Archinect - News

Your next job could help transform residential design and production with Zuru Tech

2023-12-13T12:38:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Landscape Designer at the Better Block Foundation, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Senior Architect at Zuru Group.

The role, based in El Segundo, CA, calls for an individual to sit at the forefront of Zuru Tech’s “ambitious project to craft 20-30 exceptional homes within the next 18-24 months.” Among the responsibilities will be leading residential design concepts, collaborating with a wider design team, and mentoring junior architects. Among the skills and qualifications desired for the role are a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture alongside 8-10 years of residential design experience.

Zuru Tech's workspace. Image credit: Zuru Tech

Why the role interests us

The open role at Zuru Tech offers us the opportunity to explore a company seeking to disrupt the traditional process of residential design and construction. The company’s approach centers on a client-facing...

A Tesla-inspired housing startup is hiring in Los Angeles

2023-08-24T15:01:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Construction Manager at Skystone Foundation, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an opportunity on Archinect Jobs for a Junior Architectural Engineer at Cover.

The role, based in Los Angeles, calls for an individual who will sit “at the center of innovation, bringing groundbreaking architectural vision to a future with abundant housing for all.” Among the requirements for the position are a degree in architecture, architectural engineering, or similar from an NAAB-accredited program and proficiency in tools such as Rhino, 3D Studio Max, VRay, and Photoshop.

Image credit: Cover Technologies, Inc.

Why the role interests us

The latest opening at Cover offers us the opportunity to explore the background of a firm that spoke with Archinect in 2021 on its creation and ethos. Founded in 2014 by Cooper Union graduates Alexis Rivas and Jemuel Joseph, the company describes itself as one that offers “a turnkey s...

Hapi Homes donates 10 “foldable” residential structures in Odesa

2023-04-07T11:33:00-04:00

A new gift facilitated by the Ukrainian Red Cross has installed 10 new “foldable” modular home designs from Hapi Homes, LLC. to the beleaguered historic port city of Odesa.

The gift is meant to house local families that have been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict. The two-bedroom units come fully furnished and are set to be delivered later in the month in an effort to alleviate the burden on local workers – all doctors, nurses, teachers, and engineers, respectively.

The company says: “The prefabricated homes are prebuilt and folded by Hapi Homes and assembled on-site. Each home is “plug-and-play,” and will be assembled in less than 8 hours. The homes will be located on a 2.4-acre site that the city hopes will ultimately house more than 70 homes."

Image courtesy Hapi Homes LLC.

Each design offers a total of 420 square feet of space for the workers’ families and includes a kitchenette, private bathroom, dining, and living room, with double-layered tempered glass windows, ...

Appels Architekten designs prefabricated wooden home in Bavaria

2023-03-28T14:49:00-04:00

Zurich-based firm Appels Architekten has designed an open, simplistic family home in Bavaria, Germany, composed of wooden cubes.

Called “House by the Lake,” the home balances privacy and spaces for gathering. As detailed by the architects, this configuration allows residents to retreat or participate in communal living at any time.

Photo © Florian Holzherr

All of the private rooms are housed within a sculpture of wooden volumes. Ample open space is made available both horizontally and vertically, drawing light into the house and offering views into the garden and surrounding environment. These features are maximized through the house’s generous ceiling height, light interiors, and expansive windows.

Photo © Florian Holzherr

New 3D printing housing factory aims to cut construction time by 50 percent

2023-03-28T12:51:00-04:00

3D printing construction technology startup Mighty Buildings has offered a first look inside their new factory in Monterrey, Mexico. As part of the company’s mission to develop and construct “climate-resilient, carbon-neutral homes near points of need,” the factory is reportedly capable of producing the components for an entire home during each day of operation.

Image credit: Mighty Buildings

The factory will produce homes using a blend of material science, robotics, and automation. Components for the homes will be 3D printed using Mighty Buildings’ concrete-free composite stone material, which is 30% lighter and 15% less expensive, and five times stronger than concrete. The company also claims their homes will be climate-resilient, carbon-neutral, and resistant to severe weather conditions, including hurricanes and earthquakes.

Image credit: Mighty Buildings

The components printed in the factory will form part of the company’s existing Mighty Kit System for prefabricated housing and ...

New prefabricated tiny house can be assembled in an hour for less than $40,000

2022-12-05T15:22:00-05:00

A Los Angeles-based tiny house startup named Vika Living has unveiled a compact, semi-permanent housing unit that it says can be set up in an hour for just under $40,000.

