This post comes late - but hopefully not too late, especially for those who are desperately looking out for signs that housing in and around London might become affordable in the foreseeable future.
There is hope and this hope manifests itself in an exhibition at the Architecture Foundation’s Yard Gallery in Old Street, East London.

On show is a complete prototype section of a house which pushes the terminology “Prefabricated” to new limits. This impressive section has been built by FACIT, a company which derived from the logical conclusion that in order to get the best possible design implemented, a building process needs to be found which works much more effective and precise than any other building process currently available.

Conceived by the architects Bell Travers Willson, the key factor to this new process is digitalisation. The 3d Model of the building project gets translated in various different structural and non structural modules. All these modules consist of assembled elements of engineered timber which get cut out by a CNC Router (Computerized Numerical Control) on demand and, at best, on site. The various modules get assembled on site in the order they are needed and are slotted in place. This way much faster realisation times can be achieved and since engineered timber is used the CO2 footprint of the building is dramatically reduced.

The show is unfortunately only running until the 20th of March – so you home owners to be: rush – and have a look at your truly digital house.

The pictures were all taken on the opening of the show on the 7th of March 2007