Modular construction startup Assembly OSM has unveiled its first one-bedroom apartment built using a new digital manufacturing method dubbed Post-Modular construction. Conceptualized by architects and co-founders of SHoP Architects, Bill and Chris Sharples, in collaboration with auto and aerospace engineers at Boeing, SpaceX, and Tesla, Assembly OSM aims to make high-rise construction faster and cheaper in order to address America’s housing crisis.
Assembly OSM’s building methodology takes a similar approach to how cars and airplanes are assembled. Digital twin technology is used to create collections of digitally-designed, fully customizable subassemblies where every item is tracked, assembled, and placed based on certain specifications. Detailed instructions for building components are generated and given to suppliers who then manufacture entire housing features, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and façade panels. From there, Assembly OSM uses its patented clipping mechanism to attach the components like Lego bricks.
As reported by The Real Deal, Assembly OSM claims that its approach can reduce the timeframe of a project by 50 percent, cut its carbon footprint by 25 percent, and mitigate the unpredictable nature of construction.
As stated in the company’s press release, “Assembly OSM’s digital manufacturing techniques, and its ecosystem of qualified suppliers, were built with developers in mind, for mid-to-high-rise buildings that produce higher margins and forecastable timelines while significantly improving quality.”
Additionally, Assembly OSM claims that as compared to conventional construction and traditional modular building, their platform removes crucial information gaps that “critically” reduce human error. The enhanced manufacturing efficiency brought on by this approach will reduce change orders and budget overruns, and allow for quick repairs and upgrades to components.
“Good design shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the world’s elite,” said Bill Sharples. “Leveraging 25 years of design excellence and digital innovation, SHoP created the technology that is the foundation for Assembly OSM’s open ecosystem. The platform is built to be agnostic to architects, so if a developer wants a Frank Gehry façade, it can be done using our platform. Our vision for Assembly OSM is bigger than just one building, we set out to change how buildings are built in the future.”
With the completion of its first full-scale production unit, Assembly OSM now says it is embarking on its delivery phase. Since 2019, the company has been working with New York City’s Department of Buildings (DOB) to get pre-approval for all of the key elements of its system.
Interesting! Maybe the lessons learned from Atlantic Yards and Katerra have led to this.
The "patented clipping mechanism" sounds intriguing. With Atlantic Yards, a lot of problems stemmed from the modules not aligning properly on site, leading to jams further up the supply chain that negated benefits from modular building. With Katerra ... well, they simply never reached the economies of scale necessary for such mass production to be profitable.
Unfortunately it still looks like another soul crushing glass grid.
I liked it better when Kisho Kurokawa did it.
Show me the $$$$ (any article should give a breakdown of development costs)...Another NYC high end project that won't work in flyover country?
"were built with developers in mind, for mid-to-high-rise buildings that produce higher margins"
The only reason for everything.
Looks like stackable mobile homes to me. Perhaps I am missing something.
Great to see SHoP still committed to modular construction! The new system looks very practical. Looking forward to learning more.
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