Post World War II housing developments in the United States were
characterised by on-site standardisation of construction and the politics of accessible
procurement methods. Developers such as William J Levitt were successful as
they controlled purchasing and construction. The small American single-family
dwelling drove this type of standardisation and propelled the industrialisation
of specific components rather than the manufacturing of complete buildings. As
this type of development became the model in North America, Europe,
Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, and Japan were coping with their own housing crisis.
War reparations, rebuilding and restructuring were pushing for new models of
development in every country.
Underwritten by governments, housing programs characterized the post war
housing industry and showcased potential for innovative cross breeding of architecture,
housing and industry. Japan for instance had lost over thirty percent of its
housing stock during the war and looked to quickly restock and imagine
productive ways to rebuild. Industry was a major component of the rebuilding
programs. Intensely, wartime industries were commanded to serve the civilian economy.
This was the case in many countries and the foundation of a manufactured
building partnership in Japan.
Kunio Maekawa, a disciple of Le Corbusier who had also interned for the Wright
inspired architect Antonin Raymond brought the modernist dream of the factory
made house to Japan. The Manchurian Aircraft Company was repurposed for
housing after it had closed down following the war. PREMOS - Prefabricated
Maekawa Ono Kaoru San'in Manufacturing was the result of this ambitious project,
which united Industry, academia (Kaoru Ono, Tokyo University) and Maekawa’s aspiration.
The company produced its first standardised panelized structure in 1946 and led
to over one thousand units before the company shut down in 1952.
The flagship unit, PREMOS 7 presented an area of fifty-two square meters
and a simple wood construction building system that combined Honeycomb panels
and plywood sheeting with wood trusses for floors and roofs. The PREMOS design
standards followed Japan’s long history of standardisation in planning. The
Ken, a standard dimension of precut wood in Japanese construction, and the
tatami mat contribute to a modular heritage that ingrain standardisation and
make it the social norm. The PREMOS project was the forerunner of the thriving
contemporary prefab industry in Japan.
 |
| Premos 7 - components |
No comments:
Post a Comment