling of construction waste.

This approach is highly cost-effective. Its about being resource-savvy and reducing waste to the bare minimum.

Read more: Turning the housing crisis around: how a circular economy can give us affordable, sustainable homes

Using standardised designs and components on a large scale also cuts the cost of incorporating energy-efficient elements such as better insulation and renewable energy. Building in this way creates structures that are effective, efficient, resilient and help us combat climate change.

Among many possible construction materials, wood or timber is among the most preferred for prefab modular buildings. Timber is renewable and an efficient carbon sink. The timber in buildings locks away the CO the trees absorbed from the atmosphere when they were growing.

One creative and sustainable solution to housing shortages is to build modular, adjustable prefab dwelling units. These units are robust and can be adapted to various climates and housing needs with ease.

In a world where cities are growing fast and housing needs are pressing, prefab construction can deliver quality, affordable homes at an impressive pace. Its an efficient solution for a budget-conscious, carbon-constrained world.

The beauty of prefab construction lies in its adaptability, making it the building industrys chameleon.

It can look good almost anywhere, from bustling cityscapes to serene countryside. Imagine a building technique that can seamlessly transition from a cozy mountain cabin to a stylish metropolitan apartment building.

Read more: Not just daggy dongas: time to embrace prefabricated buildings

Modular homes can be enlarged, modified or even disassembled and moved as communities grow and needs change.

This approach promotes long-term resilience by being adaptable to changes in the climate and housing needs. These buildings are constructed not only for the present, but also for the high-performance requirements of the future.

Read more: Prefab revolution? Factory houses are the secret to green building

We can learn from success stories overseas.

A community-focused project in England: the prefab modular homes in Cambridge are more than just buildings; they are community cornerstones. As well as providing roofs over heads, the project is about creating a sense of belonging. These units, meticulously designed and sustainably built, are shaping the narrative of affordable housing.

Scandinavian eco-friendly living: Scandinavians have taken modular construction to heart. In this region, known for its design prowess and environmental stewardship, many modular homes are architectural marvels that embody sustainability. Cozy, energy-efficient homes with sleek designs prove that eco-friendly living can be both stylish and functional.

Versatile modular solutions in the Netherlands: Finch Buildings offers a kaleidoscope of sustainable housing. Here, modular construction is about flexibility and diversity, catering to a range of needs and styles. These timber modular solutions can adapt to different lifestyles and preferences. Housing can be as diverse as the people it shelters.

Singapores urban blueprint: the city-state is a showcase for the incredible possibilities of prefab modular construction. Its seamlessly woven into urban planning. Imagine a city where buildings are not just structures, but pieces of a larger, sustainable puzzle. It is a model of how urban development can co-exist with environmental consciousness.

Australia has been slower than many countries to adopt prefab modular construction. The challenges include:

limited government support and incentives compared to other countries

a need for more training and expertise in designing and implementing prefab modular construction

the traditional procurement process in construction is not well suited for prefab methods, so a shift in thinking and approach from construction managers and suppliers is required

the Australian regulatory environment needs to evolve to promote productivity and support modern construction methods like prefabrication

a cultural shift within the industry is also needed, so owners and developers demand more sustainable and efficient construction methods.

The situation is changing in Australia as the housing crisis has intensified. Recognition of the need for more sustainable, efficient construction methods is growing, leading to a gradual shift in government support and industry adoption.

Read more: Building in the same old ways won't end the housing crisis. We need innovation to boost productivity

The potential role of prefab modular construction in tackling the challenges of climate change and housing shortages cannot be overstated.

Prefab building is charming not just because it is flexible but also because the architectural features have been thoughtfully considered. Every module can be carefully crafted to complement its surroundings.

Adopting this strategy demonstrates a dedication to development that is ecologically conscious, promotes resilience and sustainability and, by meeting house needs, improves community wellbeing.

