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VUILD
Coating sample for indoor area.
VUILD
Coating sample for outdoor area.
VUILD
Joint sample between column, beam, horizontal metal crosspiece (girt) and rafter.
VUILD
Wall section sample.
VUILD
Foundation sample with metal base bar (sill).
Tatami: dimension of space and meaning
Tatami is a type of floor covering that resembles carpets. It is composed of three parts: The middle layer, known as tatami-doko, is made of materials such as dry straw. It is placed between two outer layers, tatami-omote, which are fabrics, interwoven with a grass-like plant known as loose reed (Juncus effusus). At the ends of each tatami are tatami-beri, materials used to reinforce and protect the edges, essential for avoiding wear and tear on the corners, as well as for filling in the spaces between the carpets, ensuring a more uniform fit. Because they are produced with natural materials, tatami also contribute to the thermal comfort of the environments, able to retain heat and with properties of moisture absorption, thus controlling the humidity of the space in which they are inserted.
The size of tatami may vary from region to region in Japan, but 180 × 90 cm is an approximate base measurement that has been established nationally, defining a 2:1 ratio between length and width. As a standardized measure, tatami function as architectural units – it is believed that this was established sometime between the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods, as it was over these centuries that tatami began to cover large spaces –, allowing rooms to be designed and described by the number of tatami that they cover. For example: Rokujō (六畳) is a common measurement for living rooms and bedrooms and indicates the presence of 6 tatami. Yojōhan (四畳半) is a common measure for tea ceremony rooms and indicates 4.5 tatami. In this exhibition, the rectangular markings that are seen on the floor, the shape and positioning of the furniture are inspired by this modularization.
The organization of tatami follows specific rules, which reflect not only the functional aspect, but also cultural and aesthetic values. The pieces are arranged in such a way as to prevent the corners of four tatami from meeting and forming an intersection, which can be considered a bad omen in certain situations. Their arrangement always creates a visual rhythm and flow in the space, influencing the way people circulate and use the environment: it is no coincidence that much of Japanese ergonomics, furniture and decorative and contemplative elements are planned to be positioned at the eye-level of a person who is seated in the seiza position, a traditional Japanese way of sitting on the floor, in which the knees are bent, the legs back with buttocks supported on them on tatami.
Furthermore, tatami connect directly with other elements characteristic of traditional Japanese homes: as they are a type of floor covering, their preservation and cleanliness are necessary, and the genkan – entrance area of homes, where shoes are left – plays an important role in this context; fusuma and shoji, types of lightweight sliding doors that are usually made of wood and paper, allow spaces to be divided or integrated, in line with the modularity offered by tatami. While tatami define the physical area and measurement of the rooms, fusuma and shoji contribute to the creation of multifunctional environments, which can be transformed according to the needs of the moment.
Tatami are not just architectural elements; they connect essential aspects of Japanese culture, such as simplicity, purity and functionality.
About VUILD
VUILD is a Japanese architectural startup founded in 2017 by Koki Akiyoshi (Osaka, 1988). Based on three core values — autonomy, decentralization and sharing — the company seeks to promote local industries throughout the Japanese archipelago, stimulating work with wood.
According to the latest data from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), about two-thirds of the archipelago's territory is covered in forests. Most of these areas are planted forests, a result of the reforestation policy carried out after World War II, which aimed to rebuild the country and produce wood. However, in recent decades, Japan has begun to import cheaper wood from other countries, weakening the local industry and leading to an underutilization of these forests. In this scenario, VUILD developed a system to encourage the use of mature trees in regions where forest abandonment - the temporary or permanent interruption of the use of a natural area that previously served such activities as agriculture, livestock or forest management and the effects of which are not yet possible to measure - is a reality.
With the objective of building a sustainable regional economic system, taking advantage of local resources and collaborating directly with community members on architectural projects, the company aims to revitalize local sectors and the environment, restoring the productive capacity of these regions. To this end, it has developed a system that introduces grinding machines (CNC, short for Computerized Numerical Control, milling machines) controlled by a computerized system that allows for strict control of the movements of cutting tools, enabling the production of parts with complex shapes and high precision. These machines are connected to a network through a system known as EMARF, which provides a platform that allows anyone to create homes, buildings and furniture using local wood. To date, this machinery has been installed in over 250 areas.
