RESEARCH & PRODUCT DESIGN
Researched and developed a solution to increase the use of modular construction methods using design management methodology
Problem Statement; Research Matrixes; Qualitative Study and Insight Development; Ideaton; Final Prototype
Date:
2021
Deliverable:
Client:
Developers & Affordable Housing Residents
Roles:
Design Researcher; Strategic Designer; Product Designer
Concepts:
Affordable Housing; Modular Construction
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
My goal was to find a way to increase the adoption of modular construction methods for affordable housing in urban areas using design management methodologies and best practices. To achieve this goal I designed and conducted a research study to uncover the barriers of use and then designed a business solution (Urban Modular Solutions) to address the most prominent findings from my research.
The biggest challenge was reconciling the needs of two sets of users: (1) developers who will utilize modular building technology, and (2) the residents of the buildings they erect.
PROBLEM:
There is a severe shortage of affordable housing in American cities.
Despite the variety of opinions and research, the biggest reason for the lack of affordable housing related to supply and rising labor and construction costs are disincentivizing developers from building affordable housing.
Modular and off-site construction methods are one design solution that has the potential to offset the high and growing costs of construction (Galante et. al, 2017). Nevertheless, despite the obvious benefits, this innovation has failed to reach scale and impact the affordable housing crisis due to issues such as public skepticism, labor issues, manufacturing constraints, siting challenges and pipeline inconsistency (WSP Built Ecology, 2018).
There is a need to address the barriers of adoption of modular building technology in affordable housing if we are to continue to have vibrant, diverse and urban spaces and reclaim the citizen’s right to the city.
SOLUTION:
Urban Modular Solutions or UMS is a conceptual framework driven by a crowdsourced community of design and build professionals that believe modular construction has a future worth pursuing.
UMS enables the architects, engineers and builders to focus on the best interest of the end-user as well as improve the conditions for modular construction by building an online knowledge network
The business process model illustrates how UMS will help address the lack of modular building standards and supply chain efficiency through microtasking. My design criteria was divided into three categories: Nice-to-have, Should-have, and Must-have. These elements were prioritized based on insights gathered from in-depth interviews and surveys. Developing city-wide standards for production and approval from the Department of Buildings were the most impactful design criteria for the builders (stakeholders). The creation of a knowledge network was the design feature that most benefited the tenants (end users).