Link:
A prefab building revolution can help resolve both the climate and housing crises - The Conversation Indonesia

Vertically Integrated Modular Housing Project Opens in Auburn, Washington

Blokable at Phoenix Rising, a vertically integrated 12-unit affordable modular housing development in Auburn, Washington, opened in 2020. Modular homes are mass-produced, prefabricated residential structures that can be combined with other modules or permanent fixtures onsite to form single- or multifamily dwellings. Blokable, a Seattle-based manufacturer of modular homes, developed Phoenix Rising as its prototype multifamily building. Adopting a modular construction process generated considerable time, cost, and energy savings.

Creating a Prototype Modular Community

Unlike most modular manufacturers, who sell their products to developers, Blokable uses a vertical integration process that allows the company to control the entire development process, including site selection, assembly, and financing. After developing single-module accessory dwelling units (ADUs), the firm was ready to build a small multiunit development as the next step in the product development process. "This generation of prototype was basically the step between building ADUs and then building full five-story engineering," explained Aaron Holm, who along with co-CEO Nelson del Rio led the development of Blokable's fully integrated process.

Blokable drove the entire development process for Blokable at Phoenix Rising, handling the permitting, inspections, financing, assembly, logistics, and transportation. After working with the King County Assessor's Office to find available space, Blokable contracted with Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care to build a prototype multifamily residence. Valley Cities owns both the resulting apartments and the quarter-acre building site. Blokable initially intended to apply for funding from a state program supporting innovative development methods. However, because Blokable was a design-build developer, it could not respond to the state's request for proposals because only teams consisting of architects, developers, and general contractors were eligible to respond. To receive state funding, a state legislator had to add an earmark to Valley Cities in the state capital budget to fund this project. This unconventional production strategy created other complexities, such as determining the applicable rules and regulations as well as the builders' wages, because manufacturing and architecture are separate industries with very different pay scales. After a few years of financial and administrative delays, Blokable at Phoenix Rising opened in December 2020 at a cost of $1.5 million.

Twelve Prefabricated Apartments

Blokable assembled the all-steel modules in its manufacturing plant in Vancouver, Washington. Complete with floors, windows, and appliances, the modules were transported nearly 150 miles by truck to the site, where they were assembled into two buildings: one with five units and one with seven units. Only the roofing was constructed on site.

The modules, which have a useful life of 50 to 100 years, are all electric and net-zero ready. Their tight building envelope minimizes the energy expended for heating and cooling. Residents of Phoenix Rising pay about 60 percent less for air conditioning and heating their units and 30 percent less for utilities than do residents of standard new units. The units have an energy-recovery ventilation system that filters outdoor air and exhausts stale air outside. This system helps limit exposure to bacteria, mold, and other unhealthy air particles. The tight building envelope also minimizes outdoor sounds.

Five of the apartments are 280-square-foot studios and seven are one-bedroom apartments that are 340 square feet. The units include kitchens and living areas and have dimmable cove lighting. All the apartments are reserved for residents who earn between 30 and 50 percent of the area median income. Blokable at Phoenix Rising is near amenities, services, and job opportunities in Auburn and the greater Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. The development is also a few miles from a commuter rail station that offers direct links to downtown Seattle, downtown Tacoma, and other suburbs.

A Cost-Effective Strategy

At approximately $125,000 per unit, the project cost significantly less than a typical site-built residential development in King County would. One reason for the lower cost was the project's shortened development timeframe. Unlike traditional onsite construction, modular production is a standardized and repeatable process. In addition, factory production requires significantly less architecture and engineering services than does standard construction. The streamlined development process and reduced need for specialized services significantly lowered labor costs. The project's tight building envelope also reduced the amount of material waste, because the materials do not need to be sent to the site before being cut to fit.