Another pressing social issue in Japan is the shortage of skilled artisans. The number of carpenters in the country has fallen from 900,000 in 1980 to 300,000 in 2020, and 43% of them are 65 or older. This severe gap in skilled labor has caused construction delays and increased costs associated with the industry.
By promoting the use of locally sourced timber, reducing carbon emissions during construction and employing digital fabrication technologies that make it possible for even unskilled workers to easily build complex structures, VUILD touches on two major issues facing contemporary Japan – the lack of skilled labor and care for environmental impact – through an integrated approach.
Credits
Prefabricated anatomy: one way of living in Japan
Curator
Natasha Barzaghi Geenen
Assistants curator
Carolina De Angelis
Thelma Nakae
Executive production - internal exhibition space
Erika Litsumi Uehara
Karen Garcia
Executive production - external area
Juliana Cortes
Production assistant
Leonardo Stephens Domingues
Natália Longhi
Exhibition design
+5581 Studio | Hayato Fujii
H2C Arquitetura | Helena Camargo, Teresa Vicini Lodi, Victor Algranti e João Serejo
Scenography
Madeiras Yervant
Exhibitors and counters
Bandeira Design
Display case installation
Forest Fábrica Digital
Tatami
Saeki Ind. e Com. Ltda
Structural design - external area
Timbau Estruturas | Alan Dias e Paulo Bastos
Wood Advising
Gil Mello
Box Truss
José Aldo Dell’ore
Play Party
Painting
Manos Cogrossi
Lighting design
Iluminarte | Kris Natal e Karina Mendonça
Lighting
Santa Luz
External area lighting design
Maroli Montagem
Audio and video
Maroli Montagem
Assembly coordination
Art Level | Diego Marques
External area assembly coordination
Alan Dias
Paulo Bastos
Assembly team
Daniela Guimarães
Carlos Roberto Bento
Rafael Calixto da Silva
Content advisor
Yoshikuni Shirai
Timeline production
Tatsuo Iso
Graphic design
Thiago Minoru
Printing of visual communication
F-THEO
International transportation
Waiver Arts Logística
National transportation
Alves Tegam
Translation
Komorebi Translations
Matthew Rinaldi
Alcance Consultoria de Idiomas | Eduardo Lasota
Accessibility
Hiromi Saito
Felipe Lima
Vinicius Garcia
Accessibility consulting
Daina Leyton
Accessibility production
Beatriz Matuck
Brazilian sign language (LIBRAS)
AHU - Acessibilidade Humanista Ltda
Audio description
Entrelinhas Comunicação Acessível
Tactile and visual communication
Seal Acessibilidade
WebApp
Iguale
Colaboration
MAYEKAWA ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS, National Archives of Modern Architecture, Agency for Cultural Affairs, DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY CO., LTD., Sekisui House, Ltd., SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD., KISHO KUROKAWA architect & associates, GK Design Group Incorporated, MISAWA HOMES CO., LTD., Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop, SUS Corporation, YASUTAKA YOSHIMURA ARCHITECTS e VUILD, inc.
DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
Demonstration of external thermal insulation with ventilation
Japan's climate, very hot and humid in summer and cold and mostly dry in winter, greatly impacts houses and their inhabitants. In order to contribute to people's comfort in their homes, DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY Co., LTD. – one of Japan's largest real estate construction and real estate development companies specializing in modular and prefabricated construction – has created a system in which the walls have external thermal insulation and layers of ventilation.
Conventional methods of thermal insulation consist of filling; in other words, the insulating material is inserted into the interior of the walls, between the pillars, so that heat and cold are transmitted to the internal environment through the structural elements. Meanwhile, this solution provides for thermal insulation that covers all structural elements, by applying thermal insulation on the outside of the pillars as well. This reduces the influence of outside air, preventing condensation inside the walls and thus ensuring greater energy efficiency and resistance, allowing the house to reduce costs from air conditioning and heating units.
The model featured here exhibits a conventional external wall on the right side and a wall with external thermal insulation and ventilation layer on the left. By touching it, you will understand the differences in temperature and feel that the left side is warmer.
Exercise in Decomposition
It was based on an observation and acknowledgement of Japan's efficient and clean constructive logic, with greater control of deadlines and costs, combined with the current panorama of civil construction in the city of São Paulo, that we decided to hold an exhibition focused on Japanese prefabricated modular construction.
