The fans of prefab get real

ALLISON ARIEFF wrote the book “Prefab” in 2002, chronicling the history of prefabricated houses and mapping the possible future of environmentally responsible modular home design and fabrication.

“When I told people what I was doing, they giggled,” says Arieff, one of the founders of Dwell and formerly the magazine’s editor. “Like, why would anybody write a book on this really mundane ugly architecture?”

Since then, the laughable increasingly has become laudable. On Saturday, Arieff will lead prefab designers Michelle Kaufmann, Jennifer Siegal and Rocio Romero in a panel discussion titled “The Four Women of Prefab” during the annual CA Boom show in Santa Monica.

Here, Arieff shares her opinions about the contemporary design movement she dubs “modern prefab”:

Kit houses have been around since Sears Roebuck started selling them 100 years ago, and the Eames House in Pacific Palisades was built from off-the-shelf materials. Why has prefab become popular again?

One of my theories is that lots of people are dissatisfied with the housing stock and that this really promises an alternative. Most of the people I know bought the house they’re in because that’s what they could afford, not because it’s the house they really wanted. Prefab could help deliver variety. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting housing developments over the last six months, and it’s really thoroughly depressing, so the time is right to rethink things. Developers haven’t really embraced this concept, but with the housing market so dire, people may be finally recognizing that there might not be such a great future in 10,000-square-foot McMansions.

What is “modern prefab,” and what is the importance of making the distinction?

For the majority of people, the idea of prefab is still very much ugly, poorly constructed, cookie-cutter homes. I use “modern prefab” to distinguish from the thousands of tract houses that are built using prefab construction. In my mind, modern prefab suggests prefab homes designed by architects. These days, there is a financial and moral imperative to do things that are more sustainable, and the people who work in modern prefab are also the leading edge.

How has the movement and market changed in the six years since you wrote your book?

Well, there are a lot more books on the subject, but the funny thing is that they pretty much all have the same houses in them. I would say that nationally there are only 100 houses of this type that have actually been built. A lot was over-promised and under-delivered, so now we are going through this period of realism where the consumer wants to see what’s available and possible. For a lot of people it’s still conceptual -- architecture on paper.

What are the signatures of modern prefab?

Having a home that relies heavily on natural light and ventilation, and floor plans conducive to the way one naturally moves through a house, often get lost in mass home design. In modern prefab, the goal is to create efficiency in design and in living, and the houses also tend to express what they are made of. There are expanses of glass, exposed beams and studs.

To take a blue-sky approach, how can modern prefab make the world a better place to live?

Modern prefab can begin to make a dent in the tragic vernacular homogeneity that plagues this country. People speak all the time of “context” or houses being true to their respective neighborhoods, but what I see when I travel around the country is the same boxes with a tacked-on facade -- French country, Tuscan, Cape Cod, whatever. It’s not architecture, and it’s not good design.

But beyond the aesthetic, practitioners of modern prefab place an emphasis on smarter, more sustainable building materials. That reduces the massive environmental impact of home-building and makes houses healthier for people to live in as well. The smaller footprint that is often the signature of these homes is also far better for the environment.

What’s the first question a consumer should ask a prefab designer?

I’d have a lot of respect for an architect if I described my site and they said, ‘Look, you’d be served just as well by doing it stick-built [conventional wood-frame construction].’ So a very good question to ask is: “Is there a merit to using a prefab system at all?”

What upsides make it attractive?

If you’re attracted to modern architecture, prefab can be a great way to get it. The upsides are quicker construction time, more efficient use of materials, less waste, and the money saved from these things. There’s no question that prefab can be quicker or easier than the alternative, but nothing is as quick or cheap as people want it to be. A common mistake people make is [thinking] that it’s going to be easy.

To the contrary, on some websites you have to fill out an enormous questionnaire about your property in order to get an answer back. That really forces someone to sit down and think about what they’re getting into. . . . The buyer should do due diligence.

What does that include?

Visit previously built homes, ask for references, make sure the architect can facilitate permits and approvals. Many sites and developments have stipulations against prefab and manufactured homes, so make sure you’re not on or buying land you won’t be able to build your dream home on.

Don’t the rolling topography and fault lines of L.A. present challenges?

Hills don’t make it any harder to build a prefab than a stick-built house. It just means you are going to have to build a really expensive foundation. I wouldn’t recommend someone buying one of those sheer drop lots for $100,000 . . . and thinking that they can put a cheap prefab house on it, because they will still have an insane, expensive amount of foundation work.

Prefab once held the prospect of affordable design for the masses, but people who knock prefabs point out that those built today are made-to-order houses that cost more than conventional houses. Is that true?

This is where it gets complicated. Home construction is contingent on local labor and materials costs; building in California, especially in L.A. and San Francisco, can cost more than building anywhere else, irrespective of whether a home is a factory fabrication or built on-site.

The “design” of homes in most housing developments favors the bottom line, so, of course, square-footage costs will be at a bare minimum. In those cases, design takes a back seat to costs. Made-to-order prefab houses certainly cost more than cookie-cutter developer homes, but compare apples to apples. Because they have already been designed, prefabs cost less than commissioning an architect to build a one-off from the same materials.

In terms of design, aesthetics and construction, what are the most successful modern prefabs you’ve seen?

All of the women on the panel with me at CA Boom -- Michelle Kaufmann, Jennifer Siegal, Rocio Romero -- have excelled at creating smart, buildable systems that are highly livable and very sustainable. The forms, the materials, the siting, the floor plans are all well thought out and make the most of natural light, ventilation and landscaping. I’d happily live in any of them. I’d add to the list the work of Marmol Radziner, Resolution: 4 Architecture and FlatPak (Charlie Lazor) for the same reasons.

Is there a reason why your panel is entirely female?

I’m not going to make a big feminist statement about how women are essential to the future of prefab. It just so happens that there is a small group of people in this male-dominated industry, and they happen to be female.

Why do you think Southern Californians are so intrigued by modern prefab?

California is the birthplace of the Case Study program, and that legacy is never too far in the background. Most obviously, the climate in California lends itself to the merging of indoors and out that these home designs often celebrate. Los Angeles has been very open to more experimentation and innovation in architecture.

Do you live in a modern prefab?

People ask me all the time, “Aren’t you dying to build your own home?” It’s a pretty arduous and dramatic, process -- an emotional and financial investment that most people aren’t really ready to undertake. With what I know now, it’s not high on my list. I live in a 1,200-square-foot house, and I am fine with that.

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david.keeps@latimes.com

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Airing ideas about prefab

A panel discussion on prefab homes moderated by Allison Arieff and featuring Rocio Romero, Michelle Kaufmann and Jennifer Siegal is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. Saturday as part of the annual CA Boom show. The event also will have its usual exhibition of modern home furnishings, including an area devoted to kitchen and bath. It’s open to members of the design trade from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and to the general public 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; admission is $20. An opening night reception runs from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and is $50. Home tours also will be offered; tickets are $75 per day. Check the CA Boom website for the lineup. The exhibition is based at Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Airport, 3021 Airport Ave. Information: (818) 735-8803, www.caboomshow.com.