INSTANT INFRASTRUCTUREGannon is now planning a series of homes that will use the prefabricated CoreWall. The prefab version will consist of a SIP that's laser cut to accept all of the home's utility connections and mechanical hubs. These can go beyond the electrical panel and water connections to include a structured wiring box, a home monitoring and security system, as well as the HVAC supply and return ducts. Just dropping the wall into place will complete most of the utility rough-in. Proprietary couplings will let workers easily connect standard plumbing fixtures and mechanical components to the connections in the wall. Because the wall eliminates the need for plumbers or HVAC workers during rough-in, Rosen believes it will reduce total construction costs by 15 percent.
These kinds of efficiency savings are becoming crucial, as ever-more-complex systems drive up the cost of housing. “Traditionally, you designed a home to fit the needs of the homeowner, then added the technology,” says Rosen. “What we did with CoreWall was ask the question, ‘What if you designed a house that revolved around technology?' ”
Gannon is betting that the answer will be a more profitable builder and a happier customer. “The stick-built CoreWall worked very well. I'm confident that the prefabricated one will work just as well,” he says. “There's no reason to go back the old way of doing things.”
Charles Wardell is a freelance writer based in Vineyard Haven, Mass.
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