In my interpretation of your question, I'm assuming "levels of societies/cultures" meaning all socio-economic classes. With that, I feel like there's a strong stigma against modular prefabs because they are seen as the cheap alternative. In a society where a building or home is a statement of self or statement of identity, the module does not ave the same feel of expression as something that is the sum of its individual and unique parts. Even if the module can allow for an infinite source of combinations or infinite customization, the perception is that the unique construction from many unique parts is still valued higher. Take for example furniture. Ikea makes tons of furniture, with dozens of options in shape, size, color, style, etc. Even though they may be very popular in the main stream, many businesses, or high-end residences do not get their furniture from the mass0market. Sure a McDonalds or Gas station-for the most part-looks similar across the nation and world, but the innate human desire for individuality runs counter to the trend of mass-market ubiquity. Even as you go up on the socio-economic scale, the highest end demands for monumental office buildings or specifically tailored residences.
To those who are looking for lower costs at the expense of losing customization or individuality in architecture, pre-fabrication may appeal to them. Architecture at some levels can be very personal, whereas on other levels it is there just to serve a purpose. In my opinion, pre-fabricated architecture could appeal to more people when applied to architecture that is more about serving a purpose, rather than about being unique. So perhaps pre-fabricated architecture could appeal to all levels of society when applied in a range of building types.
In my interpretation of your question, I'm assuming "levels of societies/cultures" meaning all socio-economic classes. With that, I feel like there's a strong stigma against modular prefabs because they are seen as the cheap alternative. In a society where a building or home is a statement of self or statement of identity, the module does not ave the same feel of expression as something that is the sum of its individual and unique parts. Even if the module can allow for an infinite source of combinations or infinite customization, the perception is that the unique construction from many unique parts is still valued higher. Take for example furniture. Ikea makes tons of furniture, with dozens of options in shape, size, color, style, etc. Even though they may be very popular in the main stream, many businesses, or high-end residences do not get their furniture from the mass0market. Sure a McDonalds or Gas station-for the most part-looks similar across the nation and world, but the innate human desire for individuality runs counter to the trend of mass-market ubiquity. Even as you go up on the socio-economic scale, the highest end demands for monumental office buildings or specifically tailored residences.
ReplyDeleteTo those who are looking for lower costs at the expense of losing customization or individuality in architecture, pre-fabrication may appeal to them. Architecture at some levels can be very personal, whereas on other levels it is there just to serve a purpose. In my opinion, pre-fabricated architecture could appeal to more people when applied to architecture that is more about serving a purpose, rather than about being unique. So perhaps pre-fabricated architecture could appeal to all levels of society when applied in a range of building types.
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