Byera Hadley research reports
Belinda Smith / 2005
Architecture Serving Humanity
Construction & Materiality
This report examines ‘Mass Customisation’ and its potential application in the manufacture of shelter for displaced communities. ‘Mass customisation’ is a strategy to provide customized products or services to the market without a reduction in the efficiency of ‘mass production’ which includes time, production, economy of cost and high quality.
This research investigates the application of digital technology to the manufacture of shelter for displaced communities. The research covers three areas; digital technology and mass customization fabrication as an alternative to pre-fabrication of the repetitive modules, the nature and needs of ‘shelter for displaced communities’ and the opportunity of mass customization to provide an architectural solution, not of forced conformity and homogeny, but one which embraces social and cultural diversity customized to suit different terrains and climactic conditions.
Case studies of the application of mass customisation to architectural proposals are examined as a means to assess the feasibility of this approach.
