Prefab Prototypes

Prefabricated construction is a hot topic in architecture these days, and for good reason. Prospective homebuilders around the world are gravitating to prefab as an environmentally responsible and cost effective way to achieve that holiest of grails: an affordable, well-designed house. If you're hoping to jump onto this bandwagon or are just interested in what prefab building really entails, "Prefab Prototypes" is required reading. While other prefab books on the market show what can be done, dangling pretty pictures of affordable homes before your starry eyes, "Prefab Prototypes" takes you to the next step - it shows you how. Architects Mark Anderson and Peter Anderson have been working with prefab buildings for more than fifteen years. With "Prefab Prototypes", they break prefab down into six systems, from most flexible to most complicated - panelized wood framing, sandwich paneling, steel framing, timber framing, concrete systems, and modular systems. Each chapter delves into the benefits and drawbacks of its respective method, and features detailed plans, sections, and photographs of projects they've completed that use each of these systems. The resulting book is both a lush depiction of their prefab output as well as an in-depth analysis that will prepare you for taking the plunge into prefab building. If you're familiar with the prefab trend and want to graduate to the next level, "Prefab Prototypes" is your ticket.