Coherence and contradiction in Prefab Modular Aggregative Systems. Early experiences of organic growth based on the addition of prefab cells

Abstract

Technology has been a fundamental factor in understanding the great social changes that took place during the 20th century. The progress made in the implementation of industrial organizational processes led to a quick development of aeronautics, the automotive industry and, to a lesser extent, construction. The application of industrialization techniques to the collective dwelling generated new formal compositions and architectural theories. Occasionally, idea and construction have advanced together (coherence), developing buildings based on the aggregation of prefabricated three-dimensional cells. In other cases, some projects tried to replicate the proper forms of three-dimensional modular aggregation, without using the characteristic technology that generates these forms (contradiction). This paper analyzes the relationship between the architectural concept (idea) and the technological system (construction) in post-war prefabricated housing buildings. Different compositional (shape) and structural (matter) models are identified, and the concept of “basic prefabricated module” and its variants are defined: geometric (modular frames), functional (housing unit) and / or constructive (cell or capsule).