Opportunities with

Change

With the turmoil in the

financial and housing
markets, companies in
the housing industry
must create products
that respond more
directly to the
market,
societal pressures,
and the
unique needs of
individual homebuyers.

Silver Lining?
Opportunities with
Change

With the turmoil in the

financial and housing
markets, companies in
the housing industry
must create products
that respond more
directly to the
market,
societal pressures,
and the
unique needs of
individual homebuyers.
What is the
Problem
with
Housing
Today?
Does not scale to thousands of
homes
Low quality, labor intensive, and unresponsive to needs and
values of individuals.
Housing Today: Medieval,
craft guild processes:

Thousands of pieces
assembled in the field is
expensive, time consuming,
and error prone

Uses small, local often

poorly skilled
subcontractors with an
unstable, shrinking labor
pool

Innovation, even if proven,

creates risks and unknowns
because of lack of control
on site

Customization causes
“brain damage”
Open
Prototype
Initiative

What are we
responding
to?
 Health
A looming crisis in
healthcare, caused by
baby boomer
demographics, will
require a transition to

Needed are
environments and
systems that can be
easily adapted over
time to accommodate a
wide range of physical
and cognitive needs.

Open_1: focus on health, accessibility, adaptability

 Energy
21% of US energy is
consumed by homes.

Creating high-
performance houses is
perhaps the most cost-
effective way of
addressing energy
shortages and global
warming.

A scalable, industrial
design approach will
make zero-energy
homes affordable and
accessible.
Open_2: focus on zero-energy
Responsive
Design
The home is becoming a
center for work, learning,
health, entertainment,
and communication. This
can open up a path to
market for innovative
products and services.

It will require design that is

responsive to the unique
needs and values of each
occupant.
Craft
Eighty percent of
contractors site a shortage
of skilled labor as one their
greatest challenges.

Computational design
tools, automated
fabrication, and precision
off-site production enable
a return to the high-quality
design and fine craft.
Disentanglement

Homes are disentangled

layers of integrated
assemblies with five primary
systems:

Utility Chassis
Living Chassis
Integrated Interior Infill
Envelope
Responsive Technology
 Plumbing Core Wall

Open_1 Prefabricated utility wall

 Utility chassis: all plumbing, electrical
distribution, HVAC, bathrooms, kitchen,
solar equipment (highly constrained)

Open_2 Prefabricated utility modules

 SMALL

MEDIUM
Larger bathroom
Smaller closet
Add bathroom

LARGE
Larger kitchen
Larger entry
Smaller closet
Add Bathroom
Mass-customized utility modules
 Fabrication photos – May
2008

Open_2 module in factory

Open_2 module being set in field
 Loft chassis (unconstrained
dimensions and form)

Living Loft – unconstrained dimensions and form

 Open Prototype Initiative
(with Bensonwood)

Open_1
The first prototype
(completed: June 06)

Crotched Mountain Brain

Injury Rehabilitation Center

Built from 40 integrated

assemblies

“Just In Time” Delivery

 high performance
Roof components (with solar hot
water and PV)

high performance
façade components

Open_2 envelope components

Open_2 wall components in shop
Interior infill
Chassis interior w/o infill

Infill design A

Infill design B
Disentangled technologies
 Open_2 Prototype:
Zero Energy President’s Home @ Unity College, Maine
Mass customization – endless variety of arrangements
Wide range of detail and finishes – 2 interior studies for Open_2
Open_3 Systems?

- Modular HVAC
- Plug-in plumbing & electrical
- Modular PV systems
- Parametric shading/solar
integrated with windows
- Configurators for:
Bathrooms
Kitchens
Home office
Health systems
Energy systems
Window systems
- Responsive sensor systems
- Acoustical interior partition
systems
....
 Open_3 as Living Lab?

PlaceLab: a highly instrumented living laboratory

View to kitchen and
hallway from living room
hinged panels to micro-controllers
speakers
air quality sensors
IR illuminators
hinged panels to sensor bus
cabinet door switches

countertop activity cameras

refrigerator use sensors

microwave use sensors

oven & range use sensors

cabinet drawer sensors

hot water use sensor

cold water use sensor

hinged panels to sensor bus

cabinet door switches

sensor network connections

internet connections

temperature sensors
Power integrated into cabinetry
hinged panels to subwoofers
MITes
(MIT Environmental
Sensors)

Variations:
1) Object motion
2) Body movement
3) Temperature
4) Light level
5) RFID reader
6) Haptic output
7) Location beacons
8) IR distance ranger
9) Electrical current
(Electrical device use)
10) Ultra violet light
11) Heart rate monitor

Funded by National
 Mobile activity recognition

Ling
 Analysis Tool

Vampire power sources

Unused lights & Devices

Handlense sensor consuming

Example: device visualization tool in red, lights on in yellow
power
1 Developed at House n
 Projected Usage

Space in use

Devices in use

Devices and lights on only in spaces with occupancy

 Power Distribution

2000

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

1800

1600

1400

1200
Power (Wh)

Actual
Total Power Wasted(Wh)
1000
Consumption
Total Power Consumption(Wh)

800
Actual
600 Consumption

400
Predicted
200 Consumption
w/o lifestyle
0 change
1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57 61 65
Time (Hour)

42% savings in electrical consumption predicted

 Open_3
Responsive
Technologies?
Example: GPS Enabled
Thermostat

Phone with GPS communicates travel time to home

Return
Leave home
home
Comfortable Comfortable
Temperature Temperature
upon arrival

Thermostat
Set back
When unoccupied
Begin to
Travel home
Open_3
Design Tools
Perspective perceptual
view (10ft high real-
time rendering)

3d schematic scale
model relationships
(tagged objects)

Diagrammatic 2d
arrangements (table
image)

Data from
manufacturers about
cost, sustainability,
function, services, etc.
Questions??
1. Who owns each
prototype project?
2. Who pays for what?
3. How can industry
participate?
4. What systems could be
prototyped?
5. Mass-customization
configurators and
supply chain?
6. Data?
7. Standards?
8. Fees?
Overarching Goals of the Open Prototype Initiative

To conduct research into new systems and products related to fabrication,

construction, use, and next-generation consumer design, configuration, and
visualization tools.

To actively engage industry in projects that create both market-ready

products and prototypes of future products that would increase the
efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness of housing.

To deploy new networks, sensors, and applications related to home-based

health, energy management, as they become available for implementation.

To evaluate proposal and product viability with respect to business models,

build-ability, marketability, cost-effectiveness, performance, etc.

To define design and performance standards for building systems related to

thermal efficiency, hurricane resistance, mold prevention, life span of
systems, maintenance, air quality, noise, dimensional constraints, comfort,
etc.

To make the public aware of new strategies for creating places of living
through such media as publications, television programs, and exhibitions.