Corewall

The Modular Core Wall System brings together the concepts of modular construction with efficient mechanical planning to create a unique new system for residential construction.

Corewall Analysis:The Human Body as a Model for Systems Design

When we isolate the various systems of the human body, we see that they all have something in common - they are all centralized. Primary elements appear along the central axis, with distribution starting along this same axis before branching outwards. There is a logic to this layout which is at once obvious and undeniable. As architects, we can compare these systems to the various systems at work in a home. Changing the names on the systems leads us to an interesting question:

Why shouldn't houses be designed and built with the same logic? To the contrary, these systems are often distributed unformly throughout the house, each installed independently of the others, by a different sub-contractor. This approach is both inefficient and costly, but is often unavoidable due to the design of the house itself. A body-inspired systems approach to building requires a re-thinking of the design itself, and a re-tooling of the delivery system by which it is created.

There is a direct correlation between the form of the body and the form of the house. The systems of the body are replaced by the systems of the house, and the spaces created by the spread limbs create the living spaces. While not intended as a literal design proposal, this serves as a starting point for the development of a new design approach, which will lead to the development of an efficient, system-oriented home.

Step One:

(The Core)

We begin the design process by centralizing all of the home's systems into a core, taking our cue from the systems of the body. This core could be prebuilt and delivered to the site complete and functioning.

Step Two:

(The House)

With the core centralized, we can develop spaces adjacent to the core with more freedom and flexibility than before, since all of the services are already taken care of.

Step Three:

(Freedom)

Of course, the human body is only a metaphor for our design approach. Having observed and utilized the centralized, systems-oriented principles of the body, we are now free to develop functional floor plans to meet specific market needs, site conditions, and other criteria.