Press

RIALTO, California – November 17, 2022: Plant Prefab, the first Certified B Corporation™ building technology company dedicated to sustainable design, materials and operations, today announced the delivery and installation of a four-unit 6,110-square-foot prefabricated multifamily development on Stanley Avenue in West Hollywood’s historic Spaulding Square neighborhood. Designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA), the project establishes a replicable, scalable solution for increasing housing density on the most common urban infill lots. The development serves as an important example of how factory fabrication can be utilized to add housing density and maximize speed to market in labor-constrained, high-demand markets as encouraged by California’s SB-9 and SB-10 housing bills.

“Metros and LOHA are leaders in the market who share our commitment to advancing the use of prefabrication to deliver high-quality, sustainable housing,” said Steve Glenn, Plant Prefab Founder & CEO. “This project paves the way for similar developments in other land- and labor-constrained markets. The efficiencies of an integrated design, manufacture and delivery process helps developers stabilize their asset and start generating cash flow much more quickly than traditional construction methods.”

Metros Capital purchased the 125 by 50-foot RD1.5XL-zoned lot on Stanley Avenue, which was formerly occupied by a single-family home, with the express intent of establishing a standardized multifamily product offering that could be repeated on similar infill lots throughout Los Angeles. LOHA, one of the region’s top designers of award-winning multifamily projects, developed a three-story design comprised of four three-bed, three-bath units featuring open floor plans, spacious balconies and garage parking with preservation of outdoor space. The modular, kit-of-parts design offers a consistent unit layout that can be configured as needed to suit different lots.

Plant Prefab standardized the design into repeatable components, building a complete digital twin to coordinate all mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements prior to fabrication in the company’s Rialto, California factory. First-floor garages and storage areas were produced as pack-flat Plant Panels™ and delivered with steel beam and column assemblies that were installed on-site in October. Second- and third-floor living areas were manufactured as fully-finished Plant Modules™, shipped with all finishes, fixtures and appliances in place and assembled on-site over the course of just three days in November. The engineering-led, hybrid panelized/modular approach is unique to Plant Prefab; its patented Plant Building System™ provides better quality control, design flexibility and time, cost and material efficiency than traditional methods of offsite or on-site construction.

“Plant Prefab’s engineering and project management capabilities, coupled with their reliable scheduling and unparalleled craftsmanship made them an ideal partner for this project,” said Nick Halaris, President of Metros Capital. “With a high-quality, replicable product and standardized process now in place, we will be able to deliver similar housing projects across Los Angeles.”

Lorcan O’Herlihy, Founding Principal and Creative Director of LOHA, commented, “We’ve worked with other factories, but what really set Plant Prefab apart for us was the detailed 3D modeling process. Detecting and addressing clashes in divisions of work down to the most minute details prior to construction is such a critical value-add that saves time, money and headaches, leading to more predictable timelines and ultimately a faster construction process.”

MODBLT served as the modular construction management consultant and MID Construction was retained as general contractor. Plant Prefab coordinated closely with all stakeholders in an integrated design-build process that ensured a seamless effort from start to finish.

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ABOUT PLANT PREFAB
Plant Prefab is the first Certified B Corporation™ building technology company dedicated to sustainable design, materials, and operations. The company’s patented Plant Building System™ utilizes advanced digital modeling and fully customizable Plant Panels™ and Plant Modules™ to help architects, developers, general contractors, and individuals design and build multifamily and custom single-family homes 20 to 50 percent faster than site-based methods. The system provides better quality control, design flexibility, and time, cost, and material efficiency than traditional methods of offsite or on-site construction. Plant Prefab has factories in Rialto and Ontario, California, a design studio and show home in Santa Monica, California, and is opening the nation’s first automated panel and module production facility in Tejon Ranch, California in 2023. With a mission to build a better world by design, Plant Prefab was the first housing prefabricator to announce a net zero goal and has achieved carbon neutrality in their operations since 2020. Plant Prefab is backed by leading investors including Amazon, Asahi Kasei, Gerdau Next Ventures, Obvious Ventures, and others. For more information, visit plantprefab.com.

ABOUT LOHA
Founded in 1994 by Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) is an internationally renowned architecture and urban design firm of twenty-five designers. LOHA has built a robust portfolio of work rooted in embracing architecture’s role as a catalyst for social equity and a tool to combat the climate crisis. The firm’s socially responsible ideals and ecologically sustainable mission inform each project, whether homeless housing in South Los Angeles, working with grassroots neighborhood advocates in Detroit, or collaborating with a design innovator like Nike. LOHA has built over 100 projects across three continents. Among them housing, art galleries, bus shelters, mixed-use developments, and urban plans. Lorcan O’Herlihy and LOHA have been published in over 20 countries and recognized with 150-plus awards, including the 2021 AIALA Gold Medal, Architect’s Newspaper Best Firm of the Year Award, the AIALA Firm of the Year Award, the AIA California Distinguished Practice Award, and was ranked the #1 Design Firm in the US by Architect Magazine in 2018.

ABOUT METROS CAPITAL
Metros Capital is a West Hollywood-based real estate investment and development company focused on delivering innovative, beautiful and environmentally friendly spaces across the country.