Design/build: A Relevant Pedagogy for Architecture Education

Panel p e ab ica ion, modi ica ion: cu Vi u io In e na ional jou nal o A chi ec u e Technology and Sus ainabili y Volume 2 53 ABSTRACT The p edominance o d awing as a mean o c ea e and ep esen a chi ec u e, whe he in an educa ional se ing o in p o essional p ac ice, has had a p o ound in luence on he design p ocess. D awings a e so much a pa o ha p ocess ha hey can o en be mis aken o a chi ec u e i sel . Bu d awings a e no a chi ec u e, a he hey a e ools o c ea e and con ol. His o ically, d awings g ea ly con ibu ed o he es ablishmen o he p o ession o a chi ec inaugu a ed by he I alian Renaissance. They became he means by which a chi ec s gained con ol o e design and by ex ension o e he cons uc ion p ocess. Con ol o he design p ocess e en ually mo ed om he hands o he mas e builde s o a chi ec s’ pencils. The long-held monopoly o d awings in a chi ec u e has pe pe ua ed a s uc u al disconnec be ween design p ocess and he “making o hings”. The hea y eliance on d awings has lead o endencies o abs ac ion, epe i ion, sel e e ence and a diminished sense o genuine inno a ion. Design/build as an al e na i e deli e y me hod ocuses on a mo e in ui i e app oach based on he c ea i e powe s o manual labo and he in e ac ion o he designe wi h he ma e ial wo ld. This me hodology has he ad an age o e-engage a gene a ion o s uden inc easingly in es ed in a wo ld o i ual s imuli wi h he physical ma e iali y o hings and p omo e he c ea i e alue o Homo Fabe . By “making hings” s uden s a e designing. A hands-on app oach would also mee he needs o a s uden body who esponds well o ac i e lea ning pedagogy. This pape will p esen a se ies o ecen u ni u e design/build exe cises whe e s uden s designed and u ni u e and small building p o o ypes wi h limi ed eliance on d awings. We will discuss how subjec s such as s uc u es, ma e ial sou cing and cons uc ion de ailing can be ansposed om a ious cou ses and applied o design/ build p ojec s. We belie e ha a pedagogy based on physical expe imen a ions could in use ene gy h oughou cu icula no ma e he cou se subjec . KEYWORDS design/build, u ni u e, building p o o ypes 1 Flo ida A&M Uni e si y, School o A chi ec u e and Enginee ingTechnology Design/Build: A Rele an Pedagogy o A chi ec u e Educa ion Oli e Chamel1 h p://dx.doi.o g/ 10.4995/ i u io-ija s.2016.6773 54 1. INTRODUCTION In a wo ld whe e he omnip esence o digi al ools has c ea ed a gene al disconnec wi h ega ds o he physical wo ld, a pedagogy based on design/ build p ojec s would help e-engage he cu en gene a ion o s uden s. In keeping wi h he concep o ac i e lea ning he hands-on app oach o making hings would help s uden s ocus on a single ask and allow hem o lea n by doing. Building conc e e hings would also in i e s uden s o ca e and espec he ma e ial wo ld and alue he ans o ma i e p ocess o wo king wi h ma e ials. Such expe iences could help shape hei u u e a i udes owa ds he cons uc ion p ocess and help de elop an in e es o cons uc ion ela ed ac i i ies in he ield o a chi ec u e. Cons uc ing such hings as u ni u e o e en small building p o o ypes would help s uden s come o he ealiza ion ha a chi ec u al d awings, whe he a concep ual ske ch o a echnical de ail, ha e p ac ical implica ions. As a ma e o ac de ailing may be ano he a ea o a chi ec u e educa ion o bene i om design/build exe cises. The necessi y o s uden s o de ise adequa e connec ions in o de o join a a ie y o di e en ma e ials would p o ide a p ac ical in oduc ion o he concep o c ea i e de ailing. In addi ion, he c ea i e p ocess o making hings can be empowe ing in he sense