Could MIT's Smart House Replace Architects?

Can a prefab smart house developed by MIT transform architecture? Could it replace architects?

1 minute read

December 6, 2002, 9:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"The home-building industry could be transformed, MIT researchers argue, if it adopted the mass-customization methods being introduced in other industries...In much the same way that Lands' End, Nike, Ford, and BMW are investigating computer-based manufacturing to offer customers swappable or "mass-customized" components for their jeans, sneakers, and cars, so could thousands of unique house parts be customized to buyers' demands...announced the formation of the Open Source Building Alliance, adopting the modish programmer terminology to depict a modular, component-based, everyone's-invited approach to building...When customers can "design" their own houses--customizing their preferences online from a menu of choices as they might a computer--what is left for architects to do?"

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

FULL STORY: Living For Tomorrow

Monday, December 2, 2002 in MetropolisMag.com

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