5 Cool Prefab Housing Ideas


Woven Apartments

Why stack apartment units on top of one another when you can weave them together? In Denver, architects have proposed a mixed-use development that consists of prefabricated units built at a factory, which are hoisted into place on-site and integrated together like strands in a potholder loom.

Called Weave Urban Housing, the project boasts several advantages over more traditional, flat-front apartment buildings -- besides just looking cool, of course. The woven structure of the units creates deep overhangs that create shade while allowing more natural daylight in. The units are constructed out of polymer composites, lightweight concrete slabs, and insulated, argon-filled windowpanes.

The Weave complex is interesting because the building would be a mix of different-sized apartment units. Arranged in the grid pattern, units could be one or two bays in width and one or two levels in height. The fact that they're made using prefabrication techniques allows for greater build precision and faster construction time.

The concept has 160 apartment units plus parking and retail. Time will tell if the concept becomes reality, but it's definitely a unique way of putting multiple units together.

Next up: Everyone loves a good rooftop view. So why can't you live there? We'll look at a clever idea for housing that fits atop existing buildings.