Prefabrication at various levels

The illustration above landed at my feet as I was contemplating my next blog! It’s page 145 from a children’s book [Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey] Unfamiliar with architectural construction processes, has imagined in the illustration what prefabrication of homes might be in the 1940s. The reality is if prefabrication truly was cost efficient Builders would be building homes by this method. In truth, many components are mass-produced/pre-fabricated at reduced cost, but conventional framing is holding on as the most cost efficient method of assembly. Prefabricated homes are available and do offer more precise quality control, energy efficiency, and less site impact; but has yet to be price competitive. Systems furniture and Clean Room Labs are good examples of successful prefabrication of components in the construction process that are well established. Yet they still they require a high level of planning, management, staging and coordination. For further reading PRE FAB by Allison Arieff and Bryan Burkhart is a good resource to explore the many ways Prefabrication has been employed for homes and more. : https://www.amazon.com/Prefab-Allison-Arieff/dp/1586851322