My appreciation for prefabricated architecture was ignited by Michael Hayes’ class on Architecture and the Postmodern Subject while attending the GSAPP at Colombia University. With a special focus on the nascent period of modernism through the lens of the Bauhaus and the Frankfurt School cohorts, before WW1, and the tumultuous period through the II World War, the class focus laid bare the thorny issues associated with industry as a means of production, the political process, and the architectural community’s response during this dramatic era.

Using examples from current industry, I researched car manufactures, big box delivery methods, system architecture, and product design to better understand how the multitude of industrial processes accommodate an incessant demand for mass produced goods. Coupled with the manufacturing approach was the influence of energy awareness and the pressing need for an architectural response that specifically addressed climate change and rising utility costs. The system I selected was a combination of multiple manufacturers that I could source products while relying on smart detailing aimed at reducing the installation time using unskilled labor to the greatest degree as possible.

The resulting design work sourced similar floor plans and building assembly with a wide degree of design variation, which underpins the value of the approach and multiple design options produced using this system.