Modern Modular Homes Rising In Popularity As Green Technology Design Thrives

It has been more than 40 years since architects started embracing "green" design principles and today green design has become standard throughout the country, especially in Southern California. Green features such as solar panels, low-flow shower heads and tankless water heaters, once considered cutting-edge, are now commonplace in our Los Angeles homes. But did you know that many of these ideas were initially introduced during the building of the clunky, boxy prefab & modular homes that gained popularity in the 1960's and 70's as the first wave of Baby Boomers became spurred on by that era's environmental movement?

Dating back to the Sears Catalog mail order kit homes of the 1900's, which were the precursors to today's modern modular homes, prefabricated housing has long been seen as an inexpensive way to own your own home while also lessening the impact on the environment of traditional home building. Modular homes are built in large sections in a factory, then delivered and assembled quickly at the construction site. You can have your new house in weeks rather than months, and these days some of the top architectural design firms in the country such as Living Homes and Minarc have designed great looking, wonderfully efficient modular homes that, as Popular Mechanics recently noted, are on the cutting edge of stylish home design.

Scroll down to see some surprising examples of just how gorgeous these green modulars can be.