TreeHugger Picks: PreFab Trailers
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03.27.06
TreeHugger has a whole category swelling with our favorite prefab architecture; there's way too much to squeeze into just one post, so we'll start with our favorite prefab trailers. Just because it's mobile doesn't mean it can't be well-designed, modern, functional and fabulous.
1) Carol Troy's Cheap Chic double-wide trailer makes a fabulous escape from it all in the Napa Valley. Last we heard, there was talk of developing a nationally-marketed version...
2) miniHome may just be the best example of why TreeHugger digs modern prefab so much.
3) CorePod structures can be stacked together like building blocks as families grow and needs change, so when it's time to move, just unplug it and take it with you.
4) M-house is a great example of living in a sleek, efficient, green house that happens to be a trailer.
5) Katrina Cottage exists as an example that "design makes a difference," especially for those who need it most.
While these are all green and fairly low impact, two things trouble me about TH's enthusiasm for manufactured housing. First, the short(ish) lifespan of these homes. What happens to all the components of a miniHouse, for example, when its 50-year lifespan is complete? Second, this is still creating NEW housing. No mention of re-use of materials or retrofitting existing developments with these modules.
Here's an article about life inside a FEMA trailer.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060325/ap_on_re_us/katrina_life_in_a_fema_trailer
There's a real demand for smarter trailer housing options. In future disasters--and they're gonna keep coming--I can see families getting a "trailer allowance" where they can pick their own. They just need better but still affordable options.
Prefab design outfits, please get on this one now!
KPod, above, has a point. I am not sure if my fav will help ease his pain, but I believe cargotecture is a better re-use technology for mobile housing.
KPod (she) does like cargotecture - I'd forgotten about them.
Ok, I'm sold. But where do I buy?