Bar Code Housing System

Visualization of a block on the Internet

Enlarged version of the image above [opens in a popup window - 69 KB image]

Project Details

• Project Name: Barcode Housing System
• Project Type: Mass housing, industrialized construction
• Principal Designer/s: Eduardo Hernandez, Mario Hernandez, Alfredo Penafiel
• Design team: David Hidalgo, Technical Architect; Isaac Marti, Architecture Student.
• System programming: Alvaro Sicilia, Technical Engineer in Computer Science;
  David Pascual, Multimedia Engineering Student.
• Contractor/s: Research project
• Date of commencement of project: 2001
• Date of completion of project: On-going

Cut-away section of a housing unit

Cut-away section of a housing unit

Words from the Designer

"Bar Code Housing System is both a computer aided design and building system for the construction of housing blocks with industrialized processes.

Generation of block designs for a given set of design parameters

Housing units are the result of the aggregation of two kinds of space-bars: serving bars (kitchen and bathrooms) and served bars (other functions).

The addition of bars gives rise to a multiplicity of flexible housing layouts, generated by the computer system. Linear blocks are a result of the assemblage of housing units.

Building subsystems: structure of pre-cast concrete components; layered facade composed of prefabricated panels; building services accessible from the outer walkways

A block's generative process can be carried out autonomously by the computer system or/and in interaction with the user.

At each stage of the process, the program checks for possible conflicts between the different subsystems (spaces, building services, structure and circulation).

Facade compositions can be created in an interactive way, modifying the design parameters (orientation, isolation, illumination and cost).

Facade as independent system

Finally, the program automatically generates the documents for the building of a block (drawings, preliminary estimate).

In the future, the computer program will be integrated in a comprehensive web environment, which will facilitate communication and the collaboration among all agents involved in the design and construction of housing."

Block as aggregation of housing units. The circulation system is conceived of as a separate structure, inserted into the mass of housing units

Diagrams

The Housing Unit generator. It allows the user to explore the space of design solutions interactively. By controlling the parameters during the process of exploration, the user can direct the search [opens in a popup window - 62 KB image]

The Block generator. Interface to control the generative process that gives rise to the block. The user can let the system explore automatically the design solutions or control each step of the process of growth [opens in a popup window - 91 KB image]

The Facade generator. Facade compositions can be created interacting with the diagrams representing the design parameters and their interrelationship [opens in a popup window - 82 KB image]

Generation system for housing units: search process of space-bar combinations [opens in a popup window - 465 KB image]

Generation system for blocks [opens in a popup window - 636 KB image]

Section of a block [opens in a popup window - 32 KB image]

Housing unit [opens in a popup window - 26 KB image]

Print-out of the description of a block generated by the system [opens in a popup window - 83 KB image]

For futher information kindly visit: www.barcodehousing.net

Credits

• Text and photographs: Courtesy, the Architect
• Compiled and Edited by Varun M. Ajani