Flaming pine needles descended on the residences in Greenville, California, as the relentless Dixie Fire winds swept through the Sierra Nevada mountains from end to end.
Roofs, gardens, decks, and treasured possessions quickly caught fire, fueling the flames. Within half an hour, the entire population of 1,000 in the town was left stunned as their once thriving community lay in ruins, unrecognizable and reduced to ashes.
Sparking on July 13, 2021, the Dixie Fire consumed 963,309 acres across five Northern California counties before being contained in late October.
Reconstruction efforts began promptly, and Method Homes proudly contributed to the design and construction team that rebuilt three homes destroyed by the Dixie Fire for the Sierra Institute. Working closely with atelierjones, the new homes were crafted with sustainability and fire safety at the forefront of their design.
Method constructed three modular wet cores for the homes, housing the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry/mechanical areas. The buildings were then put together using Cross Laminated Timber Panels to enclose the modules.
Although timber may not be the obvious choice for fire-resistant architecture, its density offers significant resistance to flames, providing more protection than traditional building materials.
The responsibly sourced mass timber in these homes also supports sustainability and resilient ecosystems, reducing fire hazards by aiding in forest health.
These projects were recognized with an Honor award from the American Institute of Architects in Seattle, symbolizing a commitment to sustainable innovation, community, and fresh starts. This collaborative effort was made possible by the dedication of various teams, including atelierjones, the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, Mass Timber Strategy, Lights Creek Construction, Dr. Johnson, Sugar Pine Engineering, and Harriet Valentine Engineers.
Photo courtesy of Lara Swimmer
Method Homes was recently featured in Dwell for their “Prefab Profiles” series. The article focuses on Method Home’s ability to produce prefabricated homes without sacrificing good design and craftsmanship.
Method Homes was featured in Reuters regarding the pricey property market. Modular homes popularity is on the rise given it’s relative affordability as compared to on site construction. You can read more on Reuters here: Prefabricated home shipments on the rise in a pricey property market
Method Homes was featured in Mansion Global with our Truckee Custom Home designed by Toby Long. You can read all about it here: Absolutely Prefab-ulous: Why Luxury Buyers Are Moving Towards Modular
Method Homes was featured in Mansion Global for a house built in Napa Valley. Read more here: A Modular Mansion Replaces Fire-Destroyed Estate in California’s Napa Valley
Method Homes was featured in the Wall Street Journal for luxury modular home construction. You can read more about it here: Prefab, but Make It Luxury: Modular Homes Can Be High End Too
Method is pleased to announce completion of its new state of art modular home production facility in Ferndale, WA. It is the first net zero energy modular factory in the US and here is a display how much power we are generating.
To view the realtime metrics, visit the dashboard here. In June alone, the facility has averaged 636 kWh per day. This is enough to power 22 average American homes, and enough to offset all of our energy usage.
Swatt | Miers Architects and Method Homes are pleased to introduce the Simpatico Series by Swatt | Miers. Method Homes is a Seattle-based manufacturer of modern, precision-engineered, prefabricated structures, and Swatt | Miers Architects is a San Francisco Bay Area-based firm well-known for its contemporary, sustainable, user-responsive approach to design. The Simpatico Series by Swatt | Miers, designed and developed by Swatt | Miers Architects, is the latest in a series of innovative, architect-designed homes fabricated by Method Homes. Read the full press release here.
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