For many architects, and their clients, architectural prefabrication implies a rational and systematic approach: off-site construction, precise and standard material systems, efficiencies of production. The character and merits of prefabrication are here most commonly assigned to the design-to-fabrication cycle, with the impact of prefabrication on the project life cycle less examined – or at least less embraced.
In this essay, we turn our attention to the potential of prefabrication to enhance material and spatial flexibility – to reimagine our homes as adaptable systems that can be refined and developed over time. From the early design testing and co-design potential of 1:1 architectural prototypes, to consistent manufacturing tolerances, interchangeable units and systems of assembly, and conception of the architectural whole as a composite of
