N House
Belo Horizonte, MG - Brazil 2016Prefabricated houses don’t exactly have a good reputation, as they are often associated with cheap materials and inferior building standards. Yet, from the early 20th century to today, the best architects have consistently focused on this theme, exploring many possibilities that industrialization can offer for the housing of the future. The idea is old, and a quick survey of true prefabricated masterpieces from the mid-20th century to today reveals a vast wealth of practical and attractive alternatives. The vision and technology exist—and have for a long time. So why aren’t these solutions being widely built, as they could be? “Casa N” is a prototype developed by BCMF Arquitetos for Casa Cor Minas 2016. The project aims to serve as a laboratory for developing an industrialized construction system that could have a broader application, diversified in terms of scale, typology, and design, producing “in series” but in a “customized” manner, for various projects in diverse contexts.
The House N project is the result of many studies on the “prefab” theme, that culminated in a prototype made exclusively for Casa Cor Minas. This system is basically constituted by 8 modules of standardized size (7 x 3 x 3m), which are completed by other smaller components, set up in accordance to the site’s geometry. Porches, terraces, pool, pergolas and wide and retreated miters help create transition areas and integrate the interior with the exterior
The internal spaces are organized in a linear sequence starting from the main entrance. The distance inbetween blocks is meant to establish a clear sectorization and make sure there’s sunlight, air circulation and privacy between sectors, also creating mini-patios that open up to the bedrooms’ bathrooms. The long axis that connects all 8 modules from East to West, oriented towards the North garden, is treated as a space of its own, with a winter garden, a mini office, a washbasin and bookshelves, as opposed to being a mere circulation hallway.
The house was produced with support from Laminus Engineering, who holds a patent on a new structural model, the “multi-laminar concrete structure”. It consists of a modular system of enveloped concrete panels, pretty flexible in terms of dimension. The panels are made of various laminae, which can grant a great diversity of thickness, and can leave the factory already set up or can be assembled in loco. The application of this exclusive technology allows us a series of advantages is terms of performance, finishings and logistics, besides making countless structural and spacial combinations possible.
“To any architect, having a project be built is always satisfying. In that sense, we faced Casa Cor Minas’s event as a unique opportunity to investigate and materialize themes that interest us in some way. For us, the BCMF Team, who have worked in the last few years mainly in huge and complex projects that take years to be built, it is an additional pleasure to see a project come to life almost instantly”
- Bruno Campos, from BCMF Architects
Project: N House/ Casa Cor 2016
Area: 230m²
Authors: Bruno Campos, Marcelo Fontes and Silvio Todeschi
BCMF Team: Patrícia Bueno, Raquel Duarte, Marcos Sales, Isabel Melero
Concrete laminate panels: Laminus
Electric, hydrosanitary and logistical planning: Green Gold
Pool: Igui
Steel work: Arcelor Mittal
Fences: Belgo Cercas e Cia
Glass: Divinal
Aluminium miters: ALU Design
Wooden doors: Madepal
Hardware: Altero
Metalwork: JL Serralheria
Solar powered panels: Criativa
Pergola / Aluminium brise-soleil: Hunter Douglas / Installations: Cota Mascarenhas
Painting / Cladding: Novacolor
Status: Built
