Modern Prefab: Rocio Romero

Acclaimed Chilean-American architectural designer Rocio Romero combines aesthetic simplicity and a 'green' ethos in her LV series of modernist prefab homes.

Accomplished Chilean-American architectural designer Rocio Romero has combined the principles of panelized prefabrication with a clean, simple design aesthetic and environmental friendliness to produce her LV series of homes. I spoke with Romero via telephone about why she chose prefabrication, what she's trying to achieve in her designs and how the panelized approach differs from modular prefabrication.

Romero and I start our discussion talking about the genesis of the LV series. Romero explains, "The main genesis was that as a designer you only control one aspect of the whole process. Construction costs and building quality are hard to control. Going into prefab really gave me control and ownership over that part. I think its critical because in the end people don't judge you by the design on paper, they judge you by the built product."

Initially, she tells me, "I was under the impression that most people who wanted prefabricated homes that were modern were more interested in vacation homes so I started with that in mind. I came to realize that more people wanted them as full time homes so we grew and morphed with the feedback from customers. One thing we started to do rather quickly was offer other models and different options for our customers."

We talk more about what Romero is trying to achieve by using prefab and she points out, "Early on I was cognizant of what I am delivering to people. Its basically a way to build modern architecture more affordably and also more consistently with the quality and the look that they see in the magazines."

Efficient and Green

Romero goes on to explain that environmental friendliness also influenced her design of the LV series. She says, "I really studied what components were mission critical to the design and only included those so the house fits on one truck. Not only is it more affordable to ship but it is more environmentally friendly because you don't have all of the emissions and we really encourage people to consume most of their building materials locally."

She also adds that panelization allows for high R values in the walls and roofs of the homes increasing the environmental efficiency of the LV series.

I ask Romero why panelization is a better way to build prefab in comparison to modular construction. She says, "Modular is only successful in a 300 mile radius of a factory. Anything beyond that just becomes too expensive to justify. 90 percent of what you're shipping is air. We're doing panelized which only requires a general contractor to put it up on site. It is an easy system to put up. Any qualified contractor can do it without any problem."

Clean, Simple and Modern

In terms of the aesthetic of the LV Series Romero tells me, "I really just wanted to make a very clean, simple and modern aesthetic. I try to hide the clutter so all you see is simple walls. We've put a lot of attention into the details of creating a very simple, uncluttered look. It is just a bare bones, minimal aesthetic that allows you to relax and not have all these worries."

Romero continues, "We have a very smart design that has a very efficient, compact footprint that maximizes living space."

We discuss the common threads that connect Romero's clients and she points out, "Our clients are all very different people but what I'd say they have in common is that this is their dream and that this is expressing their design and lifestyle preferences. I do see more artistic influences. They are computer programmers, artists and writers. People that love the arts and design are gravitating towards our homes."

The conversation moves to the cost effective nature of Romero's designs. She explains, "We're very affordable. Our competitors start at our highest number and we can be built for the same as most stick built homes. I feel like most of our competitors that are offering modern prefab are on the high end of the market. I think we've built more and that has given us a lot more experience and the ability to really grow and offer a more sophisticated product."