This Week In Manufactured Housing News: December 18th – December 26th
As 2018 draws to a close and the new year rapidly approaches, the annual push to predict “what’s next” in the world of housing begins anew. This year, there’s more enthusiasm than ever for the continued rise of manufactured homes, with the widespread belief that they will become one of the most important components of the housing market in the coming year. Read these predictions—plus more news!—below.
Stylish Sustainability. The Manual looks at a new line of manufactured homes— Prefabricated Accessible Technological Homes, or P.A.T.H. for short—designed by famed architect Philippe Starck. “Just like any prefab, P.A.T.H. has a quick turnaround time of just six months (insanely fast for a fully custom home). They also come with a variety of green technologies like rainwater collection systems, wind turbines, and heat pumps.”
Alliance(s) for Affordable Housing. Family Promise, a non-profit tackling homelessness in America, has teamed up with Clayton in an effort to help address the affordable housing crisis. “Manufactured housing is one of the largest sources of unsubsidized, affordable housing in the country. We are excited to work with Clayton and help move this family from being homeless to homeowners, helping them along the path to stability and opportunity every family deserves.”
It’s 2019 Predication Season! USA Today ranks their top five housing trends for the upcoming year, including an uptick in manufactured housing production and sales.
Road to Recovery. A team of faculty members from the University of Colorado-Denver, along with partners at Texas A&M University, has received a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the recovery of manufactured housing communities in the Houston area following Hurricane Harvey. The study is the first of its kind.
Plug it in, Plug it in. A Beijing-based design firm has started the construction of prefab “plugin houses” which easily fit into older buildings without completely demolishing the original structure and, in turn, beginning an entirely new construction project. “[Plugins] are a good reminder of what technology can do—not only is building a Plugin cheaper, faster, and more efficient than constructing a full-scale house, it also allows old and new to peacefully coexist on the same lot.”