Called the Vika One, the fully prefabricated dwellings provide 144 square feet of living space, with a shared sleeping, living, dining, kitchen area, and separate bathroom. Its ceilings stand 8.5 feet tall, paired with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall and a 42-square-foot outdoor terrace.

The tiny house is also delivered complete with furnishings and fixtures, including a bed, table, chairs, toilet, kitchen, storage units, and mechanical systems for HVAC, water, power, and waste. There is also an off-grid model, which includes rooftop solar panels and batteries, fresh water pumping and filtration, and off-grid waste systems.

Image: Vika Living

The units are fully assembled in Vika Living’s Los Angeles factory and then delivered and installed on site. No foundations or heavy equipment are needed to set them up.

The ...

'Inflatable' concrete homes are coming to the market thanks to this startup

2022-10-11T15:29:00-04:00

A new solution to America’s multifaceted housing frustrations is blowing up in New York’s Hudson River Valley thanks to a startup called Automatic Construction.

The company says it has invented a new technique named the Inflatable Flexible Factory Formwork (or IFFF), which, with the help of an air pump and compressor, can inflate first the unrolled PVC formwork for the residential structure before a concrete mix reinforced by drop-stitch fibers is poured inside to settle.

The pouring process itself takes only about an hour to complete. After the concrete has cured to around 70% strength, shoring is removed while the membrane remains in place as a means of providing waterproofing for the structure. Drywall, doors, windows, and cladding are added to complete the structure, which, for now, is finished off with rebar that CEO Alex Bell says may come pre-installed in the future.

Image courtesy Automatic Construction

"The prefabricated forms are built in our factory with reinforcement in ...

Academics ‘debunk stereotypes’ around mobile home parks in search for affordable housing solutions

2022-08-19T12:44:00-04:00

A group of North American professors is seeking to debunk commonly-held stereotypes about mobile home parks in the United States. City & Regional Planning Assistant Professor Zachary Lamb (University of California, Berkeley), Geography & Planning Assistant Professor Jason Spicer (University of Toronto), and City & Regional Planning Assistant Professor Linda Shi (Cornell University) hope that their defense of the typology will make mobile homes a “new face of affordable housing.”

“Over 20 million Americans live in manufactured housing — more than in public housing and federally subsidized rental housing combined,” the group says in their recent thought piece on The Conversation. “Yet many people, including urban planners and affordable housing researchers, see manufactured housing parks as problems. In contrast, we see them as part of the solution to housing crises.”

In response to the critique that manufactured housing is ‘shoddy,’ the group argues that manufactured homes have had ...

Prefab construction startup Vantem plans 15 U.S. factories

2022-07-18T15:50:00-04:00

The company, which just raised a Series A round of investment from the Bill Gates-founded firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, builds homes using panels with a proprietary design that sandwiches an insulating layer between two structural boards.

Vantem announced it would use the recent funding from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Quadrant Management, and TEM Capital to build 15 factories for prefabricated modular housing units across the U.S. by 2029. According to the company, its proprietary panel system has already been deployed in over three million square feet of residential space globally, including Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and the Caribbean.

"Affordable housing is a global need that must be addressed," said Vantem CEO Chris Anderson, adding, "but if we build with traditional methods, we will solve one problem only to worsen another."

One year after ambitious construction startup Katerra went belly up, the market for modular, prefabricated construction is getting increasingly crowded with several players seeking to establish early dominance and disrupt the conventional model, including Vancouver-based ...

Startup raises $155 million to become ‘rising star’ in prefabricated construction

2022-06-28T09:00:00-04:00

One year after the failure of the ambitious construction startup Katerra, another construction technology company is seeking to pick up the mantle as a leader in sustainable, modular, prefabricated construction.

Based in Vancouver, Nexii Building Solutions has been described by The New York Times as “a rising star in the expanding green building industry,” combining a patented modular system with a reliance on 3D modeling software and third-party verification of its sustainability metrics.

Nexii's panels are fabricated in the company's two Canadian manufacturing plants. Image: Nexii/Twitter

Founded by entrepreneur Stephen Sidwell in late 2018, Nexii became the fastest company in Canadian history to reach a valuation of more than $1 billion, doing so in 31 months. Having recently completed its seventh round of funding, the startup has raised more than 200 million Canadian dollars, or 155 million U.S. dollars.

