What if the future of affordable housing doesn’t come from prefab or 3D printing, but from building vertically integrated factories that travel to where homes are needed most?

In this episode, I sit down with Aleksandr Gampel, co-founder and COO of Cuby Technologies, to talk about their radical approach: Mobile Micro-Factories. Instead of shipping oversized boxes across the country, they bring a full factory on-site – producing windows, panels, framing, and even helical piers locally, then assembling homes with unskilled labor.

We get into why housing costs have exploded (up 40–50% since pre-COVID), how Cuby’s system cuts hard costs by reducing skilled labor, and why most prefab and modular ventures have failed. Aleks explains how their vertically integrated model works, why they’re targeting small-to-mid-sized builders instead of one-off homeowners, and what it will mean when dozens, or even hundreds, of mobile microfactories are running across the U.S.

We also dive into design: steel tube framing, magnetic facades, and the surprisingly elegant logic behind Toyota’s production system applied to housing. If you’ve ever wondered how we might actually build cost-effective, durable homes at scale – without sacrificing beauty or quality – this episode is worth your time.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction to Housing Challenges

02:53 The Concept of Mobile Micro Factories

05:35 Manufacturing Process and Product Offerings

08:24 Building Systems and Structural Integrity

11:17 Cost Management and Market Strategy

14:05 Design Flexibility and Market Demand

17:07 Community Development and Housing Affordability

19:53 Operational Dynamics of Mobile Micro Factories

24:43 Building Efficient Factories with Unskilled Labor

27:30 The Role of Automation in Construction

28:54 Phased Business Plan for Housing Production

30:34 Funding and Capital Efficiency in Startups

32:33 Design Versatility and Limitations in Home Building

34:10 Long-Term Vision and Growth Strategy

35:15 Innovative Problem Solving in Construction

39:13 Challenges of Prefabrication in the Housing Market

41:33 Material Science Innovations for Housing

43:11 The Journey of Co-Founding a Startup

44:33 Connecting with Cuby Technologies

CONNECT WITH ALEKSANDR GAMPEL

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamaleksandrgampel/ 

Twitter/X: https://x.com/agampel1 

Cuby Technologies: https://www.cubytechnologies.com/ 

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SPONSORS

Thank you so much to the sponsors of The Building Culture Podcast!

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