Component-Based Architecture Design for Custom Homes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Home buyers face limitations in customization and cost-effectiveness with traditional tract housing and fully-custom-designed housing, as the latter is often unaffordable and inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A component-based architecture design system that uses pre-designed room components stored in a centralized database, allowing architects to select and arrange these components to create customized residential structures, with automatic merging and feedback on design details, and generation of construction drawings.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If fully-custom-designed housing is used, then customization is improved, but cost and time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovecustomizationVSAvoiddesign time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The housing design is segmented into reusable room components that can be independently selected and combined. Each room component is pre-designed with standardized interfaces, allowing architects to assemble customized homes from modular units rather than designing every detail from scratch.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Room components are pre-designed and stored in a centralized database before the actual housing design process. This preliminary creation of reusable components eliminates the need to redesign common elements for each custom home, significantly reducing design time while maintaining customization options.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If fully-custom-designed housing is used, then customization is improved, but cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovecustomizationVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

By dividing the housing into standardized room components, the system enables efficient production and reuse of design elements. This segmentation allows for cost-effective customization since the same components can be used across multiple projects, reducing overall design and production costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Pre-designed room components are copied and reused in different housing configurations. Instead of creating unique designs for each custom home, the system leverages existing validated components, reducing design costs while maintaining quality and customization through selective combination of components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Ease of manufacture

If tract housing is used, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but customization is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost-effectivenessVSAvoidcustomization

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments housing into modular room components that can be mixed and matched in various configurations. This allows tract housing to maintain cost-effectiveness through standardized components while enabling customization by selecting different combinations of pre-designed rooms and spaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The pre-designed room components serve multiple functions and can be used in various housing types and configurations. A single component library supports both efficient tract housing production and customized home design, making the system universally applicable across different project types.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Productivity

If pre-manufactured components are used, then production efficiency is improved, but design flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoiddesign flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments housing into design components that are pre-designed but not pre-manufactured in completed form. This segmentation maintains design flexibility by allowing architects to select and modify components digitally while enabling production efficiency through standardized design templates and automated assembly processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The component system is dynamic rather than static - components can be selected, modified, and reconfigured digitally during the design process. This dynamic approach maintains design flexibility while improving productivity through automated merging and construction drawing generation, eliminating the need for manual redesign of each element.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9213785B2Systems and methods for component-based architecture design

Publication Date: 2015.12.15 PLEWE THOMAS

AI summary

Systems and methods are disclosed for performing component-based architecture design. In one example, a method includes accessing a database storing multiple pre-designed room components to automatically identify certain pre-designed room components that satisfy input criteria. Each of the pre-designed room components includes structural geometric data indicative of a three-dimensional (3D) model of a pre-designed room, embedded metadata indicative of at least one design policy associated with the pre-designed room, and construction drawing data that can be merged with that of other room components to create final construction drawings for a completed house design.