Automated Architecture Ltd. showcased its robotic assembly system for home building and prefabricated home dwellings during 2021’s Global Investment Summit (GIS).
On October 19, 2021, the Global Investment Summit (GIS) saw 12 of the UK’s leading “green innovators,” selected by the UK government to emphasize the importance of implementing green technology into our day-to-day. Just in time for the COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference UK), GIS shows how the UK can shape the future of green investment. Weaving green technology into architectural building methods, Bristol and London-based design and technology company Automated Architecture Ltd., (AUAR) showcased a new robotic assembly system for prefabricated dwellings.
AUAR comprises a modular timber building method that designs prefabricated, custom homes based on a given site’s conditions and landscape, and the buyer’s lifestyle and home preferences. Relying on robotics and custom automation methods from ABB Robotics, AUAR redefines what homebuilding can look like in the 21st century. Through AUAR, individual timber building blocks, chosen for the building materials renewability, are robotically prefabricated and stacked together to form tiny dwelling units.
In a similar fashion to the revolutionary 1950s assembly lines that created suburban housing developments like Levittown, AUAR forms its own production line, one that’s much smaller in size and personnel. The AUAR robot lines timber panels together to form building modules that are stacked together and assembled into tiny homes with the help of local craftspeople and builders. Following their use, the timber blocks can be disassembled and reused for other purposes, creating less construction waste and adhering to circular design principles.
Noting the lack of change in homebuilding methods, CEO and co-founder of AUAR, Mollie Claypool suggests,
“The demand for new homes is astronomical—two billion are needed in the next 80 years—yet the way we build them has not changed in hundreds of years. Traditional attempts to modernize housing construction result in extreme centralization and huge capital expenditure, further widening the divide between housing developers and local communities. Our approach offers a community-driven, climate-conscious alternative—a way to revolutionize the way we design and build homes and empower people and communities to live better and more sustainable lives.”
With help from local neighbors and assembly lines, AUAR works with small communities to build tiny dwellings. Opting out of big factory assemblage and globalized production chains, AUAR aims to cut down its carbon footprint by utilizing local resources and increasing community development.
Designer: Automated Architecture Ltd., (AUAR)
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