A factory-built studio felt solid and well finished
The Richmond model had a wall tablet for lighting, and its builder says the method could cut building costs by 30 percent.
Business Insider · I toured an apartment built in a factory, and I'm convinced that these high-tech homes are the future of city livingI walked through the front door of a 500-square-foot studio that was standing inside a factory in Richmond, California. The floors were finished, the kitchen was in place, and just inside the door a tablet was embedded in the wall.
Curtis Wong, the founder of Cloud Apartments, was giving the tour. He touched the tablet screen and the lights shifted from bright daylight-style lighting to a dimmer nighttime glow. It was a small demonstration, but it made the apartment feel finished and livable rather than experimental.
Cloud Apartments is a two-year-old startup in the San Francisco Bay Area that builds rectangular apartment modules in a factory. The modules are then trucked to a building site, where they are lifted into place and joined into the finished building. Factory building is how Cloud says it can cut costs and speed up construction.
Wong told me earlier this year that he could lower the expense of building by 30%, implying that rents would fall as well, and that modular construction is faster than traditional methods. The company had raised $3 million, and it was eyeing San Jose for its first official project, where he said this studio would rent for the market rate of just over $2,500.
I was thoroughly impressed by the model. The rooms felt solid and well finished, and the construction quality made me believe factory-made apartments could offer a promising path to adding well-built homes more quickly and for lower costs for landlords and renters.
If these apartments ever arrive in the New York area, I might have to apply to live in one.
Questions people ask
How does a factory-built apartment building actually go together?
Each apartment is built indoors with walls, plumbing, wiring, and finishes already installed. The finished boxes are then trucked to the site, lifted by crane, and stacked and connected to form the larger building.
Why can factory building be faster?
Indoor work avoids weather delays, the same design can be repeated, and materials can be bought in bulk. Site preparation and module construction can also happen at the same time, which shortens the total schedule.
Does cheaper construction always mean cheaper rent?
Not necessarily. Lower building costs help the owner, but rents also reflect land, financing, and local market prices. Wong was describing a San Jose studio renting at the local market rate.