ha e en hough s uden s may ha e a ious le els o echnical skill, he inal ou come o hei p ojec would no depend solely on hei abili y o hand d aw o c ea e elabo a e digi al o physical models. The ela i e simplici y and s aigh o wa dness o using basic ools may gi e a ai oppo uni y o a b oad ange o s uden s o ca y ou hei design ega dless o hei abili y o use ep esen a ion ools. In ac , p o iding exposu e o a mo e immedia e and accessible p ocess may be a sou ce o mo i a ion o s uden s. Ano he bene i o physically making hings would be o in use an inc eased sense o esponsibili y and design owne ship in p ojec s whe he he esul o he wo k is a ailu e o a success. A buil design ends o speak o i sel and in i es s uden s o a ce ain objec i i y when i comes o he quali y o hei wo k. The o e all p ocess would p omo e s uden engagemen and physical ac i i y as an in eg al pa o he design p ocess. Because he ou come o design/build p ojec s is a physical objec wi h speci ic equi emen s in e ms o s uc u e, connec ions and c a smanship such p ojec s os e he de elopmen o p oblem sol ing skills as hey a e ied o he accomplishmen o a p ac ical goal. Due o he amoun o wo k ypically in ol ed in designing and ab ica ing e en a small piece o u ni u e, s uden s o en wo k in eams. As a esul design becomes a collabo a i e p ocess which b ings addi ional alue o he expe ience o making. Building some hing as a eam also p omo es pee lea ning. Fo example he o e all p ocess o building u ni u e in a shop as opposed o lis ening o a lec u e o designing in a s udio en i onmen inc eases s uden engagemen and empowe s hem o y new hings and ake isks. E en hough he e is a clea objec i e when cons uc ing a p ojec he o e all success depends on he abili y o apply ideas o ma e ials and le ma e ials and echniques con i m o con adic he alidi y o he o iginal design in en . The need o build some hing also equi es an acu e sense o ime managemen on he pa o he s uden s o ake in o accoun such hings as ma e ial p ocu emen , modes o assembly, possible ailu es along he way as well as unexpec ed e en s. Time managemen and scheduling jus happen o be highly aluable skills necessa y o he success ul deli e y o any a chi ec u e p ojec . Fab ica ion based p ojec s p esen s uden s wi h he oppo uni y o design, e i y he alidi y o hei design in en in he ield, make changes du ing ab ica ion and o e see a cons uc ion p ocess. Design and cons uc ion a e no longe disconnec ed bu in eg a ed in a c ea i e p ocess whe e hey in o m each o he . 2. THE DESIGN/BUILD PROCESS The design/build p ocess is no based on abs ac hinking alone bu a he on he abili y o he mind o lea n and syn hesize om he ac ions o he body. In o he wo ds i is less abou o ganizing ideas han con on ing ideas o he eali y o he ab ica ion p ocess. The ab ica ion phase is always a c ucial pa o any p ojec deli e y due o he simple ac ha no ma e he design in en ab ica ion has a huge impac on he physical quali y o he inal p oduc . I can be Vi u io In e na ional jou nal o A chi ec u e Technology and Sus ainabili y Volume 2 55 a gued ha in si ua ions whe e ab ica ion is he esul o a se ies o highly mechanized ope a ions he e is li le oom o c ea ion in ha p ocess. In ac a c ea i e ab ica ion p ocess is possible only because he e is an engaged indi idual a he cen e o a dialogue be ween he wo ld o ideas and he wo ld o ma e ials. The ypical deli e y sys em o a chi ec u e p ojec s in academia o in p o essional p ac ice can be summa ized in wo main ope a ions; ep esen a ion and cons uc ion. These wo phases a e usually no concu en as ep esen a ion ypically p ecedes cons uc ion. In con as , a ab ica ion based