The realities and challenges of the two countries are distinct, but exchanges are always beneficial, making it possible to incorporate the best practices, which better suit our reality.
Buildings of this type have components manufactured externally to the construction site and shipped for assembly on site. The history is age-old: scholars claim that it was possible to observe such creations back in the 17th century.
Japan is a reference in this area of activity, with its certified focus on cleaner constructions, with less wasted materials and less refuse generated. The country features an extremely sophisticated production from the point of view of design and engineering, with very high efficiency.
The decision to display this house model here came from a series of fundamentals that guided us, over the course of this year, to create the Japan House São Paulo exhibition program.
Sustainability, addressed in our recent design exhibition, is an important pillar that we incorporate in several ways. In terms of resources, for example, it considers the use of wood from planted forests to strengthen local industry and reduce negative impacts that accompany the importing of wood, thus helping to reduce carbon emissions.
The idea of collaborative work, associated with the awareness of collective action, is another of these foundations. In Japan, there is a strong notion of individual responsibility for a collective good, for a better society. This is also noticeable in the small details, such as the absence of garbage in Japanese cities or silence on public transportation, where everyone takes care not to disturb others.
These fundamentals are incorporated in the NESTING house through the use of locally sourced wood and delivery of carefully identified and easy-to-fit parts, so that the house is built with participation from friends and relatives of future residents.
We dissected this house and also presented several of its parts, attesting to the level of precision and technique, a true anatomy of these constructions.
In JHSP's external area, we expanded on the theme to propose interaction with the public and allow the experience of certain characteristic aspects of traditional Japanese homes, thus bringing another approach. The use of tatami on the ground serves as a unit of measurement to calculate the area of these houses and generates a very peculiar tactile perception. Tatami can be considered, from this perspective, precursors of the logic of prefabrication, since they were ready-made elements that, when combined, defined the size of residences.
Another important element of traditional constructions is the use of movable internal partitions – fusuma and shoji – which transform spaces according to their layout, offering great flexibility to the way they are occupied, a concept that feels extremely contemporary.
I would suggest reading the complementary texts featured in the exhibition to make your visit experience even more complete. And I hope that some of the ways of living in Japan can serve as inspiration to enhance the exercise of community living, encouraging initiatives that increasingly stimulate society's participation in the organization of cities.
Natasha Barzaghi Geenen
Cultural Director of Japan House São Paulo and Exhibition Curator
Play with the spaces
Many elements make up a traditional Japanese house: the kind we see in photos, books, films, drawings and the one that is part of the collective imagination.
Some of the roofs have wide eaves that protect from rain and sun by allowing the air to circulate. Its wooden structures and walls are most often constructed without nails, using techniques of interlocking.
They are slightly elevated off the ground in order to provide more protection from moisture.
The window-doors, known as shoji, are made of paper and create a very close relationship between inside and outside parts, allowing a natural shimmer light to enter. Integration with nature is very important in Japanese houses. In addition, they usually feature engawas, corridors that look like verandas and connect with an external area.
The area of the house is determined by the number of tatami on the floor. There is a Japanese saying, “It takes one tatami to sleep; all it takes is half to be awake,” that reminds us that we do not need much, just the essentials.
Inside, the rooms are divided by sliding panels made of wood and paper, known as fusuma, which can be opened or closed, changing the configuration of these spaces according to occupation or desired use.
The use of natural materials is important for the tactile aspect of these houses. Tatami, for example, made of rice straw, brings a very specific feel and aroma and provides the house with more thermal comfort.
We invite you to play in this fun, interactive house of ours, which features some of these original elements and others inspired by these concepts, so that they can be experienced, manipulated, felt with their scents and touches. Take the opportunity to transform and redesign your internal spaces by moving the sliding panels.
But remember to leave your shoes outside, following the good Japanese habit of taking care of the delicate tatami as well as the hygiene of the homes. This way our house also remains clean and pure; a place we would like to come home to.
The Japanese Home: Millennial and Contemporary
Nowadays, there is a wide understanding in the field of architecture regarding the relevance of industrialized construction, or offsite construction, as an important way to add value to projects – which can reach a greater number of users – and reduce waste, principles also aligned with the concept of lean construction. Among the pillars of industrialized construction, in turn, is modular coordination.
