RISMEDIA, Feb. 1, 2007-Jeriko House, LLC Founder and CEO Shawn Burst announced his company's entry into the Modular/Prefabricated Home Building Market. The New Orleans-based owner has developed a post-Katrina concept that he is convinced will revolutionize the building industry in the U.S.
After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Burst traveled to Germany to investigate various prefabricated construction practices. He met with a German engineer who patented an innovative and elaborate interlocking aluminum framing system. The process is typically used in commercial applications, but Burst decided to utilize the proprietary engineering and apply it to residential construction.
Burst is also taking the concept and adding ornate design aspects to the process: positioning the product and the method as "PreFab 2.0 Construction." Besides being extraordinarily structurally sound and easy to assemble, the cutting-edge process manufactures each section with the electrical and plumbing infrastructures already incorporated. So, when the homes are being constructed on site – whether on a mountaintop or a riverside ravine – the mechanical systems are already in place. The homes will be versatile yet rugged enough to stand up to the strictest U.S. earthquake and hurricane building codes. Not to mention comfortable and abundant in high-end, exotic materials and home living advancements.
Jeriko, with offices in Palm Beach, Florida and Beverly Hills, California, has an impressive team of over 30 architects, engineers and designers on staff: notably, Selin Maner, formerly of the prestigious Maya Lin Architectural Firm in New York. Jeriko also sets the bar high for superiority by using the likes of Poliform USA Kitchens and Koehler, along with other prominent interior designers, as well as exterior landscape architectural firms, to ensure excellence with every facet of the end product. With a global network of developers and design professionals, nothing is left to chance: plumbing, appliances, lighting, hardware, interior finishes and exterior cladding are all integrated into an advanced structural system that rivals the best home building techniques the world has to offer.
Recent research at MIT's Department of Architecture calls for future, environmentally friendly home construction standardization – with a focus on home buyers becoming the designers at the center of the process by receiving tailored information about blueprints, products and services at the point of purchase. This premise is the cornerstone of the Jeriko House business model. Jeriko House is the rapid-construction, "Smart House" of the future here now. They are made to order, made to last and made to tackle every detail and specifications for the home buyer. No cranes necessary, and easy to build, the Jeriko homes combine simplified jobsite management with high-end design demands. This concept will "address a major shift in outdated home construction practices," said Burst. "We plan to be on the cutting-edge of the green revolution in the residential home building sector."
Five major design models, with infinite configurations, the houses are completely customizable and virtually turnkey with no shortage of luxurious amenities. At a starting point of $175 per square foot, the prefabricated dwellings boast exotic Asian teak wood finishes, coconut skin walls, Indian rosewood door handles and stone, marble and ceramics from around the globe. But they are truly homes that merge fashion and form with function as they also incorporate intricate biometric systems and homeowner-friendly technologies.
Contrary to the negative "Prefab" stereotype, the process does not sacrifice quality or structural integrity. "In fact," says Burst, "prefab is not a bad word. When executed properly, it's actually an assurance of high quality, durability and luxury – affirming quality control, structural integrity and end-user comforts throughout the entire process."
Owner Burst said they plan to have orders for over 100 houses by the end of 2007. The first of which will be completed by May 1 in New Orleans. Additionally, a potential opportunity exists for a 100-house development in Virgin, Utah. "The New Orleans test house will exemplify the high standards of form and function that German engineering is known for and the high-end creature comforts homeowners expect," Burst said.
It's not all about high-end houses and bottom-line at Jeriko, though; there's a solid foundation in humanity as well. Burst has already committed a portion of Jeriko's first $7 million in profits to help build a Community Outreach Center on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. And for every 10th Jeriko House sold, those 10 homeowners will form a committee that votes to give a Jeriko House to a family in need somewhere in the U.S. Jeriko House, LLC is quite literally reinventing home construction and community commitment one "block" at a time.
For more information, visit www.jerikohouse.com.
