German invaders have landed on our shores intent on leapfrogging our component industry. Their huge investment and their unconventional processes are now being tested on a jobsite not far from their high-tech, 200,000 sq. ft. Baltimore plant.
Their name, Blueprint Robotics, invokes a CM’s fantasy; “feed plans into computer and out pops component designs.” But their business plan advances this dream considerably: “download CAD files to Revit – componentize floors, roofs and walls – install plumbing, electrical and mechanicals – and apply exterior and interior finishes,” with all work done in their factory shown above.
Their method, closed-wall panelization, is not new to U.S. housing construction. It began gaining momentum over fifty years ago, as builders struggled to meet growing post-WWII housing demands. I first encountered it at the Industrialized Building Expositions (INBEX) in 1971 and 1972. There I was awed by the glitzy marketing and glamorous displays of panelized and modular housing; particularly by the stock market sensation, Stirling Homex. Though our tiny booth was dwarfed by their display, I left the Show exuberant about the highly innovative housing industry.
Factory-built housing hype ramped up in concert with housing starts, which increased from 1.4 to 2.4 Million units in just two years. The euphoria of the peak housing year of 1972 was exemplified by the 330,000 sq. ft. closed wall factory begun by Wausau Homes in Wisconsin. Late that year, the INBEX Show expanded dramatically, moving from the humble Louisville Fair Grounds to the mammoth McCormick Place in Chicago. Industry experts proclaimed that “…factories must eventually supply most of our housing needs,” and established builders worried that they would be displaced by huge manufacturers. However, this revolution had to clear many hurdles. Building inspections and codes had to be overhauled. Tenacious trade unions would have to be placated. And manufacturers had to address consumer doubts about prefabricated, look-alike housing.
Then, in 1975, the bottom fell out – housing dropped in half, Stirling Homex was bankrupt, and investors shunned what had become a highly cyclical industry. But closed-wall would get a second chance...
Next Month:
Established Builders Try Closed Wall…