The Possibilities of Prefab Housing
By Jen Taylor on Jan 29, 2015
For some, the term ‘prefabricated housing’ conjures images of mobile homes and other forms of small-scale basic affordable housing. However, New York City, a metropolis already known for its architectural achievements, is taking modular building to new heights - literally. The city will soon be home to the stunning B2 BKLYN, the tallest prefabricated structure in the world.
B2 BKLYN will follow in the footsteps of the former title-holder for the tallest prefab structure, England’s 24-storey student dormitory completed in 2009. B2 is an FCS Modular project, a joint venture between the real estate developer Forest City Ratner and the Swedish construction company Skanska. Together, these developers are bringing this 32-storey building with 363 rental apartments and ground floor retail space to Brooklyn’s skyline. FCS chose the prefab approach to help cut down on up to 30% of the costs of building in New York City and to ensure better quality control during the construction process. B2 is therefore of interest both to architects and to developers who are interested in building affordably and fast, explains American Institute of Architects housing committee Casius Pealer. In an industry that is always looking to reduce costs and meet deadlines, prefabricated construction will likely have a greater presence in our growing cities.
B2 BKLYN - via Forest City
Modular housing is so quick and efficient due to its unique assembly line-like construction process. However, unlike the assembly lines of Henry Ford where individuals learn and repeat a single task, modular housing is assembled via a system in which “multidisciplinary groups of cross-trained tradesmen work on different parts of the floor simultaneously.” Workers assemble rooms in a factory in Brooklyn before loading them onto trucks and driving them to the construction site to be lifted into the air by crane and “snapped” into place. The process is akin to a sophisticated real-world application of the interlocking system designed by Lego. According to Forbes it takes only 20 days to build an apartment and ship it to the construction site beside Barclay’s stadium in Brooklyn. Sydney Brownstone of Co.Exist explains that this flexibility allows companies like FCS Modular to complete a building in two-thirds the time conventional construction would take.
MUJI prefab house - via inhabitat.com
Though the assembly is quick, designing a prefabricated building is a complex and precise process. The B2 can only vary from the exact measurement by one-eighth of an inch, giving architects and those assembling the units little room for error. The attention to detail involved in the assembly of prefab housing has been compared to the precision required to assemble sophisticated machinery such as a car or an airplane engine.
MUJI prefab house - via inhabitat.com
Despite the need for precision, there are a number of advantages to prefabricated construction outside affordable urban residential construction. Modular home construction could be utilized internationally as quick-assembly housing devastated by natural disaster, or a means of reducing the costs of home construction for residents living in rural areas or farther away from easily accessible construction materials. Modular housing also exerts less strain on a site during construction and produces less waste, making it an attractive option for companies seeking LEED certification.
MUJI prefab house - via inhabitat.com
New York’s FCS Modular is not the only company exploring the possibilities of prefabricated housing. A prefab tower is already scheduled to rise along the Manhattan skyline, and will be one of the city’s first “microunit” buildings. Like the B2, each unit is assembled off-site and later hoisted into the air by cranes to be stacked into a nine-storey building of affordable housing. Facit Homes has also developed a lego-esque construction process, using a compact machine (CNC Router) to transform a 3D model into physical components that can neatly fit together. This patented “D-Process” allows builders to manufacture and assemble an entire home on-site using lightweight materials, such as plywood, and incorporating a thermal envelope to conserve energy and reduce heat loss. Facit Homes’ innovative prefab design was shortlisted for the 2013: Index Award. The Tokyo department store MUJI has also explored the possibilities of prefab housing to address the issues of compact living in Japan. MUJI’s home uses an efficient modular microunit design to maximize both living space and affordability in Tokyo’s dense cityscape.
MUJI prefab house - via inhabitat.com
As the advantages of prefab construction become clear and the pejorative connotations subside, more developers and architects are embracing the idea of modular housing. This fast-paced and environmentally friendly approach has great potential for the future of Toronto’s condo boom. As the speed of Toronto’s high-rise development begins to slow down due to the taller developments created by strong demand, prefab housing could provide the answer developers are looking for. Modular housing can increase the pace of construction while reducing the amount of time that cranes punctuate the Toronto skyline. Additionally, as LEED certification becomes increasingly important to homebuyers, developers have to consider how their development will impact the environment both during and after construction. Carefully planned modular homes can reduce waste and environmental impact during the construction process, making them an attractive choice for conscious homebuyers.
As modular housing becomes a louder voice in the development world, it is clear that prefab construction will be an important component in the next phase of Toronto’s persistent condo boom. As Tom O’Hara told Sydney Brownstone, "There's no question we're building stronger, we're building quieter, we're building more energy efficient."