Holm explained how Blokable will produce future modular developments more quickly and efficiently. "We took a lot longer building Phoenix Rising than we [will] on subsequent projects because we took a lot of time to specifically document the process so that we could make it more repeatable and drive costs down. This is a model that substantially reduces the per-door cost basis to bring new housing to the market." Blokable now has a standardized manufacturing, assembly, and attachment process, and many of the structural components are preengineered. In addition, developing a standardized, preapproved product simplifies the approval process because the structure already meets local regulatory requirements.

Although modular development is nearly always less expensive than site-built construction, Holm believes that the vertical integration model is by far the most cost-effective construction method. Currently, most manufacturers sell modules to developers when the "product" is at its lowest possible value, which adds a middleman and limits incentives for modular production. When the manufacturer also acts as the developer, however, these producers can increase profits while also reducing costs for residents. "The incentive for factory production in the real estate context is for vertical integration and [for] the developer to realize the upside in the form of appreciating real estate equity, not to sell it as a productized asset," Holm said. He explained that this model can yield 30 times the profit over a 10-year period compared with modular "products" that are sold as a construction "input" to the development process.

Prospects

Blokable is preparing to mass-produce multifamily apartments in several states. Blokable's product is designed to meet many of the strongest state codes in the country. The structures can be up to four stories tall in areas that experience heavy snow and up to five stories tall in earthquake-prone areas such as California, which has the strictest seismic requirements in the nation. These buildings are also designed to withstand winds of up to 160 miles per hour.

Modular homes are becoming increasingly popular in the United States because of their financial, environmental, and time-saving benefits. Although regulatory and financial barriers to modular and other prefabricated housing persist, some state and local governments have been easing restrictions. For example, shortly after Blokable at Phoenix Rising opened, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries began allowing third-party engineers and architects to review modular development plans, simplifying the administrative approval process. Holm remains optimistic that modular development using a vertically integrated process will become increasingly common. However, financial and regulatory restructuring will be necessary for factory production to replace traditional construction in the residential market.

Interview with Aaron Holm, 10 October 2023.

Interview with Aaron Holm, 10 October 2023; email correspondence with Aaron Holm, 20 November 2023.

Interview with Aaron Holm, 10 October 2023.

See the original post:
Vertically Integrated Modular Housing Project Opens in Auburn, Washington | HUD USER - HUD User

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

There's a new house on the east side of Lansing that city officials hope will lead the way for attainable housing in the area.

"It's a way to see if this is one of the many solutions that's needed for the housing crisis," Alan Fox Ingham County Treasurer.

On what used to be two vacant lots on the east side of Lansing now sits Ingham county's first-ever modular home thanks to the Ingham County Landbank

"This is a house that will fit into the neighborhood beautifully. It's about the same size as other houses. It's two story's and the particular design was picked because it will not stand out in this neighborhood," Fox said.

Allen Fox is the Ingham County Treasurer and the chair of the Ingham County Housing Trust Fund.

He says this new home is a part of an experiment to help the housing shortage in the area.

"We wanted to see if they were usable. And affordable to get moderate-income housing into the city. And the state of Michigan had some funds available to try it out," Fox said.

Fox says the house will be sold to a new homeowner at a rate of cost that is subsidized by public money in order to make it affordable.

"So it contributes to increase in home ownership. And it it contributes to having just one more housing unit in the community. That relieves the housing shortage," Fox said.

Dejuan Lewis and his wife Jennifer have lived in the area for years and says they are happy to see changes in their neighborhood.

"Previously, there used to be two houses there and then over the years, they demolish them and there was a garden in there at one point in time that community garden and then now seeing a big house come in it's nice," Jennifer said.

"I will say it's not much to look at over here but you know, the people are real nice. The kids are nice, they come on and they play over here in the backyard with our trampoline. It's nice to add to the community. So I'm all for it," Dejuan said.

Fox says the energy-efficient house is expected to be ready for occupancy by spring of 2024 and this won't be the last that we see of these homes.

"There's going to be another one going up elsewhere in the city later this year," Fox said.

Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.

Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.

Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.

Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook

See the rest here:
First ever modular home in Ingham County placed on the eastside of Lansing - FOX 47 News Lansing - Jackson

In 1969, the federal government announced that it would hand out millions of dollars in subsidies to companies willing to try something new: build houses in factories.

Then as now, America was in the throes of a housing crisis. There werent enough places to live. Mass production provided Americans with abundant and cheap food, clothing, cars and other staples of material life. But houses were still hammered together by hand, on site. The federal initiative, Operation Breakthrough, aimed to drive up the production of housing and to drive down the cost by dragging the building industry into the 20th century.

It didnt work. Big companies, including Alcoa and General Electric, designed new kinds of houses, and roughly 25,000 rolled out of factories over the following decade. But none of the new home builders long survived the end of federal subsidies in the mid-1970s.

Last year, only 2 percent of new single-family homes in the United States were built in factories. Two decades into the 21st century, nearly all U.S. homes are still built the old-fashioned way: one at a time, by hand. Completing a house took an average of 8.3 months in 2022, a month longer than it took to build a house of the same size back in 1971.

Federal housing policy in the decades since the failure of Operation Breakthrough has focused myopically on providing financial aid to renters and homeowners. The government needs to return its attention to the supply side. Opening land for development, for example by easing zoning restrictions, is part of the answer, but reducing building costs could be even more constructive. Land accounts for roughly 20 percent of the price of a new house; building costs account for 60 percent. (The price of land is a larger factor in coastal cities like New York, but a vast majority of new housing in the United States is built on cheap land outside cities.)

The tantalizing potential of factory-built housing, also known as modular housing, continues to attract investors and entrepreneurs, including a start-up called Fading West that opened a factory in 2021 in the Colorado mountain town of Buena Vista. But Fading West, and similar start-ups in other parts of the country, need government help to drive a significant shift from handmade housing to factories. This time, there is reason to think it could work.

On a windy morning last month, I watched as wooden platforms the size of train cars moved down the Fading West assembly line, advancing to a new station every few hours as workers added walls and windows, wiring and insulation, dishwashers and cabinets. The finished boxes are trucked to building sites and swung into place by cranes. Houses consist of two to four boxes. Once theyre knitted together, the result looks like a traditional home.

Charlie Chupp, the chief executive, previously ran a company that built and shipped all the pieces of new stores for Starbucks, Einstein Bros. Bagels and other restaurant chains. Fading West is seeking to apply a similar model to building homes and apartments. We see ourselves as being in manufacturing, not construction, says Eric Schaefer, a former pastor who is now the companys chief evangelist, bending the ear of politicians, reporters and developers about the potential benefits of mass production and the changes necessary to support it.

Final assembly happens so quickly that it almost seems like a magic trick. In Poncha Springs, a town 30 minutes south of Buena Vista, I watched as a crane swung a 19,894-pound box over a concrete foundation. A worker on each corner checked the fit while two more waited in the basement to connect it to the foundation. As it was secured, a truck arrived with the next box.

The team of eight workers has sometimes assembled four houses in a single day.

Joanna Schwartz, the chief executive of Quartz Properties, which is using Fading Wests boxes to build the homes, said buyers sometimes come to see the show. They didnt have a house in the morning and then in the afternoon they can walk through it, she said.

Fading West says houses from its factory can be completed in as little as half the time and at as little as 80 percent of the cost of equivalent handmade homes, in part because the site can be prepared while the structure is built in the factory. A 2017 analysis by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, found similar savings for the construction of three- to five-story apartment buildings using modular components.

Factory building has other advantages, too. It can reduce waste, maintain higher standards of consistency and produce homes that are more energy efficient. It is not subject to rain delays.

It also offers a solution to the home-building industrys growing problems finding enough qualified workers, especially in high-cost areas. Manufacturers like Fading West can build where labor is cheaper and then ship homes to the places where people want to live.

But there are good reasons modular housing has remained the next big thing for a long time.