The adoption of a modular framework for the design of a building is nothing new, if one considers the ancestral modulation observed in the traditional Japanese home. Just as Argan suggests in Project and Destiny (1), by replacing the measure-module with an object-module – taken here as tatami – the traditional Japanese home can be seen as a millennial example of “industrialized” architecture. Despite its components are handmade produced, in traditional Japanese architecture we can observe dimensionally compatible constructive components, which offer flexibility in the creation of spaces.
At this moment in which Japan House brings to São Paulo an exhibition on prefabricated Japanese houses made of industrialized wood, it is essential to realize that the architecture presented in the contemporary VUILD house represents a valuable opportunity to revisit the Japanese Home, assigning it with a new meaning in the present day. VUILD's modular digital architecture, developed from software, invites us to take part in the design of our own home, which will then be digitally manufactured.
When it comes to contemporary challenges, however, more than prioritizing speed, efficiency and flexibility, it is necessary to consider the sustainability and eco-efficiency of this industrialized architecture, interrelated concepts, as eco-efficiency leads to a practice that fosters sustainable development.
Designing habitats in which the natural and renewable raw material is industrialized wood, such as CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) and GLT (Glued Laminated Timber), acronyms that identify these technologies, is the equivalent of an objective, viable alternative for reducing carbon emissions and, consequently, a mitigation of the environmental crisis that the world is currently experiencing.
Still, it should be noted that there is no single scenario in which the use of industrialized wood can bring benefits, as solutions using this technology are not always scalable, depending on the context of each country. In European countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the widespread use of industrialized wood is linked to cultural and economic factors, as there are vast forests, both native and planted, in their territories, which makes the material more accessible and economically competitive when compared to others, like concrete and steel.
In other European countries and Brazil, where there is a long trajectory in the use of reinforced concrete, including in prefabricated industrialized buildings, industrialized wood has been introduced in hybrid constructions, which exploit the synergy resulting from the combination of these two materials. The reduction in the carbon footprint in hybrid constructions is estimated at almost 60%, due to the decrease in the consumption of concrete and steel. The principles of the circular economy – reduction, reuse and recycling of materials – are also present in this new approach.
Faced with the gravity of the climate emergency on a global level, the context for the use of industrialized wood is apparent and the exhibition at JHSP is an appropriate moment for reflection. The greatest challenges and attractions that arise for industrialized architecture in industrialized wood concern innovation, as an inducer of sustainable development, and a vision of the future that civil construction will be able to plan for itself.
Paulo Eduardo Fonseca de Campos
Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Urbanism and Design of the University of São Paulo (FAU USP). Founder and coordinator of Fab Lab SP (2011), the first digital manufacturing laboratory in the country linked to the worldwide network FAB LAB.
____________________
(1) ARGAN, Giulio Carlo. Projeto e destino. São Paulo: Atica, 2000. (Coleção Temas, 71).
VUILD
Modelos de peças do projeto NESTING
Esta seção apresenta uma seleção de peças que compõem a estrutura de uma casa desenvolvida utilizando o serviço NESTING, como a que temos nesta exposição. Elaborados pela VUILD, esses modelos exibem partes das juntas estruturais, vigas, cortes que possibilitam a visualização das paredes externas e internas e um exemplo de chapa metálica utilizada no telhado.
Cada elemento dessa estrutura foi concebido como unidade leve que pode ser transportada por duas pessoas sem experiência prévia em construção, e os detalhes das junções foram projetados de forma a não exigir habilidades técnicas, implementando um método construtivo democrático, que possa ser executado por qualquer pessoa, em qualquer lugar.
O projeto também se vale de uma fundação simples com estacas cravadas em tubos, o que permite fácil instalação e dá a possibilidade de desmontagem e relocação, viabilizando um processo de construção de curto prazo e baixa emissão de carbono.
As paredes internas contam com revestimento de isolamento térmico, e os acabamentos podem ser personalizados de acordo com as preferências do cliente.
VUILD
NESTING
The NESTING series is a construction service that allows customers to design and build their own structures using digital manufacturing. By developing an assembly method that makes it possible for non-professionals to carry out the entire process — from foundation to finishing —, projects can be completed in little time by customers and their friends, relatives and collaborators.
Using locally-sourced wood and digital manufacturing to create easy-to-assemble kits that utilize systems of part identification and fittings, the project addresses the shortage of skilled labor and high material costs in Japan.
Here, at this exhibition, the model of a life-size house, developed by NESTING, displays a sample of the construction. On one side, we see the internal structure of the walls and ceiling, while, on the other, the available coatings and finishes.
