03 ASSEMBLING VARIABILITY: A HYBRID PREFABRICATION SYSTEM
05/2025
Thesis
Type:
Prefabrication & Exhibition Design
Location: Detroit, MI, US
This thesis argues for a hybrid approach to prefabrication that would operate as an ecology of parts. It applies the connection between members of different materials - specifically, timber and concrete - within the legacy of Fordist production. Fordism, characterized by mass production, standardization, and predictability, has fundamentally shaped industrialized manufacturing, including architectural prefabrication. Historically, architects like Walter Gropius and Konrad Wachsmann tried to apply Fordist principles to construction through the General Panel Corporation. However, their approach leaned too heavily toward uniformity. Since then, many successful prefabrication systems have emerged, yet the challenge remains: how to balance industrial efficiency with architectural flexibility and expression.
The thesis started with a small chunk system. This chunk is a small-scale physical experiment that tested how modular timber pieces could be joined using custom concrete nodes. Each timber beam followed the same basic rule, but every joint met at a different angle, creating small shifts across the structure. The result is a system with a clear assembly logic but no single fixed form - variation naturally happens through the way pieces connect. This experiment sets the foundation for applying the same system logic at an architectural scale in the final pavilion design.
"Prefabrication is not a formula to be repeated, but a language to be rewritten — balancing standardization with specificity for a changing world."
Detroit - once the center of Ford’s industrial empire - provides a fitting context to rethink and rework these ideas. The site is set directly in front of the Henry Ford Museum. The pavilion is imagined as both an exhibition space and an architectural artifact, reflecting on Fordism while proposing a new way forward. It frames a conversation between past and future forms of making, situating historical legacy within contemporary possibilities.
The system is made of two key components: timber modules, which are lightweight, renewable, and customizable through CNC and digital fabrication, and precast concrete nodes, which serve as universal components but can be shaped to accommodate spatial shifts. Together, they create a system that is standardized in logic but variable in outcome. Material sourcing reflects this balance: locally sourced timber, combined with modular node molds that can be re-used or lightly adjusted. The system envisions mass-produced timber and molded concrete components, fabricated at the Ford plant, and then transported and assembled on-site.
The final proposal is a small exhibition pavilion that utilizes a kit of parts, repeating a set of timber beams and precast joints, but never copying itself. Inside, light filters through the spaces between modules, while the changing geometry creates subtle moments of compression and expansion. Rather than hiding the system, the architecture puts it on display - celebrating the logic of assembly and the beauty of variation.
The system combines mass-produced timber modules and bespoke concrete nodes. The timber is locally sourced and fabricated using CNC and digital tools, ensuring precision and customization. These modular components follow a standardized production process, enabling efficient fabrication. In contrast, the precast concrete nodes are uniquely designed to accommodate specific spatial shifts, cast at the Ford plant. After fabrication, both the timber and concrete components are transported to the site and assembled, resulting in a hybrid system that balances mass production with customization for site-specific needs.
“The future of construction lies not in perfect efficiency, but in structures that accept change”