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Statement about the Research Content and Process

by The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL

Introduction

Description

Kew House is a single family house, constructed using research-based design, fabrication and assembly techniques. The building envelope is a prefabricated structural weathering steel shell, built over a large basement that was used as an onsite drawing and fabrication workshop.

Questions

1. How does digital fabrication open up possibilities for self-build housing?

2. How can a building be formed from fewer multifunctional components to reduce material waste, and simplify and accelerate construction?

3. How can factory manufacture of a sheet metal building fabric enable new approaches to architectural design, prefabrication technology, transportation logistics and assembly?

4. How can the use of a structural steel envelope be reconciled with thermalperformance requirements?

Methodology

1. Close collaboration between the author/client/structural engineer and the architect;

2. Analysis of site-specific and logistical constraints that promote the case for prefabrication;

3. Use of computational design software to create a ‘digital twin’ of the physical building;

4. Iterative design and fabrication through drawing, model making, factory trials, assembly trials and the development of large-scale templates.

Dissemination

Kew House was discussed in a paper in the Institute of Structural Engineers’ journal Structures. It was the subject of five lectures to academic institutions and professional architecture and engineering practices, and has been reviewed in national and international press (The Sunday Times, Evening Standard and The Wall Street Journal, etc.) The project has been the subject of three documentaries, including Grand Designs House of the Year.

Project Highlights

Kew House has won ten design awards and commendations, including IStructE Award, Community or Residential Structures (2014); Blueprint Award, Best Non-Public Project (2014); RIBA National Award (2015) and RIBA Regional Award (2015). The project contributed to Lucas receiving the IABSE Milne Medal (2015), awarded to an individual engineer for excellence in structural design, both in the overall concept and in the attention to detail in their work.