thesis book

MASS CUSTOMIZATION creating a new design-build methodology

Dixin Bao

M.Arch December, 2017 advisors: Timur Dogan & Martin Miller

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MASS CUSTOMIZATION "mass customization is a marketing and manufacturing technique that combines the flexibility and personalization of custom-made products with the low unit costs associated with mass production.

Mass customization products may also be referred to as made to order or built to order."

the product should be customizable based on individual needs and at the same time be produced at a mass-production efficiency.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to me, the most beautiful thing is not those objects, but the experience and people relating to it

to my family, for always loving and supporting me

to my friends, for sharing the same kind of craziness

to my studiomates, for being the chilliest group of people who also have to do studio stuff

to my advisors, for guiding my thesis project and dealing with my idiosyncratic workflow

thank you

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In today’s rapidly changed built environment and the intersection of different generations, the traditional design-build strategy, which would normally take 5 to 10 years to realize, will no longer be able to catch the fast-pace change in both the market and individual needs. Under current technological advancement, fabrication efficiency and spontaneity in built environment, my thesis is to adopt the idea of mass customization at urban scale and individual level to respond these changes and create a new urban multi-unit typology.

Such need can be clearly seen in fast developing countries where overbuilt, housing crisis, and unexpected demolition along with the impetuous policy change, where people's life can be greatly affected. A more customizable way of building and living that could effectively respond to the market has to be achieve under such circumstances. However, what is mass customization. It should be customizable based on individual need and at the same time be able to be produced at massproduction efficiency. This thesis will look into the theory of mass customization and by constructing various types of scenarios, a new design-build methodology would be emerged.

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URBAN SCALE

Ordos, China

suburban Beijing, China

Wuhan, Hubei province, China

In the early 2000s, a coal-mining boom led the local government to throw money at urban development in the hopes of creating a new epicenter of culture, economy, and politics. The projected development for 1,000,000 residents is only partially realized, leaving a major empty apartments in the city.

As many as 5,000,000 rural migrants have moved to Beijing, a shortage of decent housing development leave a large number of population living in deteriorating conditions such as basement or suburban slums.

The dramatic change in political policy such as the "urban beautification" movement removes numbers of cheap housing stock for the migration workers, who would have to turn to demolition as their new living places.

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INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Inside Out

Remaking Spatial Character

Illegal Addition

As the unit types and spatial arrangements available in the basic apartment buildings cannot meet each family’s needs and requirements, a phenomenon that the private life being exposed to the public has emerged.

Another large set of cost allocated to the new apartments is remaking the inside spatial arrangement, tearing down existing non-bearing walls or building appropriate extension to the unit.

The craggy complex of rooms, rocks, trees and bushes looming over the 26-story building has become the latest symbol of disregard for the law among the rich as well as the rampant practice of building illegal additions.

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urban space market responsive: supply vs. demand

population demographic data environment socio-economy

MASS CUSTOMIZATION in building industry

political policy

individual dwelling personal responsive: heterogeneous requirements

family structure personal lifestyle spatial chatacter interior finishes

WHY? Market Responsive: the rapid change in political policy, socio-economic conditions, demographic structure... leads to a hardly predictable real estate market.

Heterogeneity of Demand: the unique needs from each family and individual preferences lead to the various demands of spatials character and arrangements.

New Technology: flexible manufacturing technologies reduce the typical trade-off between individuality and efficiency.

Consumer Involvement: the conventional "design-construction-sale" top-down structure leave little space for homebuyers' involvement. Such standardized product line does not fully meet each individual's need.

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a prescribed framework that would hold limitless options

the base

the "fit-out"

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HOME individual lifestyle assembled by "skeleton & infill" modules 1. Off-site manufacturing

2. Packaged and prepared for delivery

3. Truck delivery

4. On-site assembly

5. Accessories installation

6. 24-hour completion

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THE INSTANT SKYSCRAPER 30-story building built in 15 days off-site fabrication & on-site modular construction 1. Identical modules

2. Preinstalled fixtures

3. Standardized truckloads

The floors and ceilings of the skyscraper are built in sections, each measuring 15.6 by 3.9 meters, with a depth of 45 centimeters.

Pipes and ducts are threaded through each floor module while it's still in the factory. The client's choice of flooring is also preinstalled on top.

Each load carries two modules to the site, with the necessary columns, bolts, tools, and other peripherals to connect them stacked on top of each.

4. Instant Assembly

5. Snap-in columns

6. A smooth finish

Each section is lifted by crane directly to the top of the building. Workers use the materials on the module to quickly connect the pipes and wires.