deli e y sys em will usually allow o ideas o be es ed and e i ied agains he laws go e ning he ma e ial wo ld such as he abili y o ans o m and connec speci ic ma e ials. In e ms o bo h p ocess and ou come ep esen a ion and ab ica ion based designs ha e signi ican di e ences. The design/build p ocess can be gene ally desc ibed as a se ies o ans o ma i e manipula ions whe e design ideas ans o m ma e ials h ough an i e a i e p ocess and a e in u n ans o med by he expe ience o wo king wi h ma e ials. 3. THE NATURE OF BUILDING THINGS AThe e is some hing immedia e and ewa ding abou making hings wi h ou hands and a he same ime i is ha d o explain wha goes on while we a e engaged in ha p ocess. While he ac o physically ans o ming ma e ials wi h ools elies on a speci ic se o echnical skills i also elies on ou in ui ion. The hand inds, he mind esponds. Fo example ou body knows o adjus i s s eng h when applying a asp o a piece o so wood and we do no ha e o ac i ely hink abou ha speci ic ac . Spinoza in his E hics makes he ollowing obse a ion. “No one hi he o has gained such an accu a e knowledge o he bodily mechanism, ha he can explain all i s unc ions; no need I call a en ion o he ac ha many ac ions a e obse ed in he lowe animals, which a anscend human sagaci y, and ha somnambulis s do many hings in hei sleep, which hey would no en u e o do when awake: hese ins ances a e enough o show, ha he body can by he sole laws o i s na u e do many hings which he mind wonde s a .” The mechanisms in ol ed when we a e physically building some hing a e di icul o someone o desc ibe because hey a e no p ima ily con olled by he sole powe s o ou mind. The p ocess o making belongs o he ealm o ou body and in ol es a mo e complex sys em o pe cep ions. While ac i ely engaged in ab ica ing a piece o u ni u e we canno simul aneously engage in elabo a e hough s. Ins ead we a e ocused on ou pe cep ion while wo king. The ac o making equi es he ocus o many o ou senses and he momen we engage in abs ac hinking we ins an ly lea e ha in ui i e mode o ope a ion. The ac ha building wi h ou hands engages ou body and i s in ui i e p ocesses opens he doo o a c ea i e ealm unknown and inaccessible o ou analy ical mind. Ou goal he e is o discuss a design me hodology based on he alue o physically making hings. Jus as he physical ac o building some hing can lead o he acquisi ion o aluable echnical skills i can also become he ehicle o a powe ul design p ocess. The in oduc ion o hands-on design/build ype p ojec s whe e ab ica ion is concei ed as a p ocess a he han an end can p o ide a coun e poin o he abs ac endencies o a chi ec u al design and in use ene gy h oughou he a chi ec u e cu icula no ma e he cou se subjec . We will p esen and discuss a se ies o ecen p ojec s designed and buil by s uden s and ou line a c ea i e me hodology which elies p ima ily on ab ica ion as a p ocess a he han on ep esen a ion. We will discuss how design/build exe cises can be in eg a ed in a a ie y o ways o cou ses such as Design S udios, S uc u es, Ma e ials and Me hods, In oduc ion o Technology and En i onmen al Sys ems. The design p ocess in a chi ec u e ypically elies on a se ies o ep esen a ion ools as a means o c ea e, o ganize and p esen ideas. Hand-d awn concep ual ske ches, design de elopmen d awings, cons uc ion documen s, physical and 3D models o name a ew, ha e become a se o indispensable ools o na iga e he design p ocess o inc easingly complex p ojec s. These ools ely on a se ies o g aphic con en ions o ep esen hings ha a e o be physically buil in he ield. They do belong o a wo ld o ep esen a ion 56 which lies somewhe e ahead and besides