Modular construction methods continue to grow in popularity. Here are some updates from around the world.
When Camilla Novotna started modular company, ecokit in AUSTRALIA, her early research showed housing becoming less affordable, the desire of homeowners to live in healthier homes, and that many people wanted to build their own homes, but were struggling with local codes. She knew they'd have to challenge the way houses were being built and that she wanted the homes to be energy efficient and green.
The NEW ZEALAND government has committed $2 billion for KiwiBuild, an ambitious program that will aim to deliver 100,000 affordable, quality homes for first home buyers over the next decade. Housing Minister Phil Twyford is hoping more than half of those homes will be made by prefabrication methods.
Also in NEW ZEALAND, Fletcher Building employs over 20,000 people across the globe and operates in manufacturing, retail, home building, and major construction and infrastructure projects. As of June 2018 they were "negotiating a lease on a site to build a giant prefabricated home factory in Auckland.
Affordability, security, weather resiliency, and luxury are all factors in the ASIA-Pacific region being in a position to overtake the US as the world's largest prefabricated building market.
SINGAPORE is a nation known for their strict adherence to self-imposed laws. They are now requiring the use of Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) "for selected non-landed residential Government Land Sale (GLS) sites from 1 Nov 2014 onwards." Singapore believes building productivity can be improved by up to 50% in terms of manpower and time savings (depending on the project) and that off-site methods will improve safety or workers as well.
Revolution Precrafted is an "exclusive group of the world’s leading architects, artists, and designers who collectively pursue the desire to make high-design attainable for everyone" by creating prefabricated, livable spaces. With a presence in Japan, Mauritius, Cyprus, and Central and South America, to name a few, their recent expansion into BAHRAIN should be no surprise.
A prefab home was placed by helicopter in Kandalaksha, RUSSIA when a resident in the town won a contest that asked participants to submit locations for a prefab DublDom and explain how the structure would benefit the area.
Britain’s oldest independent manufacturer and supplier of permanent modular buildings recently delivered the UK’s first energy-positive office.
Also in the UK, Petit Place is an updated version of the WikiHouse model of open source architecture and offers a simple post and beam build using flat stock cut and assembled into the post, beams and panels. WikiHouse is gaining steam all over the world w/ several projects being developed in the US too.
Architect firm, Ofis Arhitekti in SLOVENIA, created prefab stacked modules they call, Living Units. Each unit can be arranged vertically or horizontally, and can be adapted to various climates and landscapes.
In GERMANY, coodo was designed to be a functional, flexible living or working space that is both mobile and relocatable (depending on local codes, of course).
Not mapped above, a company in the NETHERLANDS has created a modular home that can be powered by the sun.
If you know of an interesting project happening outside of the U.S. share it with us by emailing colby@miginnovation.com.