One basic problem is that houses are large objects, and unlike cars or airplanes, they are not designed to move. The result is that the savings from factory production are partly offset by the cost of transportation. (Some companies reduce transportation costs by shipping homes in smaller pieces, an approach pioneered by Sears and other retailers of build your own home kits in the early 20th century, but that just shifts the cost from transportation to assembly.)

The volatility of the housing market is also a problem. Traditional home builders rely on contract workers who are easily dismissed during downturns. Factory builders, which have high fixed costs, tend to go bankrupt. Housing downturns have ended a long line of ambitious and well-funded efforts to create the Model T of the housing industry. In 2006, on the cusp of the most recent housing crash, factory builders produced more than 70,000 homes. Since the crisis and the resulting wipeout, annual production has not exceeded 30,000 houses.

Neither volatility nor transportation costs might matter if factory home builders could match the efficiency gains found in other kinds of mass production. Brian Potter, a senior infrastructure fellow at the Institute for Progress, a nonpartisan think tank focused on technological innovation, gives the example of the Ford Taurus. Experimental models of the 1996 Taurus were built by hand, which cost almost half a million dollars per car. The car eventually retailed for less than $20,000.

Factory home builders have struggled to streamline construction. Mr. Potter spent several years looking for ways to make housing construction more efficient, an effort he narrated on a fascinating blog, before concluding that significant progress wasnt likely. Almost any idea that you can think of for a way to build a single-family home cheaper has basically been tried, and there was probably a company that went bankrupt trying to do it, Mr. Potter told me.

I think the history of the auto industry provides reason for more optimism. One lesson is that progress requires production at scale. There are a handful of car companies that each make millions of cars, and hundreds of home builders building a few hundred homes a year. Fading West, which aims to produce as many as 1,000 homes a year, says that isnt enough to justify investments in automation.

Efficiency gains also come from doing the same thing over and over again, but the idiosyncrasies of local building codes make that impossible. In Colorado alone, by Mr. Schaefers count, there are more than 300 distinct building codes, requiring adjustments for each new batch of homes. Fading West found that it had to use different roof designs for homes headed to the city of Fairplay and to a development just outside the city, because the county has stricter snow load regulations.

A sequel to Operation Breakthrough could help the industry overcome those challenges. The Canadian governments Rapid Housing Initiative is providing support for large-scale modular manufacturing by setting tight construction deadlines for affordable housing projects that obtain government funding, an approach the United States could emulate on an even larger scale.

The government also can push for the standardization of building materials and building regulations. Herbert Hoover, the great champion of industrial standardization, who during his years as commerce secretary in the 1920s worked successfully to establish uniform rules for products such as paving bricks, milk bottles and blackboards, argued that establishing consistent standards was the nearest thing to a free lunch. It would increase productivity, benefiting companies, workers and customers. Florida and California will always have somewhat different building codes, because hurricanes and earthquakes pose different challenges. But there is no reason for Colorado to have 300 different codes.

If it seems far-fetched that the government could revolutionize the home-building business, take a look at what sits on top of a growing number of American homes. The government has driven the spread and driven down the cost of solar panels through decades of investment and subsidies.

Its time to pay similar attention to the buildings underneath.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and Threads.

Follow this link:
Opinion | Why Do We Build Houses in the Same Way That We Did 125 Years Ago? - The New York Times

Thinking about buying a new modular home in South Carolina? The Palmetto State borders North Carolina and Georgia in the heart of the south, and is home to a bit of 4.7 million people. Home of Myrtle Beach, the iconic golf beach and golfing hotspot, South Carolina has unrivaled culture and historical significance dating back to the civil war. These days the average sales price of a home in South Carolina is approximately $225,000. The average price of a modular home in South Carolina is $50 to $70 per square foot, which means that the average price for a modular home in South Carolina is $108,000 its no wonder why South Carolina modular homes are growing in demand every day. Modular home builders such as Sunshine Homes and Deer Valley Homebuilders, engineer modular homes specifically for the unique characteristics of the environment, with a focus on energy efficiency and minimal long-term maintenance. Make South Carolina your home today.

