Drag and Drop Housing: 12 Fast-Deploying Prefab Designs with Modern Style

Dutch Prefab by Borren Staalenhoef Architecten Assembles in Two Days

Designed to withstand the harsh winds and extreme temperatures found on the remote Dutch island of Vlieland, this prefabricated wooden home by Borren Staalenhoef Architecten features a dramatic asymmetrical black roof. The three-story home was manufactured offsite, brought to the rugged, rocky landscape and dropped into place within the footprint of a previous building. Assembly after that point took just two days.

Modern Prefab by Studio Baragaño Takes Five Hours to Build

The idea of a prefabricated home being installed alongside stone ruins is a little cringeworthy, but Spain’s Studio Baragaño pulled it off with Casa Montaña, a minimalist modern residence in the small town of Valdés. Taking inspiration from the architectural styles of both the traditional homes of the area and rural granaries, the architects gave this prefab a vertical-slatted wooden exterior. It was constructed in a factory in Madrid and assembled on-site in just five hours, with a local artisan completing the slate roof.

$26K Prefab Huts by MUJI

Micro homes by Japanese minimalist design brand MUJI are now available for purchase by the public at $26K a pop. These ‘MUJI Huts’ are truly tiny at just 96 square feet, certainly better suited as a work studio or backyard guest room than a residence, but it’s a lot more elegant than a shed, and easier to complete than building a structure yourself. Clad in blackened timber and lined with fir, the micro home is only available in Japan.

Tech-Designed Prefab House for Los Angeles by Cover

Tech company Cover aims to be a ‘one stop shop for backyard studios,’ tailoring custom, computer-created designs to client specifications in as little as three days with high quality materials and “zero coordination with architects, planning departments and contractors.” This beautiful model was built with Los Angeles in mind as an example of what the company can do. Each studio is 80% more energy efficient than the average home, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, radiant heating and cooling, slideing doors and an inner steel structure that’s 100% recyclable.