Look around you. What does your space look like? How is it different than the person next to you? Are you standing, sitting, did you move chairs around or move something else to be more comfortable or to use the space better? Bobby Vance, a student and researcher at the Center for Design Research at Virginia Tech, explains that we have an innate human instinct to transform the space that were in – to engage with our environment.
His team took the concept inside the Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt and its own LumenHAUS project by incorporating cartridges and moveable walls. These two features together service that innate need to transform space to our individual needs. Here, Vance presents on the various projects and each of their use of these features.
Just as the moveable wall responded to the homeowner’s needs in the Greenbuild KB Home ProjeKt, it can essentially add another room to the layout of the home by moving out of the way and making space for the current demands. If the homeowner needs extra space for entertaining, they can shrink an adjoining office or spare bedroom. And if they need that space back to sleep at night or to work during the day, the wall can be quickly pushed out of the way in order to transform the space.
With the concept of the cartridges, the space again becomes more dynamic. Cartridges are built off site in a very controlled environment, and what that means is high-quality, fewer errors, and even time savings. Then, when the cartridges are delivered on site, they are “plugged in” to the structure or to each other to complete the home. This flexibility means that they also can be “unplugged” later on when a remodel is needed or a new one can be added easily to adjust for the growing needs of the homeowner.
Although these technologies are still being adopted, they pave the way for a new concept of liquid space that can be customized for particular users, for specific needs or to meet exact budgets.
