Prefab Now. Imagining tomorrow today.

Basically, in my research for yesterday’s retro future prefab stuff, i cam across so much batshit awesome prefab architecture ideas happening now, that i simply have to do another prefab post. This is not the past imagining the future, this is us now imagining the future. And some of it is bloody awesome.

One thing though on the prefab atompunk… i really get a kick out of that 50s-70s vision of the future because while now it’s so kitsch, it really DOES look like what the future should have looked like. I mean, now we’re in the very future they were dreaming of, and it doesn’t look a THING like their vision, and indeed their vision looks so tacky it boggles the mind… and yet it just seems like they SHOULD have been right.  Don’t get me wrong, i’m not complaing, and indeed the stuff i’m about to post i think looks KILLER and what i hope the future looks like and what one day my son will comment on as so quaintly deluded.

Since there is SO much stuff out there to choose from, one of my criteria is it has to be a prefab home. Also, the first thing one notices is that the trend today is towards green oriented, eco friendly designs, something i cannot be happier about.

Let’s start with the most basic staple of prefab: the Trailer!

Here is the prefab trailer park of tomorrow:

Next up is a woodland cottage by French designer Matali Crasset:

A wood container prefab from Olgga Architects. 70 square meters (about 753 square feet), this energy efficient abode is made of two prefabricated modules perched one on top of the other. Rather than box out the structure with a stacked configuration, the designers pivoted the top unit to create a variety of interesting and integrated outdoor spaces, as well as a variety of structural possibilities:

Oh hell, i’m just gonna copy and paste:

The modular M_House is a deceptively complex building system based on two simple components. The home boats a rib structure and wall panels that can be connected together to create an ever-changing house profile that is adaptable to many sites with minimal disturbance. Designed by Epiphyte-Lab, the system is also extremely frugal in terms of materials and can be built largely with standard widths of plywood that minimize waste. Panels inserted between the structural ribs are customized for different window requirements and can hold solar panels or even planters. Inside, the unique space benefits from the double-peaked roof, which allows for daylight throughout, and large rooms that seem both spacious and intimate.

The Egg House (blob BV3):

“The goal of this gray tower in Tübingen, Germany is to use as little energy as possible. Employing the principles of Passivhaus design , the JustK house by Deutschland-based AMUNT(architekten martenson und nagel·theissen), makes use of its local climate, super tight insulation, solar passive design and prefab elements. During the design phase, the architects also had to contend with strict building codes, a small plot and small budget, and ensuring the home’s neighbors could maintain their views of Tübingen Castle across the street.

“Utopian eco villages for Haitians. Inspired by the organic form of coral, Vincent Callebaut proposes Coral reef, a plug-in matrix for 1,000 Haitian families. Built upon seismic piers off the coast of the mainland, the prefabricated, modular units can be fit into a wave-like matrix as space is needed. Each family would have a plot of land to grow their own food, and their passive home would minimize energy usage, while renewabal energy sources would make the entire project carbon neutral.”

“This Mudgee Permanent Camping project by Casey Brown Architecture  excels at working with its environment  which is not an easy task given its isolated, rugged cliff-side locale in New South Wales, Australia. The highly adaptable design can open completely to immerse its occupants in expansive views, and it can close to protect the interior from the intense sun, wind and even fires. Rainwater catchment, reclaimed materials and super insulation give this eco cabin high marks in sustainable design.”

Binishells, conceived by renowned architect Dante Bini in the 1960s, Binishells were recently relaunched with the help of Bini’s son Nicoló. The new system, which uses low air pressure to lift and shape a collection of thin reinforced concrete structures, is an array of incredibly efficient abodes that use 80% less materials, have 95% of the embodied CO2, and boast a carbon footprint 80% smaller than traditional constructions

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