Here’s what I can tell you about Palm Springs Modernism Week. It’s called WEEK because you can’t do it in 1.5 days, which is what we tried to do.So, here are my top tips for squeezing in as much awesome design and architecture as you can if you’ve only got two or three days in Palm Springs (hopefully you will have more time than that because there is SO much good stuff to see!)
Palm Springs, California – Prefab builder Method Homes announces their participation in this year’s Modernism Week in Palm Springs, California, where they will display their sustainable prefab prototype, Paradigm. The modern prefab is designed and built to meet net-zero water and energy requirements. Modernism Week is a non-profit organization that hosts an annual 11-day festival celebrating Mid-Century Modern art, architecture, and design. The events lineup includes a Prefab Showcase and Modern Design Expo from Feb 15–17 and Feb 21–23.
Originally unveiled during the 2012 USGBC Greenbuild Expo in San Francisco, the Paradigm I home designed by Bogue Trondowski Architects is a prototype for the Paradigm Series, a line of net-zero ready prefab homes built by Method Homes. The 656 square foot Paradigm I floorplan is designed to demonstrate that a reduction in square feet does not mean a sacrifice in comfort, function or style.
The prototype home features efficient systems and material upgrades including sustainably harvested Western Red Cedar siding, smart home controls, plumbing for rainwater catchment and greywater reuse, a rooftop solar PV array, a super-insulated building envelope, FSC bamboo flooring and custom cabinetry, recycled stone composite countertops, an Energy Star® appliance package, and more. Method is offering the opportunity to purchase the Paradigm prototype starting at $138,000 excluding land and site costs.
Visitors of the Paradigm prefab home will also view the latest in New Century Modern decor. Method Homes has teamed with Palm Springs-based Design 849 for Modernism Week to showcase vintage-inspired home accessories, local artists, and designer furnishings, including Design 849’s exclusive line of California-made furniture, D849. Design 849 boasts an 11,000 square foot warehouse of vintage and modern furniture, home accessories, and original artwork.
Other attractions at the 2014 Prefab Showcase and Modern Living Expo include a solar-powered video arcade, gourmet food trucks, guided bike tours, architecture and design seminars, live music, and the newest in décor and green home technologies. Tickets are $10 and are available online at: modernismweek.com.
About Method Homes
Method Homes (Method) is a custom manufacturer of precision-built prefabricated structures. The company offers both pre – designed models and fully custom prefabrication of any design by any architect. Founded with a mission of adding innovation to the future of construction, Method is guided by the core value of thoughtful, sustainable design. Prefabrication allows Method to reduce construction timelines and control costs while building custom projects in a controlled environment, minimizing exposure and waste. As such, Method can focus on sustainability and cutting edge design. Method’s homes ship 80 to 95% complete, resulting in project timelines of 2 to 5 months.
About Design 849
Design 849 is an 11,000 square foot design center located in the heart Up Town Design District in glamorous downtown Palm Springs. Originally the Palm Springs Post Office built in 1954, this classic Mid-Century Modern building is beloved by locals and has become a must-visit retail destination for out-of-town visitors. In addition to an eclectic mix of new and vintage modern furniture, lighting, and home decor, Design 849 offers flooring, tile, hardware, wallpaper, and exterior home accessories such as mailboxes. Interior design services are also offered.
About Modernism Week
Modernism Week is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Modernism Week is also a charitable organization, providing scholarships to local Palm Springs students pursuing college educations in the fields of architecture and design; as well as giving grants to local and state preservation organizations for their efforts to preserve modernist architecture throughout the state of California.
Here is a preview from the install of our new Jackson Hole Custom project by Chris Pardo Design. The home consists of 6 modules and was installed in the snow in half a day:
The West Coast Method Factory is full and gearing up to stay busy through the spring. Here is a preview of projects currently underway:
We have more exciting work on the horizon and look forward to sharing details on these projects and the new custom East Hampton residence now underway at Method East. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
The mention of “portable” classrooms—or any similar term—puts fear into the hearts of parents with school-age children. Regardless of whether you call them portable, modular, or temporary classrooms, they conjure up unwelcome images of shoebox-like structures with few windows, stuffy air, and noisy and ineffective mechanical systems. But now several design firms, nonprofit organizations, and prefab building companies are developing improved portable classrooms that address these problems and allow schools to expand quickly and sustainably.