As described in a recent feature in the Times, Nexii’s patented building s...

Where modular housing meets digital client processes, new job opportunities emerge for architects

2022-04-13T09:00:00-04:00

In a 2021 feature titled For Affordable Housing, The Revolution Will Be Modularized, we explored one architect’s vision for an industrial-scale solution to the affordable housing crisis; one which centered on shipping-container-sized modules configured as various combinations of housing options.

Archinect Feature: For Affordable Housing, The Revolution Will Be Modularized

The proposal is one of many examples from our editorial of architects seeking ways of disrupting the design and delivery of housing; disruptions that address the ecological, economic, and logistical issues prevalent in traditional housebuilding. In the case of Bjarke Ingel’s Nabr, the solution is to redesign to process through which people purchase and customize a home; replacing the traditional procurement model for architects with a more welcoming, digital-first platform.

This redesign of the path to homeownership is not confin...

Decarbonizing the AEC sector means innovation in architectural systems, and career pathways for architects

2021-11-22T12:52:00-05:00

As part of the AEC sector’s effort to decarbonize in light of the industry’s contribution to climate change, architects, engineers, and researchers are increasingly devoting efforts not only to the design of space but to the composition of materials, structural systems, and façades.

In the past three months alone, AEC researchers have developed 3D printing technology to convert wood waste to building materials, composite concrete made from recycled cement and carbon dioxide, and a recycled paper composite which could cool buildings without electricity.

Archinect Feature: University of Florida Graduates Mani Karami and Drew Kauffman Create Photobioreactor Facade Systems for Algae Architecture

While some devote energy to conceiving and producing materials for a more sustainable built environment, others are investigating how these materials could form part of broader façade or structural systems. In last year’s Archinect Spotlight on Thesis Projects, we spoke to University of Flori...

10-story apartment building in Changsha, China erected in 28 hours

2021-06-22T20:26:00-04:00

Chinese manufacturing company Broad Group has constructed a 10-story apartment building in just over a day.

Called the Living Building, the structure is located in the company’s headquarters location of Changsha, China. A timelapse released by Broad Group shows the apartment block being erected in just 28 hours and 45 minutes with the help of three cranes and a large team of workers.

Video via Broad Group on YouTube.

Broad Group specializes in manufacturing a range of air conditioning, heating, and prefabricated structural units. As stated in the project’s publicity video, the company has been developing factory-made steel buildings since 2009. Additionally, Broad Group claims that this is the world’s shortest construction period.

The Living Building was constructed using modular units that were made off-site in a factory. It was designed to be easy to transport and install. The structure is made of pure stainless steel, with each module sized at forty feet long, eight feet wide,...

A possible future for ADUs and its growing 'familiarity factor'

2021-03-30T15:08:00-04:00

The allure of ADU's has grown significantly. Yet, with new state laws initiated in places like California pre-fabricated options for backyard dwelling units are more accessible to those who want them.

This past month, Los Angeles launched its new ADU Standard Plan Program to streamline the approval process while "promoting good design" with preapproved plans. In our previous editorial coverage, Los Angeles hopes to cut housing red tape with preapproved ADU designs, our team showcased a selection of designs from architectural firms.

SO – IL: 1-story, 1 bedroom with options (693 sf)

Jennifer Bonner/MALL: 1-story, 1-bedroom with roof deck with options (652 sf)

sekou cooke STUDIO: 2- bedroom 2 -bathroom (1,200 sf)

Continuing with coverage of ADU growth, Bloomberg CityLab's Kriston Capps reports on California's new "backyard apartment boom." Using Los Angeles, San Jose, and Portland's ADU growth, there's more to these backyard units than extra space. Kim-Mai Cutler, a partner at the ventur...

Plant Prefab pledges to achieve carbon neutrality by 2028

2019-09-27T18:00:00-04:00

Plant Prefab, a building manufacturing backed by Amazon, has announced a plan to achieve "net carbon neutral" operations by the year 2028.

According to a Medium post announcing the move, since 2006, the company has steadily worked to increase its "comprehensive and continuous effort to employ and improve materials and processes that are energy, water, and materially resource-efficient and that are safe for humans and the environment."

The plan comes as investor Amazon issues its own carbon neutrality pledge with the aim of achieving "net zero carbon by 2040 and 100% renewable energy by 2030," according to a press release.

