The Prefab Company That Could Change the Building Industry

Modular home builder Katerra is growing rapidly, putting the firm in a unique position to influence the way we build.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the company has raised $1 billion in venture capital and nearly $3 billion in bookings over the last three years. Combined with a recent merger with KEF Infra, Katerra’s biggest Indian counterpart, the company’s prefabricated building products will have access to huge international markets.

Katerra saves money by buying everything from wood to toilets in bulk and using software and sensors to closely track materials, factory output, and construction speed. Its architects use software to build a catalog of standard buildings, rather than starting from scratch on each project, and to ensure contractors aren’t making impulsive structural decisions. Each generation of buildings has become steadily more prefab, requiring less work on-site and speeding construction.

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