In January HUD announced a review of manufactured housing rules seeking public comments on identifying regulations which stifle affordable housing.

Fluxus LLC, a prefabricated building technology platform, has submitted the following comment for the HUD Regulations Division’s consideration in current and planned manufactured housing rules. The group identifies two main issues and offers two recommendations each to address these issues: 

Problem Statement No. 1
The definition of HUD-code Manufactured Homes constrains its potential applications typologically, programmatically and aesthetically. According to the definition below, the HUD-code Manufactured Homes applies only to dwellings with an attached permanent chassis on which they are transported to the site in one or more sections.

Recommendation
1. Focus on creating outcome and performance based standards to replace overly prescriptive design standards.
2. Focus on code development cost of ownership not cost of construction

Problem Statement No. 2
It is well documented that the productivity growth of the construction industry as a whole has significantly lagged behind other industries. While technology advances in sensing, control systems and connectivity are being rapidly deployed in other industries, the construction industry is lagging on the deployment of these and other exciting innovations in part due to complexity in code development and regulatory overreach.

Recommendation
1. Implement productivity-improving technologies
2. Provide funding and a mechanism to accelerate innovation

Read the full Fluxus comment here.