he physical wo ld. Al hough ep esen a ion is and will emain c ucial o he p oduc ion o con empo a y a chi ec u e his pape ocuses on an al e na i e design p ocess which would in oduce o e-in oduce s uden s o he physical wo ld o ma e ials, ools and c a smanship. Despi e he ob ious disconnec be ween design and cons uc ion in e m o p ocess and he ac ha a chi ec s a e no expec ed o build hei own p ojec s, a chi ec s a e ne e heless expec ed o unde s and he p ope ies o he a ious ma e ials in ol ed in cons uc ion as well as hei modes o assembly. The p ocess o simul aneously designing and building a p ojec may e eal o s uden s a physical wo ld hey may no be amilia wi h. The unde s anding o no ions such as g a i y, s uc u al in eg i y and he need o p o ide adequa e connec ions can be a sou ce o limi a ions bu mo e impo an ly a sou ce o g ea oppo uni ies. 4. CASE STUDIES The ollowing case s udies p esen a se ies o ecen design exe cises comple ed by s uden s. In some cases s uden s we e asked o design u ni u e using only a limi ed se o ma e ials and connec ion echniques and ind c ea i e oppo uni ies wi hin hese bounda ies. In o he ins ances hey had o anspose a s uc u al sys em o a di e en scale in o de o sol e echnical equi emen s. They also looked a how cons uc ion de ails can in luence design as a whole. Each exe cise was ypically e y clea ly s uc u ed and p esen ed a speci ic se o educa ional goals wi h ega ds o design pedagogy. 4.1 MATERIAL BASED FURNITURE DESIGN The p emise o hese exe cises was o design and build a piece o u ni u e using a speci ic ma e ial o combina ion o ma e ials. In his con ex s uden s we e expec ed o ely on an in-dep h analysis o a ma e ial’s p ope ies (gypsum wall boa d, dimensional lumbe o co uga ed ca dboa d) in o de o gene a e design ideas. The unde s anding o a ma e ial’s p ope ies allowed s uden s o de ine p ac ical s a egies in e m o s uc u al sys ems, connec ions and inishes. The pu pose o his ype o exe cises was o emphasize he impo ance o ma e ials wi hin he design p ocess bo h as a limi ing ac o bu also and mo e impo an ly as a sou ce o inspi a ion. 4.1.1 THE CARDBOARD CHAIR This design p ojec was assigned wi hin a second-yea a chi ec u e s udio and spanned o e a wo-week pe iod. The pu pose o his exe cise was o design and build a chai using co uga ed ca dboa d as he only a ailable ma e ial. The chai was equi ed o ha e a sea ing su ace loca ed a 18” abo e he inished loo and a back. The assembly o he a ious ca dboa d pa s had o be comple ed by ic ion o wi h a cus om-made wa e and lou based glue. S uden s had jus comple ed he design o he semes e main a chi ec u e p ojec and he goal was o expose hem o a di e en mode o design and p oduc ion. A sho lec u e p o ided s uden s wi h p eceden s o success ul ca dboa d chai p ojec s as well as an o e iew o he s uc u al p ope ies o co uga ed ca dboa d. Following a sho p esen a ion, s uden s spen app oxima ely 2 hou s b ains o ming design ideas which hey p esen ed in ske ch o m a he end o he class session. S uden s wo ked in eams o wo and we e esponsible o ob aining enough ca dboa d o build hei chai . Once hei concep ual design was app o ed by he acul y, s uden s buil hei chai s wi h limi ed supe ision. Access o comme cial-g ade band saws a he school o a chi ec u e wo kshop allowed s uden s o cu se e al laye s o ca dboa d a a ime. The assembly o he a ious pieces was comple ed in he s udio space. The assignmen was success ul in he sense ha all eams we e able o build a chai wi hin he ime ame imposed. The o e all design quali y o he chai s seemed in line wi h he le el o wo k displayed in he s udio’s p e ious assignmen