"This exhibition presents a variety of approaches to prefab—from houses owners can build from a kit of parts to those that arrive fully assembled. Employing a wide range of materials, processes, and scales, these dwellings run the gamut from a glimmering sculptural metallic guesthouse by Steven Holl located on the windswept mesas of New Mexico (and thus aptly named Turbulence House) (2005) to Black Barn (2005), a pitched-roof, modern adaptation of a Viking longhouse designed and produced by Pinc House of Sweden to one-room cabins such as the diminutive weeHouse (2003) by St. Paul–based Alchemy Architects to expansive modular configurations such as the custom homes of Resolution: 4 Architecture of New York. Adapting to a variety of lifestyles and contexts, these works challenge our preconceptions of prefab. Breezehouse (2005) by Michelle Kaufmann of San Francisco takes a particularly ecological orientation with its extensive use of small gardens, cross-ventilation, energy-efficient appliances and mechanical systems, and renewable and nontoxic materials. Projects such as FlatPak House (2004) by Lazor Office of Minneapolis eschew the homogeneity associated with older prefab structures by offering owners a wide range of material choices and a hand in the layout of their spaces, while Rocio Romero’s LV and LVL Houses (2003/2004) exist as kit homes and have been used for a number of purposes, from affordable primary residences to a remotely sited bed and breakfast."

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