Prefabrication experiments - 347 - SAMVS modular open system for dwellings

 

Industrialized building systems can be categorized as closed or open with the two concepts framing potential flexibility and adaptability. Closed systems are proprietary in nature and are controlled within the limits of a production system usually relating to specific company tooling, a patent or some form of intellectual property that restricts the development of interfaces with existing building technologies. On an opposing end of the spectrum, open systems are structured by the notion that building combines shared processes, systems, materials and methods which adapt freely to changing needs or to changing techniques and technologies.  Architects generally design buildings with an objective of open evolvability; the whole being detailed, assembled and coordinated with industrial products. Manufactures on the other hand are looking for distinction and usually propose systems that are linked to specific fabrication parameters. Prefabrication’s marginal use can arguably be traced to its lack of openness. 

 

Recently, partnerships between industry and architects in the prefab building space showcase a renewed interest in the development of open and interoperable systems to increase offsite construction’s uptake while maintaining adaptability. Architecture firm Cso Arquitectura from Spain along with construction firm TORSAN 1 have developed a house building system based on an open modular volumetric system. Each coordinated container-like box corresponds to a dwelling function and can be fitted according to a consumer’s choices and specifications. The boxes are bolted together on site and can be disassembled, removed or added to an existing space or relocated. The box's dimensional standards regulate design elements. Known as SAMVS, the boxes are produced in a factory, which reduces onsite waste, disturbance and labour. The architects affirm that the home can be produced in just 45 days and for 800$ per square meter (1800$ is a comparative average). The dwelling includes a list of ecological strategies that range from green materials to water recycling and solar panels for producing energy. The system argues for a low cost industrial approach.  It is unclear if demand will be sufficient to justify its production and if the very personalized nature of its conceptualization will once again show that open systems are more difficult to frame in a highly industrialized process.

Modular volumetric dwelling system