Building Smarter

Inhabit Modular Apartments

Seattle, WA

The Modular Premise

Building cost-effective, quality housing is key to sustaining diverse and equitable urban communities. The Inhabit housing prototype explores the potential for modular construction to deliver high quality, modern apartment living while saving time and reducing cost.

Scenario Testing

Collaborating with engineers, contractors and financial modelers, Mithun developed concept studies to determine the feasibility of modular fabrication options compared with traditional on-site construction. A full scale mock-up was constructed in a prominent downtown location to test the physical prototype and solicit community feedback on innovative micro-unit designs.

The Results

While prefabricated units were nearly equal in cost to traditional construction, the study demonstrated that they could be completed up to six months faster than on-site development, providing significant potential savings in labor, cost escalation and speed to market. Since its completion, the project’s success and widespread praise has engendered a series of built applications of various scales.