ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 521

the way up to the present day.
Through prefabrication and mass production, the tendency is towards optimization of the process
of industrial production in order to create assembly lines similar to those utilized to build ships,
airplanes, cars, motorbikes and design objects. While in many countries of the world such as the
Netherlands (where the “One” project of the construction company Heijmans realizes movable
prefabricated housing, mounted in just 24 hours and easily moved from one place to the other),
Denmark, United States (ANDERSON 2007:112), the mass produced prefabricated modular house,
thanks to the extreme versatility and flexibility of the systems employed, allows a wide use on
different occasions, also in response to emergency situations, such as temporary dwellings to be
used during restructuring or long-term emergencies following the occurrence of a natural disaster (as happened for example in New Orleans or in New Jersey after the extensive damage caused
by hurricanes). In Italy traditional construction continues to prevail, with certain distrust, due to
cultural reasons, towards the use of current prefabrication systems and the diffusion of catalogs
for houses on the order. Yet the advantages of a prefabricated house are numerous: starting with
the materials that are used, which can be optimized and certified, and the greater attention to detail, down to the very short assembly and finish schedule and the many options for customizing
architectural details (ZAMBELLI 2011:4-29). In addition, as mentioned above, two more important
factors should be taken into account: the economy and ecology of the production process.
This paper would like to offer its contribution to the described line of research, which identifies
in the limited use of basic industrialized components not only technical and economic advantages but also the opportunity for experimentation with typologies and space in housing, which
started in the early XX century and continues today. Our approach is based on two fundamental
principles:
• Technical and construction systems are not indifferent to the shape and quality of the domestic space; every building system with its own internal rules does not create an infinite number
of formal configurations but only those consistent with such rules, therefore a certain spatial
structure should be associated with the most suitable structural system;
• Modularity and standardization of components, essential for the development of flexible systems (BATTISTACCI 2006:113-138), must not result in the homogenization and in the serial repetition of building types, but should aim, according to a systemic logic, to achieve unique results
that are the outcome of combining recognizable elements in ever-changing configurations.
The house, the domestic space, forms the ideal setting for experimentation in this direction.
The house, in fact, in the history of architecture and the city can be read as the expression of
two opposing aspirations: the desire of the inhabitants to represent their inner world and the
desire for recognition within a community. This translates into a dualism between uniqueness
and repetition of housing types characteristic of urban structures, allowing us to identify the
linguistic code to which they belong.

Objectives and research method
In relation to what has been mentioned so far, and in reference to the experience of the HousingLab Research Lab - DiAP Sapienza University in Rome on matters of modularity and flexibility
(CALZOLARETTI 2009:11-43), sustainability and customization (MANDOLESI, DE CESARIS 2013:3947), the aim of this paper is to present a summary of studies regarding the project of two housing
prototypes. The purpose is to identify housing models for mass production based on a small number of building components capable of generating a wide range of volumetric solutions, while
meeting the taste of the prospective inhabitant without falling into homogenization and the repetition of building types. The goal is to create a catalog including a system with a limited number
of easy-to-assemble, standardized and prefabricated components that can generate controlled,

Study of modular, flexible, customizable housing models for mass production

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