Prefabrication can make high-performance housing more repeatable, but the factory is only one part of a much larger delivery system. Moving from individual project success to a scalable regional platform requires more than selecting a manufacturing technology. It demands organizational alignment, integrated workforce development, and disciplined, front-loaded decision-making long before factory production begins.
In this Project of the Month session, Rob Leonard of Beeson Acres Resources LLC and Kara Haggerty Wilson of Onion Flats Architecture connect proven high-performance and offsite precedents with an emerging regional housing initiative in Southwest Virginia.
Giving a candid look at an effort that is still taking shape, Rob and Kara will explore how the Appalachian Highlands Housing Partnership selected offsite construction through a due-diligence process focused on local housing needs and regional capacity. They will examine how an integrated 92,000-square-foot training and production facility is being envisioned to develop trade skills alongside manufacturing capability, creating a workforce and production ecosystem capable of supporting housing delivery at regional scale.
The presenters will also share how early-stage energy modeling is being used to navigate complex trade-offs across multiple climate zones, energy codes, performance targets, and financial constraints. Rather than presenting a finished model or a single “right” solution, this session offers an inside look at the decisions, questions, and iterative processes required to move high-performance offsite housing from promising precedent toward a repeatable regional delivery system.
We will cover:
Analyzing Cost and Performance Data
Review historical data from Passive House and offsite construction precedents to understand how early planning and integrated decision-making can reduce cost premiums, improve predictability, and inform future projects.Integrating Workforce and Factory Systems
Explore how embedding trade training within an offsite manufacturing facility can build local workforce capacity, strengthen quality control, and support the infrastructure needed to scale regional housing delivery.Balancing Building Science with Cost Constraints
Learn how iterative energy modeling can guide early design decisions when teams are balancing tight budgets, multiple energy codes, varied climate zones, and high-performance goals.
High-performance housing will not scale through technology alone. It will scale when design, manufacturing, workforce development, building science, and regional housing strategy are treated as parts of the same system.
This session offers practitioners an opportunity to look beyond the factory floor and examine the upstream decisions that determine whether prefabrication can actually deliver better housing, more predictably and at meaningful regional scale.
Presenters
Kara Haggerty Wilson, Onion Flats Architecture
Kara Haggerty Wilson joined Onion Flats Architecture in 2017 and is a registered architect in Pennsylvania and a Certified Passive House Consultant. She brings deep expertise in building science, energy modeling, affordable housing, and offsite prefabrication to the firm. Kara leads complex technical coordination, thermal enclosure detailing, and panelized prefabrication strategies for Onion Flats Architecture’s high-performance new construction and occupied deep energy retrofit projects. She has also played a pivotal role in structuring the firm’s consulting framework as Onion Flats expands its architectural and building science advisory services.
Rob Leonard, Beeson Acres Resources LLC
Rob Leonard is the owner and manager of Beeson Acres Resources LLC, where he consults on operations, high-performance building, and construction education. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor in Building Construction at Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction. With more than four decades of experience across the construction industry, Rob has worked in sales, marketing, project management, design-build, safety, field operations, and construction education, with a particular focus on building science, high-performing buildings, and improving how buildings are built and renovated. His credentials include PHIUS Certified Passive House Builder Instructor, PHIUS Trades Professional Program Developer and Instructor, PHIUS Trades Professional Certified Enclosure Specialist, HERS Rater, ENERGY STAR Rater, NAHB Certified Green Professional, NCCER Certified Instructor and Master Trainer, and multiple OSHA instructional and safety certifications.
This free presentation will take place on Wednesday, September 16th at 9am PT / 12pm ET and will be followed by a lively Q+A session. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an industry leader and engage with the PHA community. See you there!