The company's mostly-single-family home product lines already make use of an array of sustainable practices. Image courtesy of Plant Prefab.

Describing Plant Prefab's ambitions, founder and CEO Steve Glenn writes, “Our promise is a commitment to being carbon neutral by 2028, which we’ll achieve by our continued efforts to implement industry-leading sustainabilit...

Amazon buys into the (Alexa-powered) prefab housing market

2018-09-26T13:32:00-04:00

Amazon has made clear that it wants to own the smart home space. Now the company's going a step further, taking a stake in a start-up that's building actual homes. On Tuesday, Amazon said its Alexa Fund invested in Plant Prefab, a Southern California company that says it uses sustainable construction processes and materials to build prefabricated custom single- and multifamily houses. The start-up is aiming to use automation to build homes faster and bring down costs.

With this recent investment in eco-friendly prefabricated home factory Plant Prefab, Amazon uses its mighty financial leverage and dominance in the market for voice-controlled connected devices to make the brand just as synonymous with smart homes as it already is with online retail.

Plant Prefab, headquartered in Rialto, California, offers standard and custom prefab homes in collaboration with established design partners, including Ray Kappe, KieranTimberlake, and LivingHomes.

2017 Antepavilion playfully subverts planning legislation and explores alternative city-dwellings

2017-08-14T15:57:00-04:00

The Antepavilion program, a joint venture between the Architecture Foundation and the Arthouse Foundation, launched an international competition to design a £25,000 pop-up rooftop at Columbia and Brunswick Wharf in Hackney, north-east London. The goal was to invite architects, artists and designer to explore innovative ways of living within the city while engaging with issues of sustainability. After shortlisting five designs, PUP Architects—a London-based studio—was selected for their duct-shaped pavilion.

Photo Credit: Jim Stephenson

Called the H-VAC, the structure is built of a timber frame, cladded in shingles made from peach iced-tea Tetra Pak cartons. The design playfully subverts planning legislation by disguising the dwelling as air conditioning equipment. Their design exploits loopholes for mechanical rooftop equipment that does not require planning permission due to relaxed permitted developments rights. The firm stated that "while permitted dev...

The S House prefab system hopes to bring super-low-cost housing to Vietnam — and the rest of the world

2017-07-05T14:55:00-04:00

Known as “S Houses,” these prefab structures going up here in Ba Vi, about 30 miles from Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, are iterations of a prototype that Mr. Nghia has been honing since about 2013. [...] But Mr. Nghia says that his plan is to mass-manufacture this portable, easy-to-assemble design for people in slums, remote areas or refugee camps around the world, beginning later this year, all for the starting price — $1,500 — of about two iPhones.

The NYT takes a closer look at the extremely affordable S House prefab system currently going up by the dozens in Vietnam, with a keen eye on the global super-low-cost market. Designed by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, a design studio with offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, S House was exhibited with a full-scale prototype at the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

S HOUSE at the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Photo: Steve Hall, Tom Harris, copyright: Hedrich Blessing, image via the architects' website.

If the firm name sounds strangely familiar, Vo Trong Nghia Architects won the 2014 World Architecture Festival 'House' category with the spectacular House for Trees project. VTN partner Masaaki Iwamoto is also a 2014 Wheelwright Prize finalist.

Fearing a drop in skilled workers, Brexit Britain looks to prefab housing

2017-03-16T15:01:00-04:00

The prospect of Brexit choking off the supply of EU workers is reshaping Britain's homebuilding industry, with big companies increasingly looking to factory-manufacture houses in sections that can be slotted together on-site with minimal labour. Many of Britain's leading housebuilders, including Berkeley, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Your Housing, told Reuters they were either planning new developments of prefabricated homes or considering doing so.

"You can almost feel the fear among the contractors and housebuilders where they've been surviving on labor from outside the country," says Mark Stevenson, a managing director of construction supplier Kingspan. "We're being pulled in a direction that customers want us to go in, from more work from the building site into the factory."

China will build modular housing factories in the UK, aiming to produce 25,000 homes per year

2016-12-20T13:00:00-05:00

The six planned factories will use British light gauge steel framing to produce panelised components for residential developments that are “at least 75% off-grid” thanks to solar power and energy efficient design, renewables developer Welink said in announcing the joint venture today (19 December). [...] The UK government greeted the news enthusiastically, as it tries to lure innovative entrants to the UK housing market to help it deliver its objective of 1 million new homes by 2020.

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