Participatory Design for Prefab House: Using Internet and Query Approach of Customizing Prefabricated Houses

Although the concept of mass customization has been implemented in the computer, clothing, and automobile industries, it has not been fully integrated in architecture, especially in the housing industry which is more directly related to personal life style. One of the arguments in this book focuses on the current implementation that is not fully functional to address the consumer s needs by selecting the product s appearance only. The book presents the possibilities of customizing modular houses by internet and architectural programming methods. A prototype advisory system has been developed to facilitate the non-architectural trained clients to select the appropriate design schemes and components based on their own preference. Besides that, the proposed workflow adopts Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications as the design collaboration platform in the building delivery process. The findings of this research provide an open-ended framework and useful reference to professionals in AEC industries and architectural research fields, or anyone else who may be considering utilizing online feedback loops for the participatory design approach.