Prefabulous in the desert

Deep in the dunes outside Dubai is the Al Barari project, which is shaping up to be the most exclusive precinct for property in the city. Villas go for as much as Dh200m and it hasn't been drastically affected by the slowdown. This project is notable for a number of reasons, including its vast greenhouses that are producing millions of plants, but also the fact that it is partially prefabricated.

The National's House & Home section explored the trend of prefabricated housing last week. In her story, Stella Rosato, said Al Barari (which means "the wilderness" in Arabic) was "proof, if it were needed, that prefab has finally entered the upper echelons of the property industry".

It's an interesting read, especially because she takes the time to get into the theoretical underpinnings of the building method. And she mentions one of my favorite thinkers, Buckminster Fuller. Fuller created the Dymaxion House, a utopian concept for making home building more efficient. The result is a strange dome-shaped structure.

Click here for a slide show of the Al Barari project in The National