The design has aced 9.0-magnitude earthquake tests by the unique column design, with diagonal bracing at each end and tabs that bolt into the floors above and below.

In the final step, heavily insulated exterior walls and windows are slotted in by crane.

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BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE Interactive shading devices on outer facades Instead of predeterming the building facade system based on environmental analysis or cultural context, a personally customizable facade is adopted, where the users can choose to open or close the laminated vertical timber louvers to strike a balance between the desired level of natural lighting inside the building and the heat gain of the internal spaces.

OPEN: light and heat get into the building.

CLOSE: the internal secondary facade performs as the internal layer of a doubleskin facade, in which the trapped heat can be ventilated out of the building.

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CONVENTIONAL BUILDING DELIVERY PROCESS PLANNING & DESIGN

CONSTRUCTION

SALE & OCCUPANCY

MODULAR BUILDING DELIVERY PROCESS INITIAL INSTALLMENT

MARKET (RE)-ACCESSMENT

STAND

INSTALLASTION

on-site accessment

DECOMPOSITION

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modularity

units configuration modular components on-site assembly & plug-in

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2

off-site fabrication

3 personal interaction

aggregation decomposition precision & efficiency on-site assembly spatitial freedom adaptive envelope

"support-only" construction

units selection & combination

customization & "infill" construction

50% customization

75% customization

95% customization

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Proposal I: Skeleton & Infill With the initial framework (skeleton) built, potential homebuyers would have the opportunity to customize their apartment types (size, organization, orientation‌, etc.) and the “fit-outâ€?. The building would become flexible enough to allow both the generic and the customized coexist at the same time and the customization would correspond to the market need.

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S

studio

L

loft

2

1/2 bedrooms

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3

duplex

4

4 bedrooms

1. off-site pre-fabrication & on-site assembly

2. growing stage one - core determination

3. growing stage one - core addition

4. growing stage three - densification

5. growth saturation reached

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7. subtraction due to market weakening

8. disassembled & recycled for future usage

6. re-arrangement due to contextual change

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studio

1b1b

2b2b

3b2b

studio - loft

loft

duplex

4b3b

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inititial state

medium density

saturation

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stage I

stage II

stage III

saturation

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existing residential typology linear branch

radial cluster

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4m

6m 6m

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alternation

bridging

base module

loft 1

loft 2

loft 3

1 bedroom loft

2 or 3 bedroom

transformation

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Proposal II: Built to Demand A modular building delivery process is adopted where the system can be customized at market scale and individual level, a new building cycle would be then created. After the initial settlement, a market re-assessment and action loophole would ensure an up-todate responds to the demand and supply balance in the market and the change in each household living preferences. A 6 X 6 X4 living modules would be then to stand alone, connect, combine and reconfigure to different types and form.

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1. initial settlement

2, community

3, vertical expansion

4, mid-rise apartment

5, preliminary growing stage

6. saturation

7. connection

8. re-arrangement

9. decomposition

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1. initial settlement

2. addition & connection

3. extension

4. core addtion & expansion

5. vertical densification

6. ground re-organization

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magnetic levitational lift system

studio one bedroom two/three bedroom four bedroom duplex

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base module

loft 1

cantilever

lateral resistance

loft 2

2 or 3 bedroom

alternation

loft 3

transformation

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customizable joints

modular aggregation

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base module

combination

derivatives

alternation

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Changping, suburban Beijing

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site solar exposure

site sun path radiation

design solar radiation exposure The outdoor radiation simulation accounts for the annual reception of sunlight radiation in Beijing. The flat roof of the buildings will receive the most direct light while the northern side will receive mostly ambient light.

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site wind rose

The outdoor radiation simulation accounts for the annual reception of sunlight radiation in Beijing. The flat roof of the buildings will receive the most direct light while the northern side will receive mostly ambient light.

As southern side receive much more direct light than the northern side, the terrace grows from the southern base of the footprint, maximizing the radiation reception and embedding with the existing neighborhood.

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studio

1b2b

2b2b

3b3b

aggregating rule: possible and maximum sides that can be attached to ensure natural light

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3b3b

5b4b

studio

two/three bedroom

one/two bedroom

four bedroom

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duplex

terracing configuration

vertical growth

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1

2

3

1

4

4

3

2

5

6 5

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terracing growth

nodal & linear aggregation

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linear development

bridging & connection

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vertical growth 1

vertical growth & bridging 6

2

3

4

7

5

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occupancy, growth & re-organization

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1. underlying grid for initial insertion

2. intitial non-hierachical settlement

3. potential open space nodes

4. re-organization

1. low-rise, non-hierarchical occupancy

2. urban townhouse

3. growth nodes & re-program

4. development saturation

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