The system is part of a longer study in affordable net zero homes, conducted by Vancouver-based design firm LWPAC (Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture) and Intelligent City, a leading developer in Canada.

LWPAC’s approach favors compressed laminated timber (CLT) as a material of choice to create modular units that incorporate diversity of use and form and are assembled into larger, more complex built forms.

Pre-fabrication and parametric design serve as tools to produce these variations that permit a response to site and programme, while enhancing speed and reducing cost simultaneously. In place of the traditional ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, this adopts a scalable, bottom-up approach. The system’s proprietary software enables participatory design and mass customization of apartments.

Building livable and inclusive communities

The housing units can range from micro-suites for individual occupancy to larger units for extended families. This flexibility in internal layouts empowers people to take charge and manifest their own vision of urban living.

The system uses a variety of distinct clusters developed through generations of prototypes. The units are stacked in efficient hallway-free layouts, fitting up to 50% more homes in the same footprint as standard housing models.