A couple months back we posted a look from the set of the new Element 3 home in Cloverdale, California by Chris Pardo Design. The home is now nearing completion. Here is a first look at the (almost) finished product:
2013 has been an eventful year for Method Homes. It has been great looking back on all of the year’s events, photos, projects, and benchmarks. Method is thankful for our amazing team, partners, clients, and the opportunity to continue to break the bounds of what is possible with prefab construction. Here is a look at some of our 2013 highlights.
HOMB by Method Homes and Skylab Architecture
The year began with the unveiling of the Portland HOMB, the prototype for our joint venture HOMB Modular in partnership with Skylab Architecture.
Following shortly after was the construction and installation of the first commercial instance of HOMB, a high end custom ski lodge.
The Habitat for Humanity House of the Immediate Future, a net-zero hybrid modular prototype designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, reached several project benchmarks in 2013. Unveiled in 2012 at the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair, the home was deconstructed following the showcase and moved to its permanent location in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. Method was happy to celebrate the move and the completion of the home with a great team of project partners.
We had the opportunity to once again collaborate with Miller Hull, this time on a commercial project: the 12,000 square foot LEED Silver expansion of Seattle’s Taproot Theatre. (Photo credit above to Chi Duong of Miller Hull).
One of the first executed projects under the Method Prefab commercial umbrella was SEED, a portable classroom prototype developed by the SEED Collaborative. SEED Classrooms are designed and built to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge. CEO of the Living Future Institute Jason F. McLennan, who created the Living Building Challenge, was able to attend the ribbon cutting for the first SEED Classroom, which was unveiled in downtown Seattle during International Living Future’s annual conference.
2012 and 2013 were busy years for Method projects, and we are happy to have collaborated with the talented Joshua Wells of Alpinfoto Photography to capture the finished results of many of them. Thanks for your talent, professionalism, and sense of humor Josh!
In June, the Method crew traveled to Los Angeles for Dwell on Design with our net-zero Paradigm prototype. It received a very positive response at the prefab showcase. It is always great to connect with Dwell and their audience as big supporters of prefab.
The late summer and fall were seasons of travel to a number of scenic and remote locations of our new homes, including a cabin built on an organic bison ranch in Oregon (above) and one at the foothills of an Alaskan ski hill in Girdwood.
Not a bad view: a look at the custom ski cabin underway in Girdwood, Alaska.Not a bad view: a look at the custom ski cabin underway in Girdwood, Alaska.
Also included on the itinerary were travels back East as we officially launched our East Coast division Method East, opening a new manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. Our first official Method East project was a Method Cabin Model 1 in Virginia (above). Hello East Coast!
Method Homes Co-Founders
In October, Method landed a spot on Seattle Business Magazine’s Green 50 list and was awarded Silver in the Manufacturing Category. Pictured above Method Co-Founders Brian Abramson and Mark Rylant at the awards ceremony accepting the award. It is an honor to make this list as sustainability and innovation continue to be Method’s core values.
We have continued to see a great amount of interest in Method Homes from the California market and have ramped up our California work throughout the year, including a recent custom Tahoe project (above), and others underway for Sonoma, Tiburon, and Occidental.
In December, we came full circle back to Seattle where we installed our new custom townhome project by Chris Pardo Design: Elemental Architecture. The townhomes are now available for presale and will be ready for tours shortly.
We ended the year with a celebration of the completion of the Taproot Theatre project with the opening of their Christmas play. Stay tuned as we plan to organize an event in this space to showcase our commercial prefab work.
These are just a sample of our projects and events in the last year. Please check back on the blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest Method happenings.
Thanks to for the continued support of Method. Onward to 2014!
