Prefab, prefabrication, or offsite construction is situated on the continuum between art (design) and business (construction). It has a role as both a provocateur and a critical agent in invention. Sounds interesting…

United States author Christopher Hawthorne, recently wrote an article for Metropolis magazine that concluded with:
“Architecture is forever stretched between the poles of art and craft, inspiration and the bottom line…it has to answer to both the creative impulse and the practical one. There are times when it holes up on one end of that spectrum or the other, thinking only about visionary worlds or only about construction and the marketplace…
The profession needs forces [like prefab] that tug the poles toward the centre or compel one side of the divide to consider what lies on the other... It’s also a way, in the broadest sense, to test architecture’s limits and its tolerances, to see where it might bend toward new efficiencies and production methods and where—as a result of practical considerations or traditions in the building trades or simply consumer expectation—it will stubbornly resist them.”

He sums it up nicely. Prefab, at the heart of its reason for existence, is about provocation. It is the compelling, dynamic, sometimes dynamite, outcome of moving away from familiar territory, and it is in this uncharted territory that discoveries are made, people met and collaborations formed. (See the full article here).

Prefab is a catalyst for change in the design and construction industry. Since the early 1800s, moving production away from the final building site has resulted in a myriad of innovations and inventions – evidenced by the 1906 Single-Pour Concrete House by Thomas Edison and the 1927 Dymaxion House (Buckminster Fuller). Today we have the unfolding Habode by Kiwi designer Rod Gibson.

Barry Bergdoll, curator of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, ‘Home Delivery: fabricating the modern dwelling’ exhibition summed it up:
“The exploration of prefabricated housing continues to be one of architecture’s most purposeful and enterprising pursuits. Attempts to reconcile singular artistic creation with mass production reflect on the role of the prefabricated dwelling as a critical agent in invention in architecture, formal and material research, and sustainability.”

Barry hits it right on target. Prefab is that critical, catalytic agent of change. Come along to PrefabNZ’s next event to learn more about how you can be a part of this change – the ‘James Hardie PrefabNZ Innovation Event’ is at BuildNZ on June 28th - to view please click here.