A creation of Charlie Lazor of Minneapolis’s design firm Lazor/Office, the FlatPak prefab home design boasts an efficient way to build new homes in the Twin Cities and beyond, using wood, glass, metal, and concrete panels that are manufactured in Wisconsin, then sent to the site of a future build. The manufacturing and construction process of the home located at 2024 Thomas Avenue South took about six months, and arguably produced less construction waste than the ordinary home.
Affordable design is something that comes naturally for Lazor, as he’s the co-founder of Minneapolis-based Blu Dot, a furniture business recognized for “its precise and inventive use of materials, fabrication technologies, and methods of assembly,” according to Dwell, which featured the FlatPak home in 2009. The Thomas Avenue home was also part of a 2016 CNN article about prefab homes located in some of the most remote places in the world.
“In a profession where complexity is often valued over practicality, Lazor’s approach to architecture is refreshingly straightforward and unburdened by the ego of its creator,” writes Allison Arieff for Dwell. “It’s also rife with possibility. His system isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about drawing from existing conditions and allowing them to flourish.”
The listing at 2024 Thomas Avenue South is located near the Midtown Greenway bike trail, and is adjacent to the Metro Green Line Extension, which—once completed—will offer more car-less transportation across the metro.
If you don’t have the chance to check out the real property, you can also see a mini version of the FlatPak prototype at the Walker Art Center’s Sculpture Garden in downtown Minneapolis, titled “FlatPak in the Garden.”
2024 Thomas Avenue South is listed by Bruce Erickson of Compass Real Estate. Check out the listing at compass.com.
