4 ms·

The picture of modular housing isn't at all what this project is going to look like. Yes, prefab does add some constraints but you only produce a building that

by mlyle 2y ago

The picture of modular housing isn't at all what this project is going to look like. Yes, prefab does add some constraints but you only produce a building that looks like a stack of shipping containers if that's what you want. And, is this development really so bad? There's a bunch of additional housing created; Costco gets their store built; we have mixed use, where a lot of people aren't going to need to take a car trip to do their shopping.

akira2501 2y ago
> And, is this development really so bad? It depends on how it's managed. If there _happens_ to be enough demand that people will accept it and pay a profitable rate, it might be just fine, but the cart is before the horse on this, so I wouldn't necessarily expect that outcome without other evidence to support it.
- renewiltord 2y ago
  Even better if it's not profitable for Costco. That's like having business subsidize housing.
  - actionfromafar 2y ago
    That sounds like taxes. Heresy.
- mlyle 2y ago
  Not sure why whether Costco makes a profit on the housing is the crucial thing; perhaps they don't, and they're just ahead in that they got their store in place sooner.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
jokethrowaway 2y ago
Buildings that could have been beautiful and enrich the city and the lives of tenants will end up being stack of containers to bypass government imposed minimum wage and endless regulations. No wonder why soviet union buildings looked like a bland block of concrete. If this is not a cautionary tale on the dangers of regulation, I don't know what is. Congrats to Costco for finding a trick and getting things done, despite the government.
- xscott 2y ago
  That is not what happens in practice. Typically you get stick and stucco construction with flat roofs, picking the cheapest possible labor and construction materials, while putting on drywall and paint to make it look attractive for the 10-15 years it will last until termites and rot set in to the fragile bones. But it fools most people, and if you're wealthy you're going to move to a newer area before that 15 years is up anyways.
- vidarh 2y ago
  Soviet Union buildings started looking like bland concrete on purpose when Khrushchev decided housing everyone was more important than Stalin's focus on appearances. The buildings of that era were meant to be temporary, and only remained because their economy failed. There were many awful things about Khrushchev, but at least the housing policy appears to have been a genuine attempt at improving things for ordinary people. Even though the housing was poor quality and ugly, it was a step up when they were introduced.
- mlyle 2y ago
  I don't think the renders of the actual planned development look at all like a stack of containers. That heritage will show inside, though: there's probably not going to be any rooms that are really wide. But modern apartments tend to not have too many of those anyways.
  - m463 2y ago
    I would imagine some rooms will be double-wide. more seriously, it seems mobile homes nowadays come in 14, 16 and 18' widths and 66 to 80' lengths. It seems shipping containers are 8' wide and usually 20, 40 and 45' long. I suspect there are ways to make multiples of these dimensions. I also wonder why you couldn't just take a truck and load it up with a stack of walls that are laid out with a crane.
    - mlyle 2y ago
      Yah, you tend to end up with rooms that are 1x or 2x 12', 14', or 16'. Having a module that doesn't have at least one side wall is problematic
chironjit 2y ago
Also, prefab units are not a new thing. They're common in Japan and I remember my dad mentioning the low-rise apartment he bought in the early 90s (not in Japan) being prefabbed by a Japanese company

by mlyle 2y ago

akira2501 2y ago

> And, is this development really so bad? It depends on how it's managed. If there _happens_ to be enough demand that people will accept it and pay a profitable rate, it might be just fine, but the cart is before the horse on this, so I wouldn't necessarily expect that outcome without other evidence to support it.

renewiltord 2y ago
Even better if it's not profitable for Costco. That's like having business subsidize housing.
- actionfromafar 2y ago
  That sounds like taxes. Heresy.
mlyle 2y ago
Not sure why whether Costco makes a profit on the housing is the crucial thing; perhaps they don't, and they're just ahead in that they got their store in place sooner.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

jokethrowaway 2y ago

Buildings that could have been beautiful and enrich the city and the lives of tenants will end up being stack of containers to bypass government imposed minimum wage and endless regulations. No wonder why soviet union buildings looked like a bland block of concrete. If this is not a cautionary tale on the dangers of regulation, I don't know what is. Congrats to Costco for finding a trick and getting things done, despite the government.

xscott 2y ago
That is not what happens in practice. Typically you get stick and stucco construction with flat roofs, picking the cheapest possible labor and construction materials, while putting on drywall and paint to make it look attractive for the 10-15 years it will last until termites and rot set in to the fragile bones. But it fools most people, and if you're wealthy you're going to move to a newer area before that 15 years is up anyways.
vidarh 2y ago
Soviet Union buildings started looking like bland concrete on purpose when Khrushchev decided housing everyone was more important than Stalin's focus on appearances. The buildings of that era were meant to be temporary, and only remained because their economy failed. There were many awful things about Khrushchev, but at least the housing policy appears to have been a genuine attempt at improving things for ordinary people. Even though the housing was poor quality and ugly, it was a step up when they were introduced.
mlyle 2y ago
I don't think the renders of the actual planned development look at all like a stack of containers. That heritage will show inside, though: there's probably not going to be any rooms that are really wide. But modern apartments tend to not have too many of those anyways.
- m463 2y ago
  I would imagine some rooms will be double-wide. more seriously, it seems mobile homes nowadays come in 14, 16 and 18' widths and 66 to 80' lengths. It seems shipping containers are 8' wide and usually 20, 40 and 45' long. I suspect there are ways to make multiples of these dimensions. I also wonder why you couldn't just take a truck and load it up with a stack of walls that are laid out with a crane.
  - mlyle 2y ago
    Yah, you tend to end up with rooms that are 1x or 2x 12', 14', or 16'. Having a module that doesn't have at least one side wall is problematic

chironjit 2y ago

Also, prefab units are not a new thing. They're common in Japan and I remember my dad mentioning the low-rise apartment he bought in the early 90s (not in Japan) being prefabbed by a Japanese company