s. Ne e heless some o he weake s uden s seemed mo e in ol ed and pe o med be e on his pa icula p ojec when compa ed o p e ious ep esen a ion based Vi u io In e na ional jou nal o A chi ec u e Technology and Sus ainabili y Volume 2 57 a chi ec u e p ojec s. The less success ul chai s lacked a ue s uc u al concep based on he physical p ope ies o he ma e ial assigned. As a side no e s uden s managed hei ime e icien ly and we e able o ob ain enough ecycled ca dboa d o ca y-ou hei design. Figu e 1. Ca dboa d chai by second- yea s uden Figu e 2. D ywall chai by 3 d-yea S uden 4.1.2 THE DRYWALL CHAIR This assignmen was unde aken in an elec i e cou se i led “Making Fu ni u e and Up-Cycling” and in ol ed hi d-yea s uden s. I was de eloped du ing a 3 week pe iod. S uden s we e asked o design and build a lounge chai using a combina ion o ½” shee o gypsum wall boa d and 2”x2” nominal size-lumbe wi h d ywall o wood sc ews o assembly. As he inal assignmen o an elec i e class he pu pose o his p ojec was o design and build a chai using cons uc ion ma e ials which ypically p oduce la ge amoun s o was e. The cons uc ion o he chai s would p esen an oppo uni y o di e was e h ough upcycling. The d ywall chai p ojec was p eceded by a week- long exe cise du ing which s uden s buil a eplica o he amous Red and Blue Chai designed by Ge i Rie eld in 1918. The cons uc i e concep o he Red and Blue Chai , a combina ion o imbe ames suppo ing wo planes was o se e as inspi a ion o hei chai design. S uden s buil he o iginal Red and Blue Chai using ½” enee plywood o he sea and back and 2”x2” and 2”x4” nominal lumbe o he ames. F om ha poin s uden s we e gi en wo choices. They could design hei chai based on he s uc u al concep o he o iginal Red and Blue Chai (plans suppo ed by a ame) o de ine a concep o hei own choosing. An ob ious challenge was o add ess he limi ed esis ance o a ½” shee o gypsum wall boa d in lexion. The e o e designs we e o ake ad an age o he shea p ope ies o gypsum boa d as a shea hing ma e ial and he abili y o wood o pe o m well in lexion. In o de o ob ain a success ul solu ion he wo ma e ials had o wo k oge he . The p oposed equi emen o combine wood and gypsum wall boa d in a meaning ul s uc u al sys em p oduced p ojec s ha we e ei he qui e success ul o qui e weak wi h e y ew “in be weens”. One o he success ul designs p oposed o c ea e wo shea planes suppo ing 2”x2” pieces o lumbe which in u n ca ied he sea and back su aces o he chai . Ano he s ong p oposi ion combined gypsum wall boa d and wood o c ea e he equi alen o a wood 58 I-beam using he shea hing ma e ial in lieu o ½” OSB ( ig. 2). This was especially in e es ing as a c ea i e solu ion combining he wo ma e ials oge he . A hi d chai mo e closely inspi ed by he o iginal Red and Blue Chai p oposed a sys em o ligh ames suppo ing 3 planes. In some o he less success ul p ojec s s uden s planned o use ½” d ywall as i i we e ½” plywood only o ealize hey had o come back and add addi ional suppo o he d ywall in he o m o se e al laye s o gypsum boa d o wood aming. 4.1.3 THE LIMITED RESOURCES CHAIR The pu pose o his pa icula assignmen was o design and build a chai using as only esou ce one 8 ee long 2x4 wood s ud. The chai sea ing su ace was se a 18” abo e he inish loo and he chai was equi ed o ha e a back. The ime ame p oposed o comple e his p ojec was wo weeks. Building a piece o u ni u e wi h a limi ed amoun o esou ces became an oppo uni y o p o ide a eal example o wha i means o be e icien in e ms o esou ce a ailabili y. This exe cise was also an oppo uni y o b eak he mono ony o a lec u e-based class. S uden s s a ed he assignmen by submi