F L AT- PA C K B U I L D I N G S Y S T E M : H O N E Y C O M B H O U S I N G P R OTOT Y P E , A U S T I N , T E X A S

1. MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

• This mass timber multi-unit residential building addresses the affordable housing
scarcity in North American cities and the environmental impacts of construction.
• It is conceived as a prototype product constructed using a prefabricated kit of parts.
• By using mass timber panels for structural components, this project is multilaterally
reducing its overall carbon emissions. Much of the building’s structure, cladding,
and interiors are prefabricated offsite, then shipped and assembled quickly,
efficiently, and quietly.

Architect: Michael Green Architecture

F L AT- PA C K B U I L D I N G S Y S T E M : M A D I H O U S E S
2. SINGULAR DWELLING UNITS
• Italian architect Renato Vidal has created a prefabricated foldable house that
takes less than a day to install once on site.
• The M.A.Di home is an economic flat-packed housing solution that is not only
sustainable, but designed to last and withstand earthquakes.
• The M.A.Di home is built using CLT (cross laminated timber) to create a modular
and multi-functional anti-seismic family home.

• TheM.A.Di home comes in several sizes,

including a 27-sq m (290-sq ft) tinyhouse; 46-sq
m (495-sq ft) or 56-sq m (603-sq ft) double
home and a 70-sq m(753-sq ft) or 84-sq m
(904-sq ft) triple family house.
• Each home stretches over two levels and comes
equipped with a kitchen, dining area and
bathroom located on the ground floor, while the
bedroom/s are located on the upper floor.
• A frame structure and unique folding ability
allows the home to be prefabricated off site, flat-
packed and transported via truck or container to
its designated build site.

M60/1 Drawings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xspmS2u0q
E8&t=4s

Each M.A.Di module features galvanized steel frames suitably proportioned to support the home's opening and closing movement.
Polyurethane foam is used to waterproof the home while also contributing to its thermal insulation. The walls are also insulated with high-
density rockwool and the window frames can be installed in PVC or aluminum.
 F L A T- P A C K B U I L D I N G B L O C K S O F T H E F U T U R E
3. FOLDING CONCRETE
• A single identical unit, multiplied by four, forms a rigid structural element
– stack these and set them side by side.
• Uniform in shape and size, each pair expands outward to provide
stability like (and require less space than) a conventional building block.

Elements in elevation

Joinery of the module

at the construction site

APPLICATION AND USAGE
• It could be used for short-term emergency shelters, on the one
hand, or to hold up bridges for the long haul on the other.
• Up to 86 of these flat pack concrete structures can be piled, one atop the
next, making sizable structures a real possibility on the scale of most
masonry equivalents – but with far less mass. Nor is the shape limited to
concrete – wood, books, even cardboard can be constructed around this
geometrical concept and stand upright without risk of collapse (beyond Application on highway
material capacity)