Swift Street Residences: Prefabrication as a Prototype
Diagram showing the prefabricated wall panels, floor assemblies, and facade components used in the Swift Street Residences prototype.
Prefabrication as an Affordable Housing Strategy
Affordable housing is often defined by its limits: tight budgets, compressed timelines, and constrained sites.
At Swift Street Residences in Troy, NY, we set out to test how prefabrication could turn those very limits into design opportunities.
The result is a compact, four-unit building containing two-bedroom apartments, with a basement for tenant storage and a shared rooftop. Modest in scale, Swift Street became a prototype for how panelized construction and engineered assemblies can be applied to small multifamily housing in urban settings like Troy.
Why Prefabrication?
Prefabrication exists on a spectrum of modular construction methodologies. At one end is fully modular construction, where entire rooms or building segments are fabricated in a factory, shipped to the site, and stacked together. A well-known example is the 32-story tower at 461 Dean Street in Brooklyn, developed by Forest City Ratner Companies and Skanska — one of the tallest modular buildings ever completed.
At the other end are component-based approaches, where smaller building elements — such as wall panels, roof trusses, or floor cassettes — are fabricated off-site and then assembled on-site like a kit of parts.
Swift Street represents this latter approach. Instead of importing entire modules, we worked with panelized wall assemblies and engineered joists. These elements were fabricated under controlled shop conditions, delivered to the site, and joined together in sequence. The process is closer to assembling oversized Lego pieces — precision-made parts that lock together quickly once on site.
This component method offered several advantages at the scale of a four-unit infill project:
Flexibility in Design – The building does not read as “modular.” Exterior and interior finishes reflect conventional construction, with freedom in proportion and detail and no visible seam lines.
Ease of Transport – Smaller components are easier to deliver into dense urban neighborhoods than oversized modules. For example, the entire precast foundation system was delivered on two trucks in a single day. With one crane operator and a three-person crew, the panels were set and connected in about seven hours.
Reduced Site Time – Fabrication began as soon as permits were approved, running in parallel with site preparation. This overlap minimized staging needs on the compact lot and shortened the overall timeline. Compared to traditional framing, panelized construction also moves much faster: standard SIP wall panels measure roughly 4 by 8–9 feet, and foundation panels can reach up to 10 feet wide. Each panel covers far more area than stick framing, and many arrive with integrated insulation, eliminating the need for a separate insulation crew.
Improved Quality Control – Factory fabrication provides higher precision and generates less waste than field-built framing. This is especially valuable in smaller urban markets where skilled framers are scarce, expensive, and often booked out a year in advance. Panel construction offers comparable precision to high-end framing, but at lower cost — provided the design stays within standard details, avoiding heavy cantilevers or excessive clear spans.
For Swift Street, this middle-ground strategy balanced the efficiencies of prefabrication with the adaptability of conventional construction — an approach particularly well suited to small urban infill sites.
Exterior of Swift Street Residences during construction, showing open-joint cladding and oversized windows designed to make compact apartments feel generous.
Design Moves
At Swift Street, the goal was to create an efficient floor plan typical of dense urban neighborhoods while testing how prefabricated assemblies could deliver that efficiency. The narrow lot demanded layouts that minimized circulation and maximized living space, a strategy long employed in New York’s rowhouses and small apartment buildings.
Prefabrication shaped the structure, but it never dictated the look or feel of the building. Both inside and out, nothing reads as “modular.” Panelized walls and engineered joists provided a framework that supported spatial qualities and finishes more commonly associated with upscale homes — generous ceiling heights, large windows, durable cladding, and thoughtfully integrated amenities.
Panelized Walls – simplified connections enabled fast assembly while accommodating conventional drywall, cladding, and trim.
Engineered Joists – longer spans eliminated unnecessary partitions, opening up living and dining areas within a modest footprint.
Compact Circulation – stairs and corridors were kept to a minimum, preserving square footage for primary living spaces.
9-Foot Ceilings – taller-than-standard ceilings enhanced volume and made the apartments feel more generous.
Large Window Openings – expansive glazing brought daylight deep into the units, visually extending compact interiors.
Open-Joint Cladding – a ventilated façade system added depth, texture, and durability, elevating the exterior beyond typical expectations for affordable housing.
Integrated Outdoor Spaces – a rear deck, shared rooftop, and basement tenant storage provide desirable amenities. When residents feel ownership of outdoor and communal areas, buildings are better cared for and achieve longer lifespans.
The result is a building that feels anything but constrained. Even with only four apartments on a narrow infill lot, the design achieves a sense of generosity through proportion, light, and material expression.
Lessons Learned
Coordination Upfront is Critical
Mechanical and electrical systems demand forethought. In theory, panels can be routed with wire paths, but electricians often struggle with rigid Structural Insulated Panel assemblies. For future iterations, we plan to test floor-mounted outlets to reduce cutting or channeling into panelized walls.
HVAC systems demand the same level of foresight as electrical work. Whether routing ducts or refrigerant lines, it is essential to create dedicated service zones that remain accessible for regular maintenance and unexpected repairs. The goal should always be to avoid cutting into critical structural elements just to reach a line or duct.
This raised a larger question: can the floor itself be panelized? The answer is yes. We are currently exploring cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels for floors and walls in future projects, which would allow mechanical systems to be integrated more deliberately.
Construction Becomes Assembly
Instead of building piece by piece, construction becomes the act of joining prefabricated parts. Every joint, lift, and connection must be resolved before panels arrive on site. Coordination between architect, engineer, and contractor is critical to refining details.
Clients sometimes advocate for “fast tracking”—submitting schematic drawings for permits while postponing detailed coordination until construction. In practice, this approach often backfires. Unresolved details lead to errors, compounded delays, and escalating costs from extended permits, idle crews, material storage, and repeated design revisions.
Prefabrication highlights why complete detail resolution must happen upfront. While this requires more effort early in the process, the payoff is significant: a smoother construction sequence and far greater clarity of costs before work begins on site.
Affordability Improves With Replication
Subcontractors were initially hesitant to work with unfamiliar systems, perceiving them as inefficient. But after completing their first prefab installation, efficiencies quickly appeared. With repetition, labor stabilizes, speed improves, and cost savings accrue—even for small projects.
Why It Matters
Swift Street is not just four apartments. It is a prototype demonstrating how prefabrication can make affordable, low-carbon housing possible in New York’s smaller cities.
While this project was not designed to meet Passive House standards, it established a framework we are now applying to two upcoming three-unit residential projects in Troy, where Passive House accreditation and state-supported funding are central goals. These next prototypes will combine prefabrication with rigorous energy performance, advancing the lessons learned at Swift Street.
If you’re considering developing a smaller lot, or exploring programs such as NYSERDA to support energy-efficient housing, we’d be glad to talk. Please reach to us through our contact page.
Learn more about this project here: Swift Street Residences
Short video showing precast Superior Wall panels being set into place at the Swift Street Residences site in Troy, NY.
Installing Superior Wall foundation panels for Swift Street Residences — precast systems speed up foundation work compared to poured-in-place concrete.