ing an axonome ic ske ch including ma e ial no es and a de ailed lis o all pa s wi h dimensions. The submission o hese d awings was equi ed o help s uden s e i y he easibili y o hei design on he basis o hei limi ed esou ces. Design p oposal we e e iewed by acul y and ma ked-up i necessa y, a e which s uden s buil hei chai in he school o a chi ec u e wo kshop. Al hough s uden s p oduced an ini ial documen indica ing design in en i was made clea o hem ha designs could be modi ied du ing he ab ica ion p ocess as a esul o speci ic p oblems o oppo uni ies. This p ojec was ini ially ecei ed wi h some le el o skep icism by s uden s al hough hey quickly u ned ha app ehension in o a desi e o success ully comple e a challenge. S uden s we e gi en a p esen a ion on adi ional and con empo a y wood joine y in he hope ha hey would apply hese p inciples o he ab ica ion o hei chai . Un o una ely and due o he ela i e sho schedule o he p ojec no one was able o inco po a e such in ol ed connec ion de ails. Assembly o he a ious wood pieces was accomplished ei he wi h wood glue alone o a combina ion o wood glue and b ad nails. E e yone was able o build he basic s uc u e o hei chai gi en he limi ed esou ces allowed. App oxima ely hal o he inal chai s buil we e s uc u ally sound while he o he hal p esen ed majo s uc u al weaknesses in e m o he o e all s uc u e i sel , b acing o connec ion quali y. 4.2 STRUCTURE BASED FURNITURE SYSTEMS The scope o his assignmen gi en o ou h-yea a chi ec u e s uden s consis ed in designing and building a bench based on he s uc u al p inciple o a b idge uss. The ime allowed o comple e his p ojec was h ee weeks. This exe cise challenged s uden s o design a uss sys em composed o cables and ba s in o de o allow a 12”x96” piece o ¾” plywood o span 8 ee and success ully suppo ou people. The bench sea ing heigh was se a 18” abo e inish loo . S uden s we e gi en a choice o use ei he a Fink o Bollman uss o achie e he equi ed span. This p ojec had a e y s uc u ed se o equi emen s so ha oppo uni ies o c ea i e design lied in he speci ic de ini ion o a uss sys em, i s size, spacing o i s componen s and connec ion de ails. A se ies o connec ions be ween a ious elemen s (cables o ba s, cables o bench op, ba s o bench op and bench legs o bench op) was iden i ied as c i ical o he success o he p ojec . Following a p esen a ion o he p ojec equi emen s o s uden s, he class me a a la ge home imp o emen s o e whe e acul y poin ed ou possible ma e ials and assembly sys ems a ailable. Following he “ma e ials and me hods” shopping ip each eam was asked o p oduce an axonome ic iew o hei bench wi h ma e ial no es along wi h a comple e ki o pa s and p ojec ed budge . A e e iew o hese documen s s uden s spen he es o he allo ed ime building and e ining hei design in he wo kshop a he school. Class mee ings occu ed in he shop om he e on. Vi u io In e na ional jou nal o A chi ec u e Technology and Sus ainabili y Volume 2 59 Figu e 3. Limi ed esou ce chai s Some s uden s exp essed disappoin men abou he pe cei ed lack o design eedom associa ed wi h his p ojec . They a gued ha design, in hei opinion, had o be shape o ming. Despi e he e y s uc u ed guidelines o he assignmen he inal benches we e all di e en . Each eam p o ided a unique in e p e a ion o he o iginal uss concep s wi h solu ions in ol ing a ious le el o p e ab ica ion. No able challenges du ing cons uc ion included he adequa e e mina ion and ying o he ension cable ends using c imp slee es and a c imp ool. Al hough all eams unde s ood how he cable ends we e o pass h ough a slee e and c ea e a loop hey had o ind ou how o e ec i ely c imp