“Snapped together from a combination of modules, panels, and preformed structural frames, the Loblolly house, named for the loblolly pines here in the Maryland tidewater area, is a manifesto for a new way of building. Architect Kieran and his partner, James Timberlake, have long been known for their finely crafted and energy-efficient buildings and materials. But the Philadelphia-based pair wanted more than just high-profile commissions – they were looking for a breakthrough technology that would let them make smarter, greener structures that could go up quickly and cheaply…
In 2001, after studying how the automotive, aircraft, and shipbuilding industries had revolutionized themselves over the previous 15 years, Kieran and Timberlake realized that architecture needed the equivalent of an integrated circuit. They began to combine glass, drywall, pipe, and wood frames into finished units, each precision-engineered for cost, beauty, and sustainability. In the Loblolly house, the walls and floors are made of panels (some as tall as 21 feet) that were manufactured with wiring, insulation, plumbing, and ductwork already in place. And the main power systems of the home, including two bathrooms and the galley kitchen, were delivered to the construction site in preassembled, plug-and-play units. After the site was prepared, the 2,200-square-foot house took three weeks to assemble.”
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Straying from your bailiwick a bit don’t you think…
Not really…. You’ll notice there are still trees and dirt around this house.
Very interesting. It’s easy to see that these people are forward-thinking, and may very well be at the cutting edge of the way that many homes will be built in the future.
But my initial thought at seeing this is “How will it hold up to extreme weather conditions, particularly high winds?”
It sounds like it’s mostly just a slick, glorified mobile home with much cooler-looking architecture.
Regarding pre-fab homes, though… it’s interesting to note that the homes in the neighborhood right behind mine were built primarily from pre-fab framing. They brought all the walls and roof trusses in on trucks, attached them together on a concrete foundation, then did the finishing work on top of them like you would with standard construction (including things like brick facades and chimneys). The end result seems to be indistinguishable from a home which was framed on-site. So it’s sort of a hybrid way of doing it, that incorporates some of these newer ideas, but still ends up with the same end result.
Sounds like the builder behind us could take this pre-fab approach a little further by including all the wiring already integrated into the frame, as well as other things like plumbing, ventilation, etc. I don’t think that stuff is integrated now.
not sure if you’ve read Ecotopia but its pretty interesting, it mentions auburn. but this house reminds me of that book.
I cant wait until california falls in the ocean and mt hood explodes cause then people will realize our actual existance on this recycling planet. even if I do get smooshed when it happens.
Hey man, have you ever read anything about shipping container houses? There’s tons of stuff about it on the net. Basically, you just get a bunch of shipping containers (the kind that you sometimes see on flat bed train cars, or on ships coming into harbor), and you weld and stack them until you have the house you want. Then just drywall and all the other stuff that most houses have. Really cheap, really cool, and really termite free! You may find it interesting.