Prefab [Hardcover]

...The challenges of light, flexible, non-permanent housing cry out for elegant solutions... That is exactly what we get in this book.

PREFAB...presents the fascinating history of prefabricated housing--both its shortcomings and its enormous potential...

Prefab houses have done a lot to earn their reputation for being cheap and ugly. But now, and throughout out prefab's history, there have been many exceptions to the rule from Albert Frey’s Corbu-inspired Aluminaire house to Kisho Kurokawa’s space age capsule tower. Prefab offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of prefabricated housing over the last century, revealing a wealth of practical and attractive alternatives to the status quo. Arguably, these houses failed to capture the public imagination because of their emphasis on mass-production. Today, Arieff argues, prefabrication is embracing the concept of mass-individualization. Instead of cookie-cutter homes designed for anonymous residents, the potential now exists for affordable, well-designed homes that utilize the positive aspects afforded by factory production while also addressing the needs of the individual.

Prefab features the work of over 25 contemporary architects and designers who are exploring the myriad possibilities that prefabrication offers for housing for the future.

HISTORY catalogues the fascinating development of prefabricated housing’s successes and failures—from the concrete structure developed by Thomas Edison to Fuller’s Dymaxion House to Kisho Kurokawa’s space-age capsule tower to Wes Jones’ sleek shipping container cabins.

PRODUCTION examines a diverse group of houses and apartment buildings designed for mass-production from affordable prefab apartments in east London to an elegant aluminum summer house in Iceland.

CUSTOM showcases one-off houses by architects less interested in mass production than in the design possibilities, cost savings and/or environmental benefits offered by prefabricated technologies.

CONCEPT presents a wide array of virtual and conceptual prefab projects that offer a glimpse into the future direction of prefabrication.

From the poetic constructions of Shigeru Ban to the fantastical digitized aluminum prototypes of Gregg Lynn to the stylish functionality of IKEA's prefab apartments, Prefab presents a series of innovative homes and concepts which boldly demonstrate how far this much maligned building technique has come—and how far it can go.

ALLISON ARIEFF is a writer and the senior editor of the architecture magazine, Dwell. She is the co-author of Trailer Travel: A Visual History of Mobile America, and the editor of numerous books on art and culture including Airstream: A History of the Land Yacht, Hatch Show Print: The History of a Great American Poster Shop, Gilded Edge: The Art of the American Picture Frame, and Homemade Esthetics: Observations on Art and Taste by Clement Greenberg.

BRYAN BURKHART is the creative director of Modernhouse Design+Editorial. He is the designer and co-author of Airstream: The History of the Land Yacht, Trailer Travel: A Visual History of Mobile America, and the designer of the book, Cheap Hotels. Burkhart’s design clients have included Taschen, Chronicle Books, Sony, Atom Films, and the California College of Arts and Crafts.