The Construction Source America

Business World | February 2015 64 homes but is now more focused on the i- cube. Developed in 2008, more than 3,000 homes have been constructed to these stan- dards in Japan. The i-cube represents four innovations: comfort, usable, beneficial and eco-friendly. Fabricated entirely indoors, i-cube homes can be erected in weeks, not months and built one at a time to fit your street, your neighborhood, and your needs and tastes. As the real estate market shifts its thinking to appease the more environmen- tally conscious customer and provide health- ier living environments, Ichijo USA’s goal is to employ a series of standards, practices and processes to usher in a new benchmark for custom home building. For Ichijo USA Marketing Manager Amy Tovel, the intricacies of both the business and sustainability model further amplify the persuasiveness of the brand, its narrative and its ability to consistently deliver high quality products. “Unlike most builders here in the USA who build developments, In Japan it’s one house at a time and it’s completely custom,” Tovel said. “They’re building at least 10,000 homes a year now and so many that they have a fa- cility in the Philippines where they fabri- cate much of what goes into homes - like windows, in-floor radiant heating and solar powered systems.”