According to industry sources, the US market for prefabricated housing will reach $11.8 billion in 2007 and will be 15 percent of the country’s total housing market. Increasingly, prefabricated housing is attracting the attention of design-conscious consumers on a budget. It is seen as a plausible response to soaring construction costs, the scarcity of skilled labor and the reluctance of many contractors to undertake modern design. Recognizing this trend, the Field Museum opens a new exhibition Design Innovations in Manufactured Housing, featuring models and large-scale architectural drawings by eight noted architects and industrial designers: David Khouri, Robert Taylor, Carol Burns, Douglas Garofalo, Ali Tayar, Bryan Bell, Yolande Daniels and Teddy Cruz. Renderings depict the homes in a variety of settings and the designers’ notes explain their projects. The designs seek to dispel the stigma of cookie-cutter tackiness sometimes associated with low-cost prefabricated homes, and reflect cultural values and lifestyles. The exhibition runs from February 4 to January 16 at Chicago’s Field Museum, and is free with museum admission.
Design Innovations in Manufactured Housing was developed by the City Design Center, College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago, in collaboration with The Field Museum. For more information, please visit www.fieldmuseum.org