Visit link:
View Floor Plans, See 3D Tours & Get Prices - Modular Homes

Beautiful, sustainable, modular architecture built and delivered in just 12 weeks.

Our in-house design team of architects, draftspeople and interior designers will create your new home specifically for your site, matching needs, budget and sustainable values. Design and finish options are limitless but what is certain is that every design is the result of our design teams genuine collaboration with you.

With over 14 years experience, Modscape has delivered over 500 projects for our happy clients including family homes, forever homes and holiday homes in all kinds of locations.

Building at our innovative modular construction hub inBrooklyn means we never have to worry about the weather and our tradesmen can work side-by-side to get the job done faster. Weve optimised every step in our construction process to the point where we can guarantee that your new modular home will be constructed in just 12 weeks from the time weve received your building permit. We can also guarantee you afixed upfront price, providing you with peace of mind knowing that there wont be any cost overruns.

To enquire about building your home with Modscape, contact us today.

Original post:
Modscape Modular Homes - Innovative Prefab Homes Australia | Modscape ...

CHICAGO (PRWEB) August 19, 2022

As communities face wildfire smoke, power outages, and extreme heat this summer, US infrastructure is not equipped to protect us. Federal tax credits soon to come from the newly passed Inflation Reduction Bill aim to reduce the cost of environmentally-friendly changes and set the stage for widespread adoption and Phius-certified passive homes are emerging as a model for how to adapt. Phius (Passive House Institute US), a non-profit and locally tailored, globally applicable passive house building standard accounting for the vast majority of all passive projects in North America, has certified more than 7.4 million square feet of passive building projects that are optimized for adaptability and resilience as climate change redefines living standards.

For example, as residents in Houston struggle with rising temperatures and potential for loss of electricity, the Fly Flat infill pocket neighborhood, designed with ever-unpredictable and more extreme weather in mind, integrated Phius passive house standards to be ready. The housing project, led by a student-driven design team, utilized modular home designs and implemented energy-outage prevention tools such as community solar and FEMA 499 strategies to design weather-resilient homes the community can thrive in for years to come. New federal tax credits will reduce the cost of solar panels and other necessary tools for preparing the homes for resilience putting more funding back to the neighborhood.

Theresa Passive House is another Phius-certified project that weathered last years snowstorm and this years summer heat in Houston, Texas with comparable ease, enjoying a key benefit of passive buildings -- the ability for the home to maintain internal temperatures for longer periods of time, even without heating and cooling. Located next to a busy highway and train line, filtered, clean air inside was a priority. Today, the ERV circulates fresh, filtered air and a dehumidifier minimizes excessive moisture.

In California, Sol Lux Alpha, developed by John Sarter, is the first Phius-certified passive house with a multi-unit nanogrid structure introduced in the U.S. housing market. This six-story, four-unit housing development offers carbon-neutral living plus a transportation system! Inhabited units generate twice as much energy as they consume. Excess energy is sent to the grid, where it can be reused for EV charging another increasingly important perk of building to Phius standards as the electric car market heats up and tax credits emerge, especially in a state where the grid is already struggling to keep up with demand during peak summer hours.

And, when wildfire smoke fills the air, one family in Seattle, Washington will breathe easy in their Phius-certified passive home, named Park Passive. The home uses an advanced HVAC system to provide the home with continuous filtered fresh air even when the air outside is thick with smoke from nearby fires. At the first sign of smoke, the family closes all windows and doors and lets the house take over from there.

These homes all share mitigation of climate change and adaptability as a result of climate change designing and building for resilience, habitability and passive survivability during power outages, fires, and other climate-driven events, said Katrin Klingenberg, executive director of Phius. In certain regions, this provides a way forward for building and home design that offers an even more important outcome: reducing electricity load for heating and cooling - critical during heat waves.