he slee e in o de o he cable o be i mly ancho ed. All buil benches demons a ed a good unde s anding o he o iginal uss sys em and he le el o c a smanship was high o e all. Va ia ions in he size, spacing and connec ions o each uss sys em esul ed in he ac ha he igidi y and weigh ca ying capaci y o each bench a ied. The e y s uc u ed na u e o his assignmen seemed o explain, a leas in pa , he high quali y o he wo k p oduced by s uden s. Figu e 4. T uss bench example 60 4.3 A PREFAB OFFICE/STUDIO The o e all goal o he P e ab O ice/S udio was o design and build a small s uc u e using a cus om p e ab ica ed insula ed panelized sys em. The physical scope o he P e ab O ice/S udio was de e mined by he ac ha i had o be designed and buil in one semes e wi hin a lec u e ype cou se, in his case Ma e ials and Me hods and ul ill he equi ed cou se con en . Ano he equi emen o his p ojec consis ed in he ac ha he small design/build s uc u e had o be ab ica ed and assembled inside he School o A chi ec u e. P e ab ica ion was he e o e selec ed as he p ojec deli e y me hod. The p ojec i sel consis ed o an 8' x 16' p e ab ica ed s uc u e and includes an 8' x 8' enclosed o ice/ s udio adjacen o an 8’ x 8’ co e ed pa io. To he exclusion o he loo sys em he o e all s uc u e was buil using a p e ab ica ed panelized sys em. Powe was p o ided by means o a pho o ol aic sys em in o de o he pa ilion o ope a e o g id. This p ojec was an in eg al pa o a Ma e ials and Me hods cou se o e ed o hi d-yea s uden s a Flo ida A&M Uni e si y School o A chi ec u e and Enginee ing Technology (SA+ET). The p ojec p esen ed an oppo uni y o s uden s o es and apply he knowledge acqui ed du ing he cou se in he o m o a design exe cise. This assignmen was also concei ed as a p ac ical in oduc ion o cons uc ion documen s, c ea i e de ailing and p ojec scheduling. The o e all goal was o empowe s uden s o plan an en i e cons uc ion p ocess and unde s and he c i ical impo ance o cons uc ion as a means o in o m design. In e ms o o e all planning he s uc u e was p e ab ica ed in he shop a he SA+ET and hen assembled in one o he school’s la ge indoo a ium. Ul ima ely he s uc u e would be aken apa and eassembled on a pe manen si e. 4.3.1 PROJECT DESIGN REQUIREMENTS The p ojec was i s p esen ed o s uden s as an assignmen wi h a se ies o b oad guidelines. The Figu e 5. Panel p e ab ica ion main design challenge consis ed in de eloping a p e ab ica ed sys em ha would b ing he building p og am o a success ul esolu ion and add ess issues such as cos , cons uc ion e iciency and sus ainabili y. The panelized sys em had o be ligh enough o allow ins alla ion wi hou hea y equipmen and be buil wi h a minimum o ma e ial was e. The s a ed goal o his p ojec was o design a small s uc u e consis ing o an enclosed space (o ice/s udio) and a co e ed po ch. The enclosed space should unc ion as an o ice/sleeping a ea whe eas he po ch would p o ide an ou doo ex ension o he enclosu e and a place o elax. The dimension o he o e all p ojec should be go e ned by he dimensions o s anda d building componen s in o de o minimize was e. The p e ab ica ed panels should be buil wi h s anda d wood aming ma e ials, shea hing and ecei e a laye o igid insula ion on hei ex e io su ace. The inal ex e io inish ma e ial would hen be applied o e he igid insula ion. Openings should be designed in o de o ul ill a a ie y o unc ions such as b inging na u al ligh , p o iding iews o he ou side and allowing na u al en ila ion. A small pho o ol aic sys em ins alled on he oo would powe in e io and ex e io LED ligh ing as well as powe ecep acles inside he o ice space o up o 6 hou s. In o de