Some Assembly Required: Wired Magazine on Prefab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.05
A new generation of tech-savvy architects is bringing premium-quality, prefabricated housing to the masses. Tom Vanderbilt of Wired Magazine covers the prefab scene in this very thorough article. Tom talks to Michelle Kaufmann of the Glidehouse and Breezehouse, Charlie Lazor of the Flatpak, Joel Turkel of Empyrian Homes (builder of the Dwell Homes) and Michael Sylvester of FabPrefab. Hey, they even quote me. ::Wired Magazine see also ::six slices of Prefab Paradise
Even after reading this article I'm still unsure why modular houses are considered to be green. The report says they use more lumber than a traditionally built home. Large swathes of the countryside are being turned over to new housing developments while thousands of properties lie derelict. Surely renovation of these properties using green building materials would be a better ideal.
Please can Treehugger do a nice balanced argument on the pros and cons of modular housing.