Press

RIALTO, California – May 27, 2020: Plant Prefab, the nation’s first prefabricated design and manufacturing company dedicated to sustainable construction, materials, processes, and operations, announces a partnership with Alchemy Architects, and together unveil the lightHouse LivingHomes, an innovative line of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) available in five ultra-efficient sizes.

Environmental stewardship has been a core focus for Alchemy since its inception, and the firm has always worked to incorporate the latest innovations in building science and materials. This unwavering commitment, combined with their decades of expertise in designing for prefabricated building, aligns them well with Plant Prefab, which strives to raise the bar for sustainable building with each new project and design partnership. Minnesota-based Alchemy led by Geoffrey C. Warner, AIA, joins the roster of acclaimed Plant Design Partners that includes Ray Kappe, KieranTimberlake, Koto Design, Yves Béhar and Brooks + Scarpa.

“There is an increasing demand among potential homeowners for smaller homes that can be built quickly and affordably, and the lightHouse LivingHomes were conceived to meet that need,” says Plant Prefab Founder and CEO Steve Glenn. “Since Alchemy has long been an expert in designing for prefabricated building methods and a pioneer in sustainable design, and we’ve already completed two projects together, it was easy for us to partner together to offer a set of unique, ultra-efficient, standard LivingHomes for the market.”

With a size range from just 310 square feet to 600, the lightHouse LivingHomes line was inspired by Alchemy’s famous weeHouse® and reflects over fifteen years of design thinking around small-space living. Thirteen floor plan variations allow customers to achieve their ideal space, siting, and view, regardless of lot limitations. Configurations range from a compact studio to a one-bedroom unit atop a two-car garage, accommodating just about any end use.

Thoughtful details, such as window nooks that double as seating and guest sleeping areas, laundry, and flexible storage spaces, provide utility where it matters most. Carefully-chosen finish options ensure that the units can blend in with their surroundings and adapt to different climates, a key consideration for building on the West Coast. Built-in solid oak furnishings, custom “OxBox” (oxidized steel) and “Barn” (wood) siding, and signature exterior elements that include an entry plate, stair, light feature, and awnings, provide an extra layer of craft and authenticity.

“Having worked together to build two prior homes in California, we’re confident that Plant Prefab is the right partner to bring our ADU designs to this market. The lightHouse is intended to be a beacon for sustainable living; Plant Prefab has built up its reputation around sustainable building practices,” said Geoffrey Warner, Principal Architect at Alchemy and weeHouse Founder.

Like all LivingHomes, the lightHouse series is designed to meet net-zero standards and ships complete with best-in-class smart home technology and energy monitoring. The units provide luxe, but achievable, solutions for retirement downsizing, vacation cabins, guest houses, home offices, or rental units.

Construction of all LivingHomes is made significantly more efficient with use of the Plant Building System (PBS), Plant Prefab’s patented, hybrid system for building prefabricated homes. PBS uses a combination of Plant Modules and Plant Panels, a new panelized construction system developed by Plant Prefab, which include plumbing, electrical, and finish materials. By integrating both modules and panels, PBS provides architects with greater design flexibility and reduces the complexity and cost of transportation and installation. Additionally, Plant Prefab’s new PBS Design Guidelines provide best practices for architects on how to create home designs that are optimized for the most efficient production at Plant Prefab.

Costs for the fully-featured, 480-square-foot (“Large”) lightHouse LivingHome starts at $199,999. An entry-level version is also available, from $170,000. Estimates for other sizes available upon request.

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ABOUT PLANT PREFAB
With a mission to make it faster and more cost-effective to build custom, high quality, healthy, single-family and multi-family homes, Plant Prefab is the first prefabricated residential design and construction company dedicated to sustainable building, materials, processes, and operations.

All Plant Prefab’s projects are prefabricated in the company's 62,000-square-foot home factory in Rialto, CA, with a patented building system that reduces build time by at least 50% over traditional construction while minimizing construction's negative impact on energy, water, and resources. Clients can work with any architect they choose, or they can use Plant Prefab's award-winning, in-house design studio.

Plant Prefab is defining a new standard in residential home design and construction, helping individuals, architects and developers alike efficiently design and build high-quality, cost-efficient, healthy homes. Plant Prefab was funded by Amazon, Obvious Ventures, and others.
In 2019, Plant Prefab committed to full carbon neutrality in their operations by 2028, the first prefabricated home builder to announce a net zero goal.

Plant Prefab homes have garnered significant industry recognition including the AIA’s top sustainable award, Architizer’s Jury and People Choice Awards, Green Builder Magazine’s Home of Year, Business 2.0’s ‘World’s 11 Coolest Products,’ and Businessweek’s “Architectural Wonders of the World.” Nearly thirty Plant Prefab homes have been certified LEED for Homes Platinum, including the first home in the world to achieve the certification.

ABOUT ALCHEMY ARCHITECTS
Alchemy Architects is a multidisciplinary studio dedicated to making stimulating, engaging, and efficient design more accessible. Founded in 1992 by Minnesotan Geoffrey C. Warner, AIA, the company proudly embraces mid-Western pragmatism, taking a uniquely hands-on, collaborative approach to their projects. By partnering with their clients and carefully-vetted builders and manufacturers, Alchemy ensures integration of place, building, community, and sustainability.

Environmental stewardship has been a core focus for Alchemy since its inception, and Warner and his team have always worked to incorporate the latest innovations in building science and materials. In 2002, the company designed and constructed its first weeHouse, a practical solution to a restrictive program that presaged both the tiny house and modern modular house movements. Testing its belief that creative freedoms arise within constraints, the company has since pioneered design systems for a passive house homeless community, a one-room mobile hotel, and panelized BarnHouses. In 2020, Alchemy joined forces with Plant Prefab to launch the lightHouse LivingHome, a new line of ultra-efficient accessory dwelling units (ADUs) designed for sustainable production at Plant. The designs convey Alchemy’s signature “luxury of less,” an architecture of restraint, and an efficient, but celebratory, use of resources and materials.

Alchemy has received over a dozen national and regional AIA awards and has been featured in dozens of books and publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, Wired, Kiplinger’s, Interior Design, Huffington Post, and Dwell. Warner’s work has been in exhibitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Weisman Art Museum, Design Philadelphia, Dwell on Design, the Milan Triennale, and the seminal 2005 “Some Assembly Required” exhibit on residential prefabrication held at the Walker Art Center and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).