Building, Disassembling, Reassembling

Over the last few decades, the housing shortage has become a global issue. In Latin America, the deficit exceeds 50 million homes; in Europe and North America, rising real estate pressures have pushed thousands of families out of long-established urban neighborhoods. In this context, industrialized construction is emerging as a powerful means of delivering housing that is fast, efficient, and sustainable.

The Industrialized Construction System we have developed is part of this trend, but with an open and adaptable approach: a construction language that can be applied across diverse geographic and cultural contexts while upholding technical standards and a replicable production logic. At its core, the system is both sustainable and circular: each component is designed to be disassembled and reassembled without compromising performance, thereby extending its lifespan and minimizing waste.

The structure combines steel and wood in a precise balance. Steel, often criticized for its environmental footprint, becomes a highly circular material here, thanks to standardized, reusable parts that retain their value with every new cycle of use. Wood, meanwhile, contributes renewability, strong thermal performance, and a low environmental impact. Together, these materials make possible a form of construction that is neither static nor disposable, but reconfigurable and endlessly adaptable.

The system organizes its enclosure elements using precisely manufactured, interchangeable parts that can be replaced, repaired, or upgraded without compromising the integrity of the entire system. This approach gives the architecture an uncommon capacity for maintenance and evolution, allowing a building to preserve its main structure while its components are renewed, adapted, or improved over time.

In 2022, we built an 85 m2 prototype in Chile’s Casablanca Valley. This full-scale laboratory tested a modular system based on independent components, multiple configurations, and rapid assembly using basic tools and unskilled crews. The design encompasses the entire life cycle, including factory production, optimized transportation, assembly, operation, disassembly, and reassembly at another location.

Casablanca also served as an environmental trial: located in an area undergoing desertification, it incorporated a raised roof, ventilated facade, systems for capturing ambient humidity, and gray water treatment. All structural elements were left exposed, making the system easier to understand, maintain, and replicate.

The lessons learned fueled the development of new technical and programmatic possibilities: scalable heights for buildings of up to four stories; greater structural versatility through perimeter and diagonal solutions that enhance resistance and adaptability to complex terrain; industrial optimization via factory production simulations to reduce costs and construction time; and an expanded range of applications, including community facilities, tourist infrastructure, and spaces for production.

The system’s core principle is its programmatic and contextual neutrality. This does not imply neglecting the specific conditions of the site or the needs of the user. Instead, it establishes a flexible platform that can be adapted to different uses, scales, and environments. Rather than rigidly standardizing the residential program or rejecting the context, the system offers a structured neutrality that allows for adaptation, transformation, and evolution. This flexibility allows it to respond precisely to specific requirements while preserving systemic integrity and operational efficiency.

In the face of the housing crisis, we believe that open and circular industrialization can be part of the solution: cutting construction time by more than 70%; lowering total costs through mass production and optimized logistics; and advancing sustainability through efficient use of materials, the potential for reconfiguration, and the permanent reuse of components.

The Industrialized Construction System does not aim to homogenize architecture. Rather, it seeks to democratize access to quality solutions that are compatible with different cultures, climates, and economies. What began in Casablanca as a technical experiment is now envisioned as an open tool for thinking, producing, and inhabiting in new ways, following a continuous cycle of use, dismantling, and renewal.

Beyond the architectural object, this system prompts reflection on the role of architecture in a world in crisis: Can we conceive buildings as living assemblages, capable of evolving, repairing themselves, and being reborn, rather than as structures destined for obsolescence? This question perhaps holds the true potential of open industrialization, not only to accelerate housing production, but to transform our relationship with the built environment, fostering a culture of permanence, care, and circularity.

Main image: Prototype Industrialized Construction System, Casablanca, Chile, 2022, Ignacio Rojas Hirigoyen Arquitectos, The Andes House. Photo © Cristóbal Valdés