Both Henry Ford’s assembly line
and Toyota’s just-in-time «lean» production model influenced building culture. Today’s
digital manufacturing technologies are reforming production and altering the
way buildings take shape. Complete 3d-printed houses, intelligent and
customizable modular components, digitally cut building kits and completely data-informed
and driven subcomponents, the future of prefabrication is streamlined from file
to factory to building site. As information technology drives greater potential
for efficient interaction from designers, architects and producers, powerful
cad tools link design thinking to the factory floor. CAM tools eliminate the
daunting translation usually associated with hand drawn or cad drawn construction
details. The design for manufacturing model could potentially place architects
and designers at the core of a type of customizable prefab, revolutionizing the
mass production connotation associated with prefab.
Alchemy architects of Minnesota, USA,
have demonstrated this data-driven paradigm in their «weeHouse» building
system organized by a consistent platform of coordinated components. The design
process is based on the combination of modular dimensional and design decisions
combined with a defined quantity of potential finishes, fixtures and
furnishings. The process and product are geared toward small, sustainable and
well-crafted dwellings adapted to any site, optimizing orientation and topographical
anchorage. The architects propose an efficient site specific spatial planning
instead of the predictable designs that are usually proposed by traditional modular
manufactures.
The weeHouse system was developed in
2002 and the architects have improved the process through numerous prototypes.
The platform starts with one basic 300-800 sqft single module and can be
expanded by a myriad of options from the basic building unit. The unit can vary
from 14' to 16’ in width and up to 60' in length; maximum dimensions are
defined by standardized transportation criteria.
The customizable process involves a
collaborative effort. Architects coordinate both the general contractor and the
manufacturer, consolidating design as the focal point. Bringing the
architect into the factory is perhaps the solution to elevating prefab's
potential. Technology has never been the obstacle, as production has been
leveraged to mass-produce mobile homes very successfully. With the «wee house»
system, manufacturing technology integrates the architectural office producing
a streamlined design, production and construction process possibly creating a
new pattern for building manufacturing.
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| From the weeHouse brochure |
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