Timber Based Prefabricated Single Modular Housing: A Brief Comparison to the Auto Industry

  • Lucina Fernandes Carvalho Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco
Keywords: prefabrication, cross laminated timber, eco resorts, single modular buildings

Abstract

 

The present article gathers examples of modular dwelling concepts, where Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and other timber-based products are the primary elected material, and makes comparisons between the ‘prefabrication construction process and marketing strategies’ for modular dwellings with the ‘automotive industry’. The article is divided in three parts. First section of the article provides an analysis of the environmental impacts of transportation and building sector, then identifies reaction trends between electric vehicles and prefab modular homes. The second section deals with work flow, emphasizing the prefabrication process of house modules, the constraints given by transportation and storage, and arguing for the personalization of a mass production product demonstrated through six case studies. The third section debates possible marketing strategies, evoking business models based on collectible concepts, cataloging, mass customisation principles and image/brand for tourist/urbanistic developments.

Author Biography

Lucina Fernandes Carvalho, Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco

Portuguese Architect Investigator, currently doing a research on high performance cross laminated timber buildings. (Project name: BUILDFROMFOREST, at IPCB - Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco).

More than 10 years of experience , mostly international.

Graduated from IST (Instituto Superior Técnico) in Lisbon, having experienced one year in the EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne , Switzerland).

Started to work in 2007 integrating the architect’s João Pedro Falcão de Campos team boosting afterwards into an international experience since 2010, namely in collaboration firstly with the Portuguese firm Parque Expo 98 S.A. in the project of the Urbanism Director Plan Algiers and then the Spanish firm SENER, Ingeniería y Sistemas in Algeria,  monitoring the work of the Metro of Algiers. 

Later joined Allford Hall Monaghan and Morris office in London for three years collaborating in the tender packages and  works on site site at Alconbury Weald Club , a fast track mixed use CLT building.

Since 2017 back in Portugal integrating an IC&DT project (sponsored by the Fondation of Cience an Technology).

 

Published
2019-01-31
How to Cite
Carvalho, L. (2019). Timber Based Prefabricated Single Modular Housing: A Brief Comparison to the Auto Industry. Mass Timber Construction Journal, 2(1), 1-7. Retrieved from https://journalmtc.com/index.php/mtcj/article/view/9
Issue
Vol 2 No 1 (2019): Mass Timber Construction Journal
Section
Articles

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