This Design Firm Envisions Planting Prefab Homes “Like Trees” in Cities

Cutwork’s $200-per-square-foot modular homes include space for plantings—when stacked together, they could form rich ecosystems, says the company.

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John Trujillo

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Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!

Cutwork was founded in 2016 by Antonin Yuji Maeno and Kelsea Crawford to "rethink spaces to make them more elastic in their usage," says Antonin. Sustainable, adaptable, and affordable, the promises of prefab construction appealed to them as the best tool for the job.

Cutwork spent the first few years of their practice developing modular and coliving concepts, including composite-concrete housing for refugees, before attracting the attention of a large real-estate developer in France. Impressed with their work, Bouygues Immobilier invited them to design their budding venture into shared housing. The unlikely collaboration would yield PolyRoom: a highly adjustable home that is built for stacking one atop the other.

Here, Antonin shares what goes into creating Cutwork’s adaptable prefab units.

The siding for Cutwork’s PolyRoom was treating according to yakisugi: a method of charring wood to improve its resistance to weathering and avoid the need for artificial sealants.

The planters can host a curated selection of flora intended to attract insects and birds.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve realized to date?

PolyRoom is the most exciting prefab project we’ve realized so far. It was created for Bouygues Immobilier, one of the largest real estate developers and operators in France, who asked us to develop a prefab, modular construction unit for an innovative shared living brand. They were most excited about three elements of our design:

The efficiency and ease of construction that improves with scale.
The fully customizable interior with integrated furniture that can be reconfigured for different usages, giving residents a range of possibilities in the compact space.
A built-in natural plant system that enlivens the industrial façade and incorporates native species like plants and birds, allowing the modules themselves to be "planted like trees" in urban environments.

Inspired by the idea of a washitsu, the core of a PolyRoom module is a multi-purpose space that can transform to accommodate changing needs. — Inspired by the idea of a *washitsu*, the core of a PolyRoom module is a multi-purpose space that can transform to accommodate changing needs.

What does the base model cost and what does that pricing include?

PolyRoom is remarkably cost-efficient. While the site, number of units, size, and other factors affect the exact price, a prefab from Cutwork costs roughly $200 per square foot. This pricing includes furniture, which is not usually considered in traditional construction costs.

Additionally, the more units that are built, the lower the price of each PolyRoom. This makes them attractive solutions for scalable housing projects in the face of increasing demand.

PolyRoom comes with custom furniture designed to be as flexible as the interior. For example, the expansive drawers beneath the dining table allow the surface to double as a work station.

What qualities make your prefab stand apart from the rest?

PolyRooms feature an integrated, reconfigurable design that creates a western washitsu, which is inspired by Japanese thinking.

In European and American homes, each room is designed for a single, predefined use: living room, bedroom, dining room, home office, etc. In contrast, a washitsu is an ‘anything’ room, open to reinvention and continuous adaptation.

Cutwork’s PolyRoom and the integrated furniture inside is totally reconfigurable, multiplying the square feet inside for varying uses. For example, our bed moves up and down, allowing the space to serve alternatively as a sleeping area, desk, closet, exercise space, and more.

From a modular rail system that can be equipped with hooks and shelves to the many cubbies and furniture across the unit, PolyRoom transforms every corner of the home into an opportunity for storage.

Where is the prefab currently available?

We currently have European partners shipping to the entire EU and we are expanding our market in order to manufacture modules in the United States.

Is your design currently pre-permitted in any U.S. municipalities?

Every country and municipality has its own rules and regulations but the flexibility of modular construction allows us to easily construct units that comply with local regulations. However, we are currently working on projects in California and New Mexico.

In addition to housing shelves and cabinets, the nook conceals a bed that drops down from the ceiling.

The sink can be hidden beneath a folding cabinet—already stowed away in the image above—allowing even the kitchen to adapt to different activities.

Are there plans to expand to different parts of the country/world?

One of our current prefabricated projects, ReHome, is being developed to help rebuild post-war Ukraine. It involves working with factories in neighboring Poland in the short term before shifting production to a factory in Ukraine.

Additionally, Cutwork is excited to be working with clients developing modular projects in Europe, North America, South America, and the Middle East. We welcome interested collaborators around the world to contact us with their project ideas.

A full-width mirror installed above the sink and a pane of glass for the shower makes the bathroom feel larger.

How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?

If a client were to work with us and Bouygues Immobilier to purchase a PolyRoom module, we estimate it would take six to eight weeks to produce the first unit to the client’s specifications. After the initial unit, subsequent units are produced more quickly. To design a new prefab concept from the beginning takes longer. We estimate four to five months for design, prototyping, revisions, and production of the first unit. After the initial unit, subsequent modules are produced more quickly.