Pre-Fab SkyScrapers!

[sacrifice333]

Soon We May All Live In Prefab High-Rises
BY ARIEL SCHWARTZ Thu Apr 14, 2011


The recession has highlighted the need for affordable, efficient, quick-to-build structures in urban areas. Because while many of us want to live in pricey cities like Seattle and San Francisco, few people can afford the steel and concrete structures that are nice to live in (and hold up in earthquakes). You probably think of prefab houses sitting alone, out in the desert, or something like the post-apocalyptic Habitat 67. But Sustainable Living Innovations is going to soon unveil the beginnings of the new urban built environment: the prefab skyscraper.
Next week, Sustainable Living Innovations, a group made up of architectural design, construction, and engineering consultants, will unveil its first model unit in Seattle--a one-story prefab structure that shows off the design SLI hopes to use for sky-high buildings. Arlan Collins, principal at CollinsWoerman (the architecture firm behind the group) explains that in Seattle, a wood-frame apartment building with parking is $130,000 a unit. It also takes an interminable 36 to 40 months for design and construction. SLI's building costs the same--but it can be designed in less than 20 months. So for the same price as a building featuring a wood frame, vinyl windows, a popcorn ceiling,
and an ugly beige carpet, SLI can build a steel-framed building with concrete floor slabs and ample natural lighting, right out of an IKEA catalog.

Continue Reading on FastCompany.com

What do you guys think of the idea of pre-fab high-rises?!

Seems like the perfect answer to infill construction. If they can get the costs down further it would be a no-brainer.

[sacrifice333]

There's also a CDN company exploring these multi-family pre-fab ideas as well, Karoleena.



I believe W. Brett Wilson (the friendly dragon) has invested in them.

[allan_kuan]

I like the idea and support it as a way of reducing home purchasing costs.

Prefab unfortunately has a bad reputation due to a number of factors:
- construction is cheaper... which many infer to mean less quality work... this is true with past prefab developemnts in social housing in the US, Canada, USSR, etc.
- designs are usually the same, which means many buildings that look the same and therefore a boring and depressing skyline

Certainly prefab has gone a lone way from the projects of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and the projects of today seem to be of better quality? (have no idea though) In addition different colours and shapes can be used to break up the monotony of the past.

Having said that, I don't know if the rest of the public is willing to accept it.

Also worth noting, a house next door ordered a prefab laneway house... the owners predicted that it'd go in fast but delays ate into the schedule. Took almost the same amount of time as a normal laneway house might have been built in fact. =S

[trofirhen]

I'm just wondering precisely how big and tall they intend (or might) to go with these. Are the renders thus far an accurate mainstream desription, or are there 20-storey buildings made pre-fab. Out of cement, I guess.

[DKaz]

There was going to be a 20-ish storey pre fab highrise in Surrey some years ago using pre cast concrete pieces. 2 bedroom suites would've started from the low 200s. But the project never went ahead.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by DKaz

There was going to be a 20-ish storey pre fab highrise in Surrey some years ago using pre cast concrete pieces. 2 bedroom suites would've started from the low 200s. But the project never went ahead.

Wheeeew!! And to think I was being a bit facetious with the "out of cement" remark. I have reservations, though, about how structurally safe such a building might be. I'm no engineer, and comments on this topic are welcome.

[DKaz]

Skytrain and the new Port Mann Bridge uses prefab concrete parts for the guideway/bridge deck. Can't be any less safer than that.

[SpongeG]

wasnt that hotel in china prefab? you know the one where the video went around - it was built in a week from nothing to complete hotel in something like 7 days

[allan_kuan]

You mean this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E76uJi744Do

Someone had to make a comparison of it with the "slow" reconstruction of BC Place on a different video for some reason... ><"

The only problem I see is that we don't actually have a lot of steel... Most buildings around here use a combination of it with concrete. Construction may be faster even with prefab rebar-strengthened concrete sections similar to Habitat in Expo 67, but don't expect anything as fast as that. In addition the video seems more like a publicity stunt... surely fast but it requires a lot of work and money to do that in such a quick pace (at least here that is).

[sacrifice333]

Seems to me like the most practical application of pre-fab multi-family would be as a substitute for current wood-frame construction from the ground up.

Heights would max out at about 6 stories (yes wood can go higher!) and would help deal with waste, site size constraints, and timelines. In theory, by eliminating waste, and shortening time-frames the ultimate cost will be much lower... at least to the developer!

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by allan_kuan

You mean this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E76uJi744Do

Someone had to make a comparison of it with the "slow" reconstruction of BC Place on a different video for some reason... ><"

The only problem I see is that we don't actually have a lot of steel... Most buildings around here use a combination of it with concrete. Construction may be faster even with prefab rebar-strengthened concrete sections similar to Habitat in Expo 67, but don't expect anything as fast as that. In addition the video seems more like a publicity stunt... surely fast but it requires a lot of work and money to do that in such a quick pace (at least here that is).

yah thats the one