California routinely adopts new building codes in advance of the rest of the country, putting extra pressure on local builders. One ambitious California builder has been able to find ways to meet the local energy codes with beautiful design that is manufactured in a factory. This Forbes article shares more about these new homes.
Plant Prefab, a very energy efficient prefab builder in CA has teamed up with Koto from the United Kingdom to design and build modular homes - within a 500 mile radius of their plant in southern CA. The company, however, claims they will be adding additional factories in the near future that will allow them to serve clients throughout CA, and beyond.
The collaboration has currently produced two home designs – Koto LivingHome 1 (Yksi) and Koto LivingHome 2 (Piha) – both with a Scandinavian minimalist aesthetic.. They were designed to limit the boundaries between the interior and exterior areas of the house, with a large amount of glazing and multiple decks, allowing for natural ventilation and indoor/outdoor living.
When the houses are purchased and the location selected, they will be set taking optimal advantage of solar energy. Each house will be built to net-zerostandards, meaning they will create as much energy as they use. The homes will be built to the local destination climate. For example, triple panel windows will be installed in mountain climates, but not in Southern CA where they are not necessary.
The houses will also be built with energy efficient heating and cooling systems. Multiple HVAC design packages will be based on the climate zones where the houses will be set. The houses include hydronic radiant for cool climates with no AC, and mini split ductless heating/cooling for all other areas. The homes are designed and built solar ready in the factory, however the solar panels will be installed on site.
