Ever catch yourself daydreaming about living in a beautiful and cosy home—your retreat that’s also not harmful to the environment? Well, due to the ingenuity behind the modular concept as we know it today, mixed with the use of advanced technologies, and top-notch materials, you no longer have to stay in the dream zone; it’s easy to transfer this into the zone of reality!
Modular has proven to be so much more than a fleeting trend over the past few years, and we have the quicker build time, the convenient and flexible construction in a climate-controlled area, the incredible customization options, and the elimination of unexpected costs along the way to thank for this. All the calculations on construction, transportation, and assembly are done upfront, so you have an idea of the exact amount it would cost you right from the start.
Without any hurdles along the way, it’s not surprising that many have come to appreciate prefab housing. If you care about sustainability, cutting down the carbon footprint, and giving back to Mother Nature for a change, that’s more reason to be highly in favour of a prefab home.
One example of why is the implementation of the sustainable passive home design building standard, which is beneficial to everyone. Care to delve deeper into what a passive house strategy is? It’s a housing model that originated in Darmstadt, Germany, by architects Bott, Ridder, and Westermeyer.
It was all about making a home comfortable by reducing the chances for temperature fluctuations with the help of implementing strategies like enhancing airtightness, choosing smart window and door designs that work best for the specific area, and boosting the ventilation systems. Combine the modular concept with these passive design principles, and you get a home that’s:
Beneficial to Your Health
How often is it that we try to cut down on our exposure to outdoor pollutants, only to realise our own homes, our safe havens, are responsible for indoor air pollution resulting in respiratory issues, allergies, cognitive deficits, headaches, and the more serious heart problems, strokes, and cancers? There are various culprits to blame for this, from the materials full of toxic chemicals to the bacteria and fungal overgrowth lurking in crevices.
All these can be eliminated with the implementation of passive home design so if you want to get the kind of abode that’s good for your health and feels like a real haven, opt for a modular one. With the airtightness, there’s no way of draughts making their way through inside, which explains why, along with the assistance of a state-of-the-art ventilation system, specifically a mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) system, it’s easy to keep the indoor air fresh and filtered.
As such, harmful build-up of toxic gases, unpleasant odours, and hazardous bacteria and viruses aren’t welcome. Another successful strategy that helps is the use of natural ventilation that best suits the specifics of the house to boost the airflow. The outcome, as mentioned, is a healthier living environment which makes it worth the investment if you care about long-term benefits.
Crucial for the Increase in Overall Comfort
For most of us, home is the personification of comfort, and yet you can’t imagine what comfort to its full potential is like unless you’ve lived in a modular passive house that guarantees little temperature fluctuations. Unlike regular homes, these homes of the future are stable when it comes to the heat and coolness of the rooms, so you can feel thermally comfortable throughout the stay.
In addition to the exceptional choice of window and door features in designs that are optimal when it comes to thermal performance, a great deal of thought goes into the location, orientation and layout of the house, to best make use of the natural energy – the sun. Then, there’s also the focus on utilising appropriate methods of shading and insulation, with a particular interest in the good use of thermal mass.
This can be seen in the choice of lightweight materials with low thermal mass that don’t require a lot of energy to change their temperatures, making it possible to average temperature extremes inside the home, resulting in a pleasant indoor ambience. As such, there’s no threat of overheating, overcooling, or even tackling issues with moisture due to condensation. In other words, you won’t ever have to face the danger of dealing with mould infestation.
And there’s more to your comfort than merely the temperature aspect. The airtightness and exceptional insulation also make for a great soundproofing effect. What you get is a quiet abode as no unwanted noises from outside make their way through to disturb your peace. This is especially a more than welcome benefit for all the light sleepers who can’t get enough restful sleep at night due to being surrounded by disrupting sounds from a noisy neighbourhood.
Energy-Efficient
Thanks to the build quality being the same as the design quality with the rigorous control throughout the design and construction, the same as can be expected with a traditional home, a passive house design delivers what it promises when it comes to energy consumption. I don’t have to point out how positively this scope of factors, (e.g. airtightness, ventilation, insulation, orientation, location, layout) affects the energy use by lowering your need for power consumption to do more heating or cooling.
Not to mention the effect all this would have on your bills. Yes, having an energy-efficient home that’s good for the environment and your wallet at the same time has never been more real! So, not only do you get to save upfront when you choose a modular home, but you can further keep on saving considering the heating and cooling demands of the design are significantly lower than those of a regular construction home.
For extra benefits and cost reductions, there’s also the fact solar power system is a crucial component of a prefab dwelling, but there are additional solutions you can turn to like utilising natural resources in the likes of systems that work on wind power too, and count on rainwater collection for the irrigation and gardening needs. Invest in a home like this, and you gain twofold!