I recently went to the Buckminster Fuller exhibition at the Whitney Museum and finally saw his Dymaxion House sketches for the first time. They were initially prototyped in the 1930s, but the idea of prefab homes has a long history. Aladdin Company and Sears Roebuck and Co. were selling “house kits” back in the early 1900s.

You have to admit, some of these modular homes feel a bit cold and uniform.  However, I am warming up to them, as I understand the concept behind them. Buckminster Fuller developed the Dymaxion House with the idea of social responsibility in mind. He wanted to address the shortcomings of homebuilding techniques of his time and was also looking for new ways to use resources more efficiently. The home design he created was meant to be easily shipped and assembled.  Fast forward to today. There are plenty of prefab homes to choose from, but one designer’s work stands out in my mind. Michelle Kauffmann has set out to develop the ultimate green prefab homes. Her prefabs designs incorporate energy efficient, eco-friendly systems and materials. The homes feature green roofs, LED lights, solar, wind generation and geo-thermal power. The placement of the doors and windows is carefully thought out to maximize cross-ventilation and natural lighting. She also uses non-toxic, low VOC paints and chooses formaldehyde-free materials for the cabinetry. For plumbing, she installs water-saving fixtures and on-demand water heaters and the list for sustainable design goes on.

After seeing one of Michelle’s models at the Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry,  I couldn’t help but to want to move into one. Until I learned of the costs! At $250-$275 per square foot for predesigned home, and $400+ per square foot for custom designed homes, they come with a hefty price tag.  So, the next thing we need to work on is to make sustainable design more affordable.