A 2018 study of prefabricated construction (detached and semi-detached houses) in Central and Northern Europe conducted by Roland Berger analysts forecast an increase in demand for such solutions in Poland. Although, as the analysts noted, in our country prefabricated houses are less popular than in the other regions considered (Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, Germany and the UK), their popularity will grow in the coming years.
More and more interesting proposals for energy-efficient, quick-to-build prefabricated buildings are appearing on the Polish market - from small summer houses to year-round houses that can be tailored to the individual needs of future residents. An architect based in Switzerland, Konrad Brynda, following developments in this field, has created the Praefabrica online platform to promote thoughtful designs for energy-efficient houses made of wood or concrete panels. In an interview with A&B, the architect talks about whether prefabricated houses are an alternative to catalog houses, the role of the architect in their creation and whether they will become the norm in the Polish market.
FINN system single-family house designed using prefabricated timber frame technology
© SUPERGUT STUDIO
a project for everyone?
Ola Kloc: In Poland, prefabricated houses are gaining popularity and are likely to become an alternative to catalog houses. What speaks in favor of this type of solution?
Konrad Brynda: It is worth noting that prefabricated houses can also be catalog houses. In favor of building a house on the basis of available prefabrication methods is, in the first place, the speed of the whole process (and in particular the assembly on the project site: the greater the degree of prefabrication, the shorter the time of assembly and, above all, finishing works). Another important aspect is the quality of production: the elements are prefabricated under proper conditions on the factory site, which allows for automation and greater precision in manufacturing.
The biggest shortcoming of single-family houses built on the basis of catalog designs, the construction of which I am currently observing in Poland, is insufficient attention to their architectural qualities. The deciding factor for studios developing catalog designs is price competitiveness and the comprehensiveness of the catalog, which attempts to create a design for everyone, which in turn is a factor that prevents high-level design. Each catalog design is sold at a price of about a few thousand zlotys, and I suspect that each such design goes to only a handful of clients, which translates into an implicit remuneration for its creator of at most a dozen thousand zlotys. Assuming a realistic cost of a 150 m² house at a level close to PLN 700,000 (excluding VAT) and a recognized standard architect's fee of about 15% for the entire work (of which 22% is the so-called architectural design equivalent in content to the catalog design), the architect's work on the catalog design should be remunerated in the amount of PLN 20 to 30 thousand. If the catalog design also includes the so-called construction design and branch designs (together constituting 19% of the total work), the remuneration should reach PLN 50 thousand. Thus, the quality deficiency becomes fully understandable in the context of such a business model.
Here another important problem comes to light: the vast majority of catalog designs are not prepared specifically for prefabricated construction. Thus, the design chosen by the investor from the catalog must most often not only be adapted to the needs of the investor and the project site, but also properly modified and developed for production in the factory according to the guidelines specific to the prefabrication method.
Ola: What is the role of the architect in designing repetitive concepts? To what extent can they be adapted to the needs of future users?
Konrad: The most important role of the architect, at whatever stage and regardless of the type of construction, is to ensure the consistency of the concept in its various aspects: from aesthetics and functionality in general, through taking into account both the investor's preferences and the context of the investment, the construction method and the necessary installations, legal and environmental aspects, to cost control.
In concepts that will serve more than once, the architect must furthermore keep in mind repetition and adaptability to the needs of future users. It can be said that the author should demonstrate the ability to create the so-called type - understood here as being characteristic of a particular region and striving for consistency in terms of style within that region. The second aspect - adaptability to the needs of future users - essentially rules out catalog houses: I believe that it is pointless to design a specific layout of rooms, elevations, etc., which is then changed each time by the investor and adapted by a local architect anyway. Instead, the focus should be on creating for a given type (I personally refer to it as a model when it is simultaneously characterized by the chosen method of construction) a catalog of details, technological solutions and relevant premises and design principles, which can then be used by the architect to create a quasi-free spatial layout.
Such a process allows for the creation of individual, fully customized designs for future users, using well-developed, repeatable details and a consistent regional (whether modern or traditional) aesthetic.
Prefabricated house designed with CLT technology
© Atelier Konrad Brynda
individual project vs. mass project
Ola: What does the process of creating a prefabricated house look like from the investor's perspective?
Konrad: From the investor's point of view, the visible difference will be primarily the already mentioned speed of assembly on the construction site. Another important aspect (depending on the system used) will be the early approval of the placement of all types of installations, for which ductwork must already be prepared and installed at the factory, and decisions regarding various types of elements in the development.
The rest of the process involved in prefabrication takes place behind the scenes: this includes the production itself inside the factory, as well as the rather extensive scope of work involved in the construction project and the development of shop drawings, which serve as the basis for the production of prefabricated elements: walls, ceilings, and often roofs.
In the case of prefabrication, many solutions are standard. This approach could also be extended to architectural design itself. In the course of a conversation with an Estonian company developing new construction methods (based on a modular system with wooden elements), the idea of a kind of stratification of the process by dividing it into four layers emerged:
1. individual design, the main elements of which are: the layout of rooms corresponding to the investor's needs, and the appropriate selection of ready-made solutions according to his needs, budget and tastes - created by a local architect
based on:
2. author's concept, repetitive but fully adaptable - developed by a properly qualified and committed to the development of thoughtful architecture author's studio in cooperation with industry specialists,
based on:
3. a building system, i.e. a technological and executive idea - created jointly by specialized architects and engineers,
developed on the basis of:
4. prefabrication technology, i.e. the capabilities of a particular type of factory and the characteristics of the basic material it processes.
In the current approach, it looks quite different in the vast majority of cases: a catalog design of little value is hardly adapted by a local architect to the needs of the investor, and then adapted or reworked for prefabrication, if it is to be applied.
Instead of creating an individual design, the starting point becomes a mass design, to which modifications are made in an effort to meet the investor's needs, and then reworked once again to be able to produce some of the components in a factory. This means losses at every level. First, for the investor, it is a waste of time trying to find the least inadequate catalog design. Second, for the adapting architect, it is often an unpleasant, time-consuming, uncreative and essentially doomed attempt to please the investor. Finally, third, in the case of prefabrication, additional changes are made to translate the concept into a workable workshop design that meets production criteria.
A more sensible solution, therefore, is the four-layer scheme shown above, in which each layer is based on the repeatable elements of the layer below and the design principles indicated therein.
Guesthouse designed in light timber frame construction
© e x e x e
Ola: Is there a demand for this type of solution in the Polish market? Do you think the market for prefabricated houses in Poland will develop, and if so, how?
Konrad: There is always a demand for solutions that optimize processes. I am not sure how quickly prefabricated houses will become the norm, but the trend seems to me to be irreversible at least for the next few decades. Prefabrication-based solutions are more pragmatic and efficient compared to building with traditional methods. So I predict that the latter will in time become the domain of more exclusive developments. On top of that, there are also new ideas related to automation and robotization, which I mainly include 3D printing of walls on site.
I think the market will be dominated by solutions demonstrating the most efficient and simple way to the goal from the investor's point of view. Such will be based on online platforms integrating more or less advanced building configurators. Such a trend is already evident in car companies, which used to let buyers choose from a certain number of options for a given car model, and today support this choice with quick visualization and pricing through a configurator on their website.
In turn, quick configuration and pricing based on pre-designed models dictates the choice of a precise and standardized production method. Prefabrication is just such a method.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
