A modularization approach to housing

The manufacturing of customized products from standardized parts is common in many industries to obtain product diversification for fulfilling different customer demands. To become competitive in an international market, the housing industry now faces the challenge of creating design concepts that are adaptable to local conditions. A background study for research aiming at increasing understanding of how to create concepts for modular building systems that can be adapted according to product variance requirements and that allow for maintenance, replacement and upgrading to be done economically over the building life cycle in different countries is presented here. The study has found that housing conditions vary greatly over Europe and customization in housing is not very widespread. Many people live in inadequate housing, because they cannot afford to pay for refurbishment or a new home. An approach to modularization is proposed to identify how product variance requirements and components life cycle characteristics can be used to design dwellings, which can be run and maintained economically over their lifetime.