The groundwork for Japanese
manufactured housing was outlined by massive postwar rebuilding programs, which
underwrote industrialization initiatives and fruitful collaborations between
industry and architects. More than any other country, Japanese industry fused
architectural quality with the imperatives of housing production
(costs/timelines/craftsmanship). The conventional business model associated
with mass production was challenged by the customization experiments of Sekisui
Heim or the now infamous Toyota production theory. Japan’s industry championed the
coming of age of lean and supple manufacturing processes. Within the field of
manufactured architecture, the metabolist movement’s proponents showcased the umbrella
concepts, of capsules and infrastructure, but mainstream companies continuing
to produce quality homes demonstrate the real success of the Japanese industry.
Further to innovative production
methods and the shear need to revamp housing, Japan’s traditional building culture
dominated by traditional dimensioning, cutting and assembling made Japan a
fertile ground for prefabrication. Rigorous production, organisational customs,
customizable systems and social acceptability are the focal points of the
country's success in off-site construction. These themes were eloquently united
to develop many flagship manufacturers: Daewa, Sekisui, Panahomes are just a few
companies that embody the durability and anchorage of the prefab housing
business model in Japan.
Recently, MUJI, a commodity and
lifestyle product distributor famous for its no brand branding expanded to
the housing industry by uniting with architect Kengo Kuma. The company's
simple, no frills aesthetic parallels contemporary prefab imagery and promotes
the qualities associated with manufactured architecture: beautiful, quickly
built, low cost and sustainable. Sprouting from a fruitful collaboration with
Kuma, MUJI now promotes its vertical house as a flexible, adaptable, low cost
house.
Muji's vertical house is offered in seven
different organisations to accommodate diverse lifestyles. The vertically
organised frame structure uses both simple spatial organisation and intelligent
construction details to produce a lifestyle receptacle in tune with the
company's business model. The visible glulam post and beam construction system
is assembled with steel plates and fasteners. The joinery is reminiscent of
traditional Japanese wood carpentry. The house's staircase distributes spaces
vertically and collects light from the axial skylight. The simple stacking of
spaces in a five-meter wide module also addresses the cultural need for densely
organised streets capes.
 |
| MUJI infill |
No comments:
Post a Comment