VUILD
Floor plan and replica of structural elements
As a complement to the sample of the house built using the NESTING service, the exhibition presents a floor plan applied in adhesive on the ground, simulating the same house's total area.
The floor plan shows the suggested division and occupation of each space, providing the public with a better understanding of the dimensions proposed in this Japanese prefabricated house model.
In the display case, an installation exhibits parts made of Paricá plywood. Cut with the Digital Router method on a Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machine, these parts are models of the components of the house structure. It is possible to observe the organization of the fittings and their details, as if the construction were being dissected, revealing its anatomy.
VUILD
Marebito no ie model
Inspired by the traditional Japanese gassho-zukuri architectural style — which means "hands in prayer," characterized by sloping roofs designed to withstand the intense snow in mountain regions – this house is built with local wood and the parts that comprise it are lightweight, produced by digital manufacturing. Its structure was erected without nails or heavy machinery, using traditional fitting techniques of Japanese carpentry. This house functions as a prototype for a new system in which wood producers digitally process the raw material and deliver the products directly to the end users, the owners of the house, avoiding the conventional chains of the market, eliminating steps and intermediaries.
The choice of this style revives the constructive wisdom of rural communities that historically set up their own homes with locally available resources. Marebito no ie (Marebito House) respects the orientation of the original structures — parallel to the mountain range and open to the east — taking advantage of natural ventilation and sunlight to ensure thermal comfort and integration with surroundings.
1946
プレモス
PREMOS
Kunio Maekawa / San'in Kōgyō
Architect Kunio Maekawa's response to post-war housing shortages
In August of 1945, the Pacific War came to an end, simultaneously with World War II, but, in addition to the challenges that came with defeat, Japan faced a severe shortage of housing aggravated by the return of soldiers and repatriated people. Seeking to contribute to the solution for this challenge, architect Kunio Maekawa, a disciple of French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, teamed up with engineer Kaoru Ono to develop mass-produced housing. The project was based on the assembly of wood panels, a process that did not require the presence of a carpenter. The task of elaborating the panels was given to the company San'in Kōgyō, which applied its technique developed in the manufacture of planes during World War II. Houses with standardized structures began to be made available in 1946 and continued on the market until roughly 1951, gaining successive improvements over the years. About 1000 houses were built across the country, many of which were intended for housing coal mine workers. Not one of them survived to this day.
1959
Midget House
DAIWA HOUSE INDUSTRY
In the context of the baby boom, the great success of the study rooms
Once the children born in the first post-war baby boom (1947-1949) got older, the need arose to create a study space in Japanese homes. The Midget House met this demand with an ultra-compact, independently-built room on the same land as the existing family home. The structure with an area of 9.72 m² (3.6 x 2.7 meters) had a foundation of concrete blocks and light steel beams erected over them. The spaces between the beams were filled with rigid panels made of wood fiber, and the roof had the same panels in versions reinforced with galvanized steel sheets. The affordable price and commercialization in department stores, which presented a sample of the house for viewing, resulted in a big hit in sales. This Daiwa House project played a key role in the subsequent spread of prefabricated housing.
1960
セキスイハウスA型
Sekisui House Modelo A
Sekisui House
Japan's first industrialized house made of light steel
Sekisui Chemical, which produced PVC pipes and plastic buckets, entered the real estate industry as a new company: Sekisui House. Its first venture was the prefabricated house known as the “Model A.” The structure of this one-story building was made of light steel, and the roof featured aluminum panels that reflected light like mirrors. The frames of the glass doors were steel, and the gables had plastic eaves with buttresses. The catalog also exhibited photographs of modern furniture in order to create the image of a lifestyle of the future. About 200 units of this model were delivered, but, in 1961, an improved version, the “Model B,” was released with aesthetic references more closely aligned with traditional Japanese residences. Then, in 1962, the “Model C” was developed as a summer house. Built with FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Polymer), it is considered to be a prototype for many of the modular houses produced to this day.