Images of the projects are available HERE. Visit http://www.Phius.org for more information.

About PhiusPhius is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to decarbonizing the built environment by making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. We train and certify professionals, maintain and update the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certify and quality assure passive buildings, certify high-performance building products and conduct research to advance high-performance building. ###

Share article on social media or email:

The rest is here:
New Climate Bill to Accelerate Phius-Certified Passive Home Adoption Driven by Need for Extreme Weather Resilience - PR Web

Architecture is no longer a discipline that deems only the physical as 'sacred'. The digital is fast taking over the discourse and opening avenues to new ways of thinking and experimentation, and with much acceleration by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new world has already propped above the horizon. London-headquartered Zaha Hadid Architects needs no introduction when it comes to their pioneering engagement with the built and the speculative realms. The brainchild of late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Mohammad Hadid, the practice, since the 80s, has stood out for delivering timeless architecture that fuses technology with design, and for perennially pushing the envelope to create new tools to enhance our spatial experiences.

The firm is presenting its adventures in the cyberphysical space and metaverse through an exhibition hosted at the Dongdaemun Design Museum in Seoul, Korea. Meta-Horizons: The Future Now marks the opening of the new museum which is located within the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a cultural hub and meeting place in Seouls Dongdaemun district completed by ZHA in 2014. The exhibition offers a peek into ZHAs illustrious repertoire spanning across multiple fields, from digital technology to artificial intelligence and virtual reality. One gets to experience the sheer breadth of work through three main zones of the showcase - Innovation, Imagination, and Interaction - where these categories reveal the firms recent designs, process, and research that incorporates immersive technologies, participatory design, and new fabrication techniques.

Within the first section titled Innovation: Process & Research, the exhibition focuses on collaborations across disciplines which rely on a research-based approach towards the design process and physical prototyping. The presented projects include a platform used to create customised modular homes, and a recent 3D-printed concrete bridge named Striatus, which was assembled without mortar in Venice as a result of a collaboration between ZHA and ETH Zurich. The various projects that fall under this zone represent the three ongoing research strands of the architectural practice, namely robotic technologies, folded geometries, and digital timber construction.

Within Imagination: Design & Virtual, the exhibition delves into the digital realm of things and how it continues to become more established as an activated destination integrating with the physical world. Presented within this section is ZHAs increased presence in the designing of the metaverse, with projects such as the cyber urban incubator 'Liberland', and 'NFTism' a virtual gallery space experimenting with architecture and social interaction.

The third section titled Interaction: Technologies & Collaboration puts a spotlight on technologies that enhance the seamless user experience across the world of cyber-physics, mixed reality, augmented and virtual reality. Projects presented within this section include Project Correl 1.0 a collaborative experiment in multi-presence virtual reality that illustrates the development of complex assemblies inside virtual space; and New Worlds a LOOP mixed-reality experience created by ZHVR. It is revealed as an immersive soundscape by artist Halina Rice which visitors could experience using HTC headsets.

A highlight of the overall exhibition is an immersive art project conceived by ZHA in collaboration with Refik Anadol Studio (RAS). The result of a six month-long collaboration, the artwork titled Architecting the Metaverse "extends RAS Media Labs ongoing research project and visualises their entire database of architectural documentation in the oeuvre of ZHA". Expressed as an immersive room, visitors are exposed to an infinitely reflecting mirrored tunnel that creates a perception shift by merging the boundlessness of space with the endless permutations of machine learning. Speculating on the future of architecture in the digital realm, the installation was specially conceived for the exhibition and it marks the first collaboration of media artist Refik Anadol with a pioneering architectural studio. Architecting the Metaverse is also stated to be the first of its kind in realising the machine dream of ZHAs architectural works around the world.

Meta-Horizons: The Future Now is on view at the DDP Design Museum in Seoul till September 18, 2022.

See more here:
ZHA's showcase in Seoul presents new directions of the metaverse - STIRworld