Here’s a must-read article from the NYTimes:
The efficiencies of building homes in a factory setting , together with an integrated design process (where the architect, structural engineer and construction manager work in parallel), contribute to reduced costs, Ms. Porat explained. She said Zeta’s start-to-finish development process required 50 percent less time compared with the typical design-and-build process. “It wasn’t just the credit crisis,” she said, reflecting on the financial drubbing home builders have experienced in recent years. “The old system was not sustainable or resource-efficient.” – from NYTimes