BARCODE HOUSING SYSTEM: Open construction systems applied to industrially produced housing

BARCODE HOUSING SYSTEM is a research project developed over the last four years with the support of the Spanish National R+D+I plan. The goal of the project is to create an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) environment which supports the design and construction of flexible and adaptable housing through industrial processes.
We have developed a computer-supported design and construction system to design housing buildings which can be materialized in multiple forms through the use of different building systems and components. The system supports the participation of the different agents –architects, manufacturers and dwellers– along the design and construction process in both synchronous and asynchronous ways.
A rule-based generative system creates the housing units automatically. These are later assembled in housing blocks or towers. Building components are described in an on-line catalogue from which they are retrieved to create a building model. Manufacturers can insert their products in the catalogue, architects can select the components to be used in the building (façade, structure), and dwellers can customize the housing units by choosing partitions, and equipment (kitchen, bathroom). This way, for a given housing block different combinations of building components can be evaluated before it is executed.
In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the ICT environment, as well as the principles of the construction system, including structure, exterior and interior envelopes, and building services. Furthermore, the different ways in which the information system can guide the technical team in decision-making throughout the design process are outlined.