If you haven’t seen the latest modular home designs, you really need to check them out. If you think you’ve seen it all, you are infor a surprise: They are cool, funky, creative and green!
-There’s the Dice House, a 30’ by 30’ by 30’ cube that produces 90 percent of the home’s energy needs through a photovoltaic umbrella dome. This dome traps heat, which warms water and heats the home, and with photovoltaic cells, produces approximately 33 kilowatt hours per day.
-Then there’s the Hip Pod House, made from renewable materials
-The Magma Design LoftFloat, which is completely solar powered
-The Hillside Pod Home, offering 360 degree views
- Straw and Hemp homes, which are airtight, mold resistant and completely carbon negative
- and the Global Sustainable Home by John Farag, which eliminates sewer and water infrastructure by using dry composting toilets and air-to-water condenser to create fresh water .
If ever there was an industry that needs an overhaul, it is the construction industry. Most of its practices, from ripping apart and eroding the natural landscape to emitting untold toxins into the soil and air, can be eliminated, or nearly so, in the controlled environment of a modular buildings factory. Why modular buildings have not gained greater ground in the construction industry is a mystery, but probably due mostly to inertia. Modulars are gaining ground, however.
Once relegated to rural construction, where it wasn’t economically feasible to build site-built homes, modular homes are now becoming mainstream.
Once relegated to rural construction, where it wasn’t economically feasible to build site built homes, modular homes are now becoming mainstream. Not to be confused with mobile homes, which are built to codes generally considered to be of lesser quality, modular homes are built to the same high standards of site homes. They are constructed in factories far away from their ultimate destinations and when completed, are essentially indistinguishable from typical site-built homes. Yet, many agree that modular homes are not only equal to site-built homes, but indeed superior to them.
Consider these advantages of modular homes:
They are economical: By being built in factories, economies of scale prevail and bulk pricing for materials are passed on to the homeowner. Delivery fees, which are significant for site built homes, are non-existent for modulars. Construction site theft is not an issue, and construction delays disappear. Finally, the speed of construction means a faster return on investment.
They are environmentally friendly: Under modular factory conditions, waste is monitored and reduced; with site built homes, the waste can fill several dumpsters. Airborne dust and pollution are controlled in a factory setting, and workers are protected by state and federal health mandates. With site-built homes, workers usually have to commute many miles to the worksite, as do delivery trucks, numerous times over the course of several months. By contrast, the amount of energy spent on transportation with a modular home is reduced to a single delivery. Further, with site-built homes, the lot’s natural vegetation is scraped away so the typical two to ten delivery trucks a day can come and go easily. The land is often further degraded by toxins from engine leaks and spilled solvents. With modulars, toxins are minimized, and there is little disruption to the landscape, as there is no need to remove much, or any, of the natural vegetation.
They are stronger, tighter, more energy efficient: When FEMA studied the destruction in Dade County, Florida after Hurricane Andrew, they concluded that modular and masonry homes fared best compared to other construction, such as typical “stick” construction. In addition to being stronger, modular homes are more energy efficient. Because it doesn’t face the vicissitudes of weather, the wood in modular homes doesn’t warp, leading to tighter construction and better insulation. And some modular homes are built with solar panels, rainwater harvesting and water saving systems, as well.
They are cool and customizable: There are modular commercial, office, industrial, educational and health care buildings too, with designs that range from traditional to ultra contemporary.
Next time you consider moving to or building a new home or office, look into modular buildings first. You may be able to get exactly what you want for less cost to you and to the environment.
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