The need for homes that can be built quickly and sustainably has never been greater.
Murrieta, California-based builder S2A Modular has ambitious plans to open 35 ‘MegaFactories’ across the United States and Canada that would be as net-positive as the modern homes they manufacture. The first factory, located in Patterson, California, will open this summer and three more are in the building or permitting phase in Waco, Texas, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Jacksonville, Florida.
Even the factories themselves will be prefabricated — the components are built in an existing Florida factory and assembled on-site in less than two months’ time. Each 100,000-plus-square-foot facility will be solar-powered, generating additional revenue from selling excess electricity. They will each incorporate a Tesla Powerpack, an AC-connected energy storage system, ensuring a comfortable, controlled environment for the workers and the structures being manufactured.
John Rowland, president and co-founder of S2A Modular, told Forbes that each factory will be able to produce 500 homes in the first year of operation, ramping up to 1,000 homes by the third year. Adding a second shift would increase the output to 2,000 homes annually. When you multiply that figure by 35 factories, you’ve got somewhere in the range of 35,000 to 70,000 brand new, net-positive homes, explained Rowland.
It’s estimated that each home would take less than two weeks to build, costing around 10 percent less than traditional construction methods. In the wake of ongoing supply shortages, the company has also started manufacturing its own organic building materials, including a hemp-derived interior product and exterior stucco that’s resistant to mold, termites and fire.
Routine visits to the factory by inspectors ensure that there are no delays to the construction timeline. Once the homes are shipped and arrive on-site at their final destination, it takes about four weeks for them to be fully completed.
S2A has a number of projects in the works, including a line of self-sustaining luxury homes in 35 pre-designed or custom floorplans. The company is also in the process of developing a 55-plus community in Lake Elsinore, California called Bahia Village, anticipated to be the first of many, and a collection of accessory dwelling units known as LuxMods.
