Prefab green
Prefab green
By Michelle Kaufman and Catherine Remick
Prefabricated housing, an all-purpose term that is used to describe any home that is built partly off-site, is enjoying a revival, thanks to a handful of innovative architects and hip shelter magazines. In its new incarnation, prefab is catching the eye of design-conscious consumers who appreciate its style and efficiency. Now, “built in a factory” means lower cost and higher-quality building components than many site-built homes. Most importantly, prefab and sustainability are a great match. Green prefab offers a more efficient way of building a home. People want homes that are affordable, enduring, healthy, and-now more than ever-environmentally sound.
In Prefab Green, architect Michelle Kaufmann shares her vision of creating thoughtful sustainable design for everyone. Her firm, Michelle Kaufmann Designs, blends sustainable home layouts, eco-friendly materials, and low-energy options to create a “prepackaged” green solution to home design. Kaufmann tells about five eco-principles that are present in every design her firm creates-smart design, eco-materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, and healthy environment-and how they work together to create homes that make a difference.
