Assembling a predesigned and
manufactured kit-of-parts into quality buildings has integrated architectural
discourse, at least, since Joseph Paxton's iron skeleton Crystal Palace in
1851. This elemental construction method influenced both architecture and
construction schemes such as Charles and Ray Eames's Case Study House 8,
directing a reform toward architecture assembled from mass-produced and
catalogued components. Beyond both these prototype projects, prefab
experimentation with this type of kit building methodology was extensive and is
perhaps even at the heart of current building culture as architects pick and
choose from industrialized and catalogued parts while much of the building’s
integration is handled on-site. Construction documentation has become ever more
complex because architects must design and envision the assembly of disparate elements
produced by various manufacturers. Off the shelf methodology has created a
rupture between design, production and craft as building systems are increasingly
complex.
Leveraging these contemporary difficulties
with building information modelling, Project Frog (Flexible Response to Ongrowing Growth) is devising pre-determined and
integrated platforms for different building types. Designing
for manufacture and the simple on-site assembly of all building systems circumvents
the entanglement and lack of efficiency synonymous with on-site construction. Harmonizing
design and construction is at the heart of this budding business model. The
relatively young company (2006) is employing computer modelling to design and
produce intelligent and informed parts that can be used in a variety of designs.
Distancing itself from off-the-shelf component assembly, delivery, site logistics,
procurement and kit installation is all coordinated by FROG. Adaptable
and designed with energy efficiency in mind, the «core
and shell» platforms or the companies’ building typology sets are
customizable and based on sustainable building practices.
Analogous to the LEGO® Company’s predetermined toy kits where
the required pieces are either pre-packaged or conceived for each thematic arrangement,
each component becomes part of the company’s collection. The pieces are stored
and available in a database, increasing the potential to serve numerous types.
Platforms are made available, but architects can use a cloud-based configurator to create
a personalized building, which is instantly corroborated as compatible to FROG’s
process. This type of prefab middleman sidesteps the «lost in translation»
problems associated with contemporary building.
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