Some of you old school prefab enthusiasts may be interested in knowing that a brand new Dwell Home designed by Charlie Lazor (i.e., also doing the Flatpak House) is for sale in Sausalito, California. 61 Wolfback Ridge was just completed this year. The 4,200 square foot home contains 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, and an additional 2,400 square feet of decks and outdoor spaces. It can be yours for current price of $3,650,000.
Update 6/25/09: the eBay listing is live!
A little over six months ago, we took a quick look at the reclaimed prefabs being built by Austin-based Reclaimed Space. Then, last week we mentioned they'd have a prefab home on display at this weeks' Dwell on Design. Now, after talking with the guys at Reclaimed Space this weekend, we have some additional news. Their new home for Dwell on Design is going to be auctioned off through eBay starting Tuesday, June 23, 2009. When the listing goes live, we'll update this article, but here's some more information behind the auction ...
In conjunction with the small structures trend we're following, reader Joseph Sandy sent in these photos of his 8' x 10' backyard shed in Sonoma County, California. Sandy bought $180 worth of old fencing from Heritage Salvage, the local reclaimed material supplier, and cut the pieces in usable 2' segments to create the mesmerizing reclaimed rainscreen. With a polycarbonate clerestory and plywood/pegboard walls, the inside is ready to go. And Sandy liked the finished look so much, he's thinking of turning the design into a prefab kit offering of sheds, studios, offices, and housing.
Dwell on Design keeps getting bigger and better every year, and the Dwell Outdoor exhibit promises to be just right for these (un)extravagant times. The modern design event will be held from Friday, June 26, through Sunday, June 28, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The entire program will be diverse and compelling, but I'm particularly intrigued by the lineup of four small structures planned for the 15,000 square feet of outdoor exhibit space. Check these out:
A couple months back, I read an article about Daniel Libeskind's prefab plans, and today, the NY Times broke the story wide open. In Libeskind Designs a Prefab Home, the Gray Lady gives us a glimpse of The Villa, which is part of Daniel Libeskind's Signature Series of private homes. There's a prototype of The Villa currently under construction in Datteln, Germany, which should be completed this summer. And like a limited production set of artwork, The Villa will be offered in regionally exclusive neighborhoods all over the world. For the right price ...
If you're anywhere near Menlo Park, California this weekend, you should head over to Celebration Weekend held by Sunset Magazine. This year, Sunset is featuring a Modern Cottage built by Modern Cabana as one of the magazine's idea houses. I guess the official name is something like the Sunset Modern Cottage Idea House. Made with two modular living spaces, 300 square feet and 120 square feet, respectively, this MC Studio Home is a striking combination of style, efficiency, and small living.
Simpatico Homes is a new prefab company that plans to break ground on their prototype home this summer. Simpatico has a simple philosophy based on three core elements: form (modern), function (modular prefab), and footprint (green building). The company was kind enough to provide these renderings of the prototype, which will be built in Emeryville, California. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 2500 square-foot abode was designed by Swatt Architects to received LEED Platinum. It will include some of the following green elements:
On Cherry Street in Port Townsend, Washington, a confluence modern version of an ideabox prefab was installed. The 840 square-foot home has an open kitchen and living area flanked by two bedrooms / bathrooms on the ends. It sits perfectly on a small lot and the deck leads to a vegetable garden where the new homeowners will be able to live off the land, to a certain extent.
Last November, Project FROG demonstrated their FROG Zero classroom at Greenbuild 2008, and it was quite impressive. Now, the company has a couple projects in the works, and they just broke ground on a new Center for Science and Global Citizenship at the Watkinson School in Hartford, Connecticut. The 4,000 square-foot science center will generate more energy within its footprint than is required to operate the systems. To do so, it will rely on some of the following active and passive strategies:
Update 5-27-09: Michelle Kaufmann explains what's next.
A short few hours ago, an article popped up on the LA Times website breaking the unfortunate news that Michelle Kaufmann Designs is shutting down by the end of this week. Despite the fact that the article was written by Christopher Hawthorne -- pretty much the most authoritative architecture critic on the West Coast, the news was hard to process. This is the firm that's built 40 green prefab houses, including the mkLotus, mkSolaire Smart Home, and a number of other beautiful green prefabs! MKD can't close its doors! But in an email late this afternoon, Michelle confirmed the news.
