| We have recently finished planning a prefab home in Germany and hopefully soon the actual building process will start. Just a couple of insights: * roughly a third of private homes are build like this * prices are a little lower than custom build (although not as much as when you start the planning) * very extensive customization is possible * walls are high tech versions of a century old building technique (wooden frame with heat preserving insulation) * energy efficiency (walls, heating system, solar) is brought to an extreme * due to regulations and and extensive planning (Germany, right?) it takes 9-15 months * The building itself only takes a couple of days * Building brick by brick wasn't an option to us due to a current lack of qualified crafts men and women (you end up with 90%, waiting months for the rest to be finished) My thoughts looking at the Japanese ones: Nice minimalistic architecture but some (already mentioned) things seem unhandy. Also doubt that they are as energy efficient as their german counterparts ;) |
Not to mention, the homes in this article represent something like 0.01% or less of actual Japanese prefab homes. Most have very few windows, which are very small. The interior spaces tend to be fairly small as well. Not these open styles.
This is all due to earthquake planning. Studies have consistently found lightweight exterior walls with lots of interior support are most likely to remain standing in a severe earthquake. The small windows reduce weight and are also more efficient since the sun in Japan will roast your house in the summer if you have big windows.