SUMMARY Studio – Prefabrication and Modular Innovation in Vale de Cambra
SUMMARY studio continues to challenge conventional approaches to construction with projects that merge pragmatism, experimentalism, and modular innovation. Their project in Vale de Cambra demonstrates how prefabrication and adaptable systems can meet urgent housing needs while setting new benchmarks for flexibility and sustainability.
How did the founding principles of SUMMARY—pragmatism and experimentalism—shape the approach to this project?
One of the driving forces behind our architectural practice is the acceleration of construction. We are aware of the global housing deficit and the need for improvements in construction methods. Consequently, we are constantly researching ways to speed up and simplify the construction process.
Experimentalism is also at the core of our work. We regularly test new materials, question technical solutions, and adapt systems from other fields into architecture. This project allowed us to apply insights from earlier experiments, such as our 2016 Venice Biennale installation, where we showed how box culverts could be repurposed as building modules. The Vale de Cambra project expanded this research into an urban context, fulfilling the client’s demand for an efficient, cost-effective, and adaptable construction process.
How did speed, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility influence the decision to leave parts of the project undefined?
The client’s brief emphasized efficiency and adaptability. The ground floor, dedicated to services and commercial use, was designed as an open plan with prefabricated structural panels and a central wall. Its layout can easily adapt to changing needs—partitions can be added, moved, or removed entirely.
The upper floor uses GOMOS System modules for housing units. Here, partitions are defined mainly by carpentry, allowing for straightforward future reconfigurations without structural changes.
How did you ensure adaptability on the ground floor while maintaining structural integrity and usability?
The ground floor spans over 700 square meters and can function as one large space or be subdivided into smaller areas. Currently, it accommodates a bakery and a grocery store with separate entrances.
This adaptability is achieved through a point-supported structure, allowing a flexible “Plan Libre.” Infrastructure is consolidated in the back-of-house area, while the public façade is unified by a continuous glass panel.
What advantages did the GOMOS System bring to the housing units on the first floor?
Although designed as a collective housing project, GOMOS modules give each unit independence, with separate entrances and full acoustic separation.
Formally, the system allowed for variation—modules could be oriented differently, creating individuality rather than uniform repetition. Structurally, the modules are made of high-resistance concrete, with insulation built into the walls and technical installations pre-installed in the factory. This process accelerates construction, reduces errors, and ensures high-quality finishes.
How does using precast concrete as both structure and finish contribute to sustainability and efficiency?
By leaving reinforced concrete exposed inside and out, we eliminated the need for extra cladding and finishes, saving on materials, labor, and time. This approach reduced costs and accelerated construction while simplifying on-site work.
We also acknowledge concrete’s environmental impact. However, the design maximizes durability, adaptability, and disassembly potential, extending the material’s lifecycle and contributing to sustainability in a different way.
How did you reconcile the design’s collective housing classification with the benefits of individual dwellings?
The site’s slope allowed us to separate residential units from the ground-floor commercial spaces and provide each unit with independent parking. There are no vertical connections—no shared stairs or lifts—so the six housing modules function more like individual homes.
The legally required separation between units became an opportunity to individualize dwellings within the broader framework of a collective housing project.
What role did collaboration with companies like Farcimar play in realizing this project?
The system was developed with input from concrete manufacturers and industrial automation experts. Close collaboration meant visiting factories, adapting designs to production constraints, and testing solutions before implementation. This horizontal process between architecture, engineering, and manufacturing streamlined production and avoided inefficiencies.
How do you see this project contributing to global trends in prefabrication and modular housing?
The UN estimates that 2 billion new houses will be needed in the next 50 years. Traditional construction cannot meet this demand, especially with labor shortages. Industrialized methods like prefabrication are essential.
This project is part of a broader shift: in prefabrication, logistics and systems determine form, not the other way around. This inversion leads to faster, safer, and more resource-efficient construction, while enabling design for disassembly and reuse. Such approaches will be crucial for the future of global housing.