1969
Capsule lodge “Hermit Crab”
Nikko Kasei - GK Industrial Design Associates
The fad of summer cabanas
It's a small cabin for weekends. The modular construction method, in which the parts are previously assembled in a factory and then transported and installed on site, proved to be ideal for this type of housing, since its construction could be easily completed both in mountainous regions and on the coast. This approach arose in Finland, with the famous UFO-shaped “Futuro House” by architect Matti Suuronen, but, in the early 1970s, several manufacturers in Japan also created such projects. One of the pioneering examples was developed by the chemical company Nikko Kasei, which teamed up with GK Industrial Design Associates, now called GK Industrial Design Incorporated, led by industrial designer Kenji Ekuan. The cabana is approximately 16 m2, with a steel main frame covered by a plastic outer membrane. The price at launch was about 2.5 million yen, which was affordable at the time.
1970
セキスイハイムM1
Sekisui Heim M1
SEKISUI CHEMICAL / Katsuhiko Ono
Modular construction method with optimized factory production
Sekisui Chemical, which had created the new company Sekisui House, continued in the prefabricated housing construction sector and, as a result, launched Sekisui Heim 1. The project was led by Katsuhiko Ono, who was conducting a research on the industrialization of architecture at the University of Tokyo's Yoshichika Uchida Laboratory. With dimensions of 2.4 x 5.6 x 2.7 meters, the modular, box-shaped units featured a light steel structure, metal tiles and panels that made up walls, doors, windows, floor and ceiling. After being previously assembled in the factory, the entire structure was transported by truck, to then be positioned on the foundation with a crane. Finally, the project was completed with the connection of all the prefabricated parts. The rational and economical method allowed for a two-story house to be completed in a single shift of work. By increasing the factory's production rate by 80%, the price was significantly reduced and this house became a success: in the first five years after its launch, 17,000 units of Sekisui Heim 1 were sold.
1972
中銀カプセルタワービル
Nakagin Capsule Tower
Kisho Kurokawa
The complex of capsule-apartments that surprised the world
Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa in 1972 in Tokyo's Ginza district, the Nakagin Capsule Tower was the first building on the planet made of habitable capsules. The 140 capsules functioned as residences and could be removed or exchanged. Arranged in two central towers, the capsules were 2.7 meters wide, 2.5 meters high and 4.2 meters long. Approximately 10 m2 in area, they were equipped with basic items such as a bed, bathroom and storage spaces. However, despite calls for the preservation of this architectural icon, none of the capsules were replaced over time and, due to its deterioration, the building was completely dismantled in 2022. In the process, 23 capsules were removed to be preserved and displayed in art museums and cultural institutions in Japan and abroad.
1977
ミサワホームO型
Misawa Home Modelo O
MISAWA HOMES
The big hit of “planned housing” prefabricated in wood
Misawa Homes, a Japanese home manufacturer that grew in the prefabricated housing market using large wooden panels, faced a drop in its sales after the 1973 oil crisis. It was in this context of economic hardship that the "Model O" was developed with the slogan "planned housing." Although the floor plan and specifications were limited, without much freedom for changes, the catchphrase and images indicated that this was not a negative point, as the design was ahead of its time and the company was able to anticipate future lifestyles. The strategy also took into account the aesthetics that referred to traditional Japanese houses and resulted in great success, with over 10,000 units sold, making it a milestone for the prefabricated housing market.
2004
エコムスハウス
Ecoms House
Riken Yamamoto - SUS
All aluminum: from structure to interior design
Prefabricated house designed by the winner of the 2024 edition of the Pritzker Prize – known as the Nobel Prize of architecture – Riken Yamamoto. Square lattice panels with sides of 1.2 meters, formed by aluminum profiles, are manufactured on an industrial scale using fittings arranged in an X shape. Connecting these panels, the structure is assembled following a checkerboard pattern. The construction could have up to three floors, with the possibility of maintaining a large span of up to 12 meters. With such characteristics, this prefabricated model could serve several purposes, including being used in offices and factories. From this initial project came the Ecoms House: prefabricated houses for large-scale production. The model house built in the city of Tosi, in the province of Saga, had furniture from the SUS Corporation, a Japanese brand specialized in parts made of aluminum, a lightweight, durable and easily recyclable material. Therefore, the house also suggests the possibility of a circular housing supply system in the future.
