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prefabricated modular home, the prefabricated system studied required 8 weeks
maximum for production, transport, and installation, versus 3-4 months for the stick-
frame home, resulting in an overall reduction in transportation time (Kim 2008).
Construction materials are delivered in bulk, direct from manufacturers to the
prefabricated home construction site, as opposed to having to smaller quantities pushed
through distributors, and factory-controlled production can result in less material waste.
These factors contribute to a 26% reduction of energy consumed during manufacture
and 30% reduction of energy consumed during transportation for the prefabricated home
over the site-built home. The increased quality control that was possible in the factory
setting also increased the air tightness and overall energy efficiency. Additional
improvements to building operation can be implemented on a production line that would
be less feasible for site-built construction and would have compounding impacts, as the
vast majority (up to 93%) of a residential building’s life-cycle impact is tied to energy
consumption during its operational stage (dependent on expected life span).
While some areas of the GLM are experiencing both economic and population decline,
Southern Ontario is notable for its current planned population growth (driven almost
entirely by immigration) and a recovering housing market, with 67,821 starts in 2011
26,884 of which were single-family homes. If 10% of this market could be tapped to
support an emerging net-positive mass-customized housing industry it would represent
$960MM in potential gross sales per year. Further, Ontario's commitment to developing
a significant portion of the provincial energy portfolio through distributed renewable
sources is witnessed by both the passing of the Green Energy Act in 2009 and the
establishment of the most aggressive feed in tariff program for renewable energy
production (Green Energy Act). The Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) FIT program for
large scale renewable energy producers (>10 kWp) has resulted in the installation to
date of 1413 MW of land-based wind farms, with an additional 719 MW in development
(ISEO 2012), and 242 MW of photovoltaic installations approved (Ontario Ministry of the
Environment 2012). OPA's MicroFIT program for small-scale solar energy producers
(<10kWp) offers $0.802/kW with a guaranteed 20-year contract. As compared to an
average market cost for electricity of $0.015/kW, this provides a substantial incentive for
homeowners to contemplate the inclusion of energy production as part of their home’s
potential. The development of a distributed renewable energy network connected via
smart grids fundamentally transforms the energy landscape rendering multiple actors,
from large corporations to individual homeowners, as energy producers. Advocates of
this approach point to the production of new models of social equity via the
democratization of energy and access to energy-based wealth (da Graça Carvalho et al.
2004: 1845). Others point to the spin-off economic benefits of a transformation in
building-linked energy production. Through the introduction of distributed energy
production as a fundamental part of building construction, infrastructural budgets are
implicated in their delivery, while producing 3 to 5 times the number of jobs (and
resulting economic benefits) as compared to fossil fuel based energy production models
(Kammen et al. 2004).
Latitude System Logics and Design
Latitude is a hybrid prefabricated system of highly engineered modular units and flat
packed panels (Fig. 3), that enables a wider range of spatial configurations than those
delivered via modular systems alone, and also allows for ready adaptation. Core
modules contain all plumbing, mechanical and electrical servicing while also providing
structural bearing and tortional support for the building via a combination of timber and
steel plate construction. Stairs and storage are also housed within the module
components producing a rationalized system that reinforces open living space relative to
service as a clear planning strategy within unit designs. Individual exterior cladding
