Over 100 years ago Frank Lloyd Wright launched a pioneering scheme to build prefabricated homes with pre-cut framing, cabinets and other factory-made parts. Based on building practices he’d seen in Japan, Wright called it the American System of housing. World War I intruded, and he built only a handful. Honoring Wright’s legacy while tackling important design issues of today, the Taliesin Mod.Fab is an example of simple, elegant, and sustainable living in the desert. The one-bedroom, 600-square- foot prototype residence relies on SIP (structural insulated panel) construction to allow for speed and economy on site or in a factory. It can be connected to utilities or be "unplugged"; relying on low-consumption fixtures, rainwater harvesting, greywater re-use, natural ventilation, solar orientation, and photovoltaics to reduce energy and water use. The structure is dimensioned and engineered to be transportable via roadway. The building sits cantilevered over the desert wash and is used as a guesthouse for visiting scholars.

The Taliesin Mod.Fab was designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture with faculty guidance and an emphasis on prefabricated construction by Jennifer Siegal. The structure can be visited on the student-led Taliesin West Desert Shelter Tour.

The Mod.Fab has received numerous awards, among which:

Sunset Magazines Best Green Home Award

Time Magazines Best 100