i don't understand this pseudo fascination for japan
also, it solves nothing, it is an excuse to not focus on the real problem
the housing market and the insane amount of speculation around it
But I agree that prefabs aren't particularly interesting.
Or is the catch that they're so cheaply built that you don't want to live in them?
Yes, or at least they'll need a big refurb.
I highly doubt that "designing for it" really beats inherently stronger building materials to specifically choose wood with its many, many other disadvantages over something else.
There is a reason Japan traditionally used wood, it works well in general. The design for it parts of wood are not hard - I don't know Japanese history, but I'd guess they figured it out well B.C.
You don't need to flex, and dissipate energy if you can simply withstand earthquake G forces through strength alone. And even if you do, steel is obviously better at energy dissipation.
It makes “commute until you qualify” longer than it might otherwise be. And it doesn’t help that there has long been a tendency to overcentralize in Tokyo, which is very large and can take a while to commute around.
> the housing market and the insane amount of speculation around it
Couldn't agree more.
> i don't understand this pseudo fascination for japan
Because people who've not lived there usually have entirely the wrong idea about it, and articles like this one with its buzzwords (the first paragraph is almost parody) and lack of context (number one would be the low quality of housing in Japan, it'd be literally criminal if anyone with the power to look into it would), add in a mix of (seemingly) impenetrable language, stereotypes from the 1980s about futuristic technology, and endless animes about robots deepening that, and you end up at "wow, Japan!"
Meanwhile, I freeze my arse off every winter and curse the build quality daily.
If you were going to take any lessons from Japan regarding housing, wouldn't it be more along the lines of how to build high density housing cost effectively in coordination with world class public transportation infrastructure?
What is the average temp swing per year in Japan? Like a 40 degree (F) swing over the year? Lol, ok, show me those amazing looking modern prefabs for places there you get 60 degree (F) swing in day and let’s see how they’re doing. Or that cool aluminum place with 2ft of snow on it. Etc.
Not that we can’t learn lessons, but I think structures just need a lot less engineering in Asia compared to other places.
That's an odd assertion. Why do you think that Asia, a massive continent with literally billions of people and wildly varying climates and terrains across it, needs less engineering of structures than other places?
Edit to add that I'm not saying wood is bad. I love wood houses.
Because they are so popular, they are even less expensive- construction crews experienced in building double brick walls are scarce to non existent around here.
On a final note, tornados. We get quite a few of them around here... The odds of actually being hit by one are low, and yet it does happen, and I doubt brick walls would hold up much better facing the full fury of those.
A quick search would've saved you all those rightful downvotes.
There are many German and Dutch companies that make high-end pre-fabricated houses and walls that sell not only locally, but abroad.
Many factors contribute to the purchasing decisions of quality pre-fabricated housing materials, of which price is only one (and probably isn't even a factor at the high-end).