Marketing Design: Green Modern Prefab Meets Google
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 1.07
Michelle Kaufmann was one of the first architects to successfully sell modern prefab, was an early proponent of green design, has gained control of the production process by building her own factory, and is singlehandedly revolutionizing the industry. Having dealt with how it is built, now she is challenging how it is sold.
We have mentioned our fondness for Sketchup before; the easy to use software was bought by Google and is now available free for download here. Of course, once something is free the user base gets huge, and a community develops that contributes drawings (components in Sketchup lingo) to a free and open 3D Warehouse. Michelle models the three houses in her line in Sketchup and puts them in the warehouse (filed under "MKD") complete with interiors and layers, free for anyone to download. But wait, there's more.
Google also offers Google Earth and mashed it and Sketchup so that you can put your Kaufmann design on your own property, play with the shadows and orientation, get comfortable with the plans and elevations before you even send her an email.
This is why I love modern prefab so much. Good design meets the precision of the factory and now the best of the Internet (or is that the best of Google, or are they now synonymous?) from Michelle Kaufmann Designs thanks ::Jetson Green
conflict note: in this writer's prefab days, he tried unsuccessfully to flog Glidehouses in Ontario.
