During the 1920s and 30s, influenced by the modernist drive for efficiency and practicality, Le Corbusier championed the utopian vision of the home as a living machine, with his focal point being the Dom-Ino House Concept. Conceived in the late 1920's, Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion House aimed to facilitate rapid assembly, making it suitable for prefabrication in a factory and easy transportation to the construction site. Fuller envisioned a team of three individuals who could assemble the house in under 24 hours. In 1949, Charles and Ray Eames created a custom-designed, prefabricated residence and studio that catered to their unique requirements. They constructed this structure using readily available steel components from steel fabricators, showcasing a model of industrial production. "Packaged House," a system of prefabricated modular construction, was conceived by Konrad Wachsmann and Walter Gropius in the 1940s. This system consists of a collection of components that could be assembled in numerous configurations. The method for connecting these components relied on two, three, and four-way connections between panels [4] where every building surface was intended to be constructed using the same panel typology. Despite the inventiveness displayed in the aforementioned precedents, each project faced several challenges that contributed to their limited success. The state of technological progress, perception and stigma, limited design options and resistance from the traditional construction industry were all contributing factors that stifled their implementation at a much larger scale.
Packaged House assembly model
Within the Packaged House system, a dedicated portion was constructed to serve as a showcase, illustrating the panel's functionality as a cohesive system that supports and interlocks to form the structure. The focal point of this showcase lies in presenting the final universal joint connection, demonstrating its pivotal role in holding the entire structure together.
The lower section of the model serves a dual purpose: depicting how the system rests upon the foundation while offering a clear view of the ground floor and the intricacies of the wall assembly. This detailed representation provides an insightful glimpse into the assembly process, highlighting the meticulous construction of the structural system.
This model serves as an illustrative demonstration, showcasing not only how the structure is physically built but also emphasizing the intricate interplay and synergy among the various interlocking components.