2011
エクスコンテナ・プロジェクト
Ex-Container Project
Yasutaka Yoshimura
Temporary post-earthquake housing proposals
The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011. Followed by a tsunami, it caused a major tragedy resulting in over 22,000 fatalities. In this context, architect Yasutaka Yoshimura, who had already been working on the reuse of containers in construction, launched a project to provide temporary housing made from containers for people who lost their homes in disaster-hit areas. The idea was to provide the freedom to combine the units of the living room with those of the wet areas – kitchen and bathroom, for example – to create single-story or two-story residences. The project also considered the possibility of transitioning from the temporary version to a permanent one. Although the project was not feasible, the prototype completed in the city of Ishinomaki, in Miyagi Prefecture, was used as the base of operations for the volunteers who worked to rebuild the region.
2024
NESTING
Koki Akiyoshi
Prefabricated in the Information Age
NESTING is an initiative developed by VUILD, a company led by architect Koki Akiyoshi. This platform allows people to design and customize their homes from a prototype. This project generates a kit with the parts that will comprise a house made of cedar wood processed and cut with digital manufacturing technology. Using panels to cover the inside and a pile foundation made of metal pipes, each part is designed so that even people without technical knowledge can build their own house, an example of residential self-construction in which the future owner can assemble the house with the help of friends and relatives. Each component weighs no more than 10 kilos, so the construction can be completed without a crane. Rooftop solar panels also enable grid-independent electricity generation.
VUILD
Purlin sample (horizontal beam that supports the roof covering).
Japan is the world leader in prefabricated homes and its trajectory in this kind of construction is unparalleled in other countries. According to 2022 data from the Japan Prefabricated Construction Suppliers and Manufacturers Association, there are approximately 125,000 homes built with this method in the country. Japan's overall prefabricated building market is estimated to have reached the $16.48 billion mark in 2024, and we can state with no qualms that no other country has such a successful prefabricated home industry. In addition, Japan is a great innovator in the sector, with constant developments in production technology, housing efficiency and modularization, among other aspects.
In 1945, Japan was devastated at the end of World War II. However, after just 10 years, the Japanese Economic Planning Agency declared that the country had made it out of the “post-war” period due to its speedy rate of recovery and capacity for reconstruction. Beginning in the mid-1950s and throughout the 1960s, Japan recorded an astonishing real economic growth (the increase in a country's production of goods and services, not counting inflation) at a rate of 10% per year, which is why this period became known as the “Japanese economic miracle.” As such, Japan regained its relevance in the international community and came to be a developed country. Meanwhile, Japanese citizens gained greater economic autonomy and, in addition to adopting significant changes in lifestyle, many began dreaming of having their own home. And it is in this context and in order to attend the rapid increase in demand for real estate that the prefabricated housing industry took off in the country.
The success of this type of construction was stimulated by a number of factors. First of all, from 1947 to 1949, postwar housing shortages were compounded by the baby boom – a significant increase in the birth rate. Then came the onset of the Korean War in 1950, involving North Korea, South Korea, the United States and China, which drove up demand for Japanese goods and services so that the base industry, the main one in Japan at the time, could be revitalized. With the easing of the conflict, this industrial branch was left with idle capacity and attention turned to the possibilities of civil construction. In 1955, the steel companies that were at the heart of this industry organized into the Japan Lightweight Iron Construction Association and, over time, the manufacture and sale of prefabricated housing began.
The Second Oil Shock of 1979 – a crisis during the Iranian Revolution that resulted in the drastic increase in oil prices – left Japan in a recession, marking the end of the country's brief period of rapid economic growth. However, by the mid-1980s the Japanese economy had recovered, and by the early 1990s the country experienced an economic bubble. During this period, Japanese people sought lives with more luxury and wealth, and as a result, prefabricated housing took on elegant and unique styles, moving away from an aesthetic associated with mass production. However, with the bursting of the bubble in the early 1990s, the Japanese economy suffered a major setback – the period that began would become known as “the lost 30 years.” In this way, starting in the mid-1990s, prefabricated housing, symbols of mass production and exacerbated consumption, ceased to be objects of desire.
The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Considering that the average life expectancy in Japan is 81.09 years for men and 87.14 years for women (data from 2023, according to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare), it can be said that an important cycle of history is coming to a close. Today, Japanese society faces the challenges of an aging population and a significantly low birth rate, as well as a serious labor shortage and an insufficient number of master craftsmen. At the same time, new demands are emerging, such as the need to correct the disparity in human resources and information between urban and rural areas, to cope with lower CO2 emissions and to take measures against natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and heavy rains, which are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. Faced with this reality, the question arises: how will prefabricated housing respond to these growing challenges from this point on?