Architecture

TrendWatch: Pre-fab houses

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Weehouse
2005 was perhaps the break-out year for the pre-fab home. The year’s dozen or so inspired offerings drew widespread coverage in the design press. And Dwell Magazine went as far as launching their own line of ready-to-build houses. The appeal of the Dwell Homes — and other pre-fabs — is that they deliver reasonably cost-conscious options for style-seeking nesters. For a quick, satisfying look at the state-of-the-art, this BusinessWeek slide show offers a sampler, including Alchemy Architects’ weeHouse (pictured), Charlie Lazor’s FlatPak, and Ikea’s BoKlok. A few notables that BW skipped: Adam Kalkin’s Push Button house, which automatically unpacks itself, and Werner Aisslinger’s Loftcube, designed to perch on an urban rooftop.