We're wrapping up in Tokyo (only tomorrow left here), and so we're doing some sort of random things during the day. This morning, we visited a mid-century Modern church by Antonin Raymond that is almost perfectly intact from 1955. After exploring it for awhile and trying my best to not run over the organ and start playing, we took a train to Hasuda, 20 miles north of Tokyo. The Sekisui Chemical Company has a plant there where they prefabricate entire houses. Henry Ford had no idea what his little conveyor belt would end up spawning, and I've never seen efficiency like this. We were forbidden from taking pictures because some of the robots they've developed to do the work are completely unique; I'm sorry about that because I wish I could transport you to this place. On any given day, they complete 140 units which then ultimately make about 10 houses. 10 houses a day! Good grief. And once the units of the houses are packaged and shipped to the site, they are assembled and roofed in 1 day. ONE DAY.
It's all a conveyor belt system. The steel frame units are roughly 10' x 12' x 10' and put together by a combination of robots and skilled workers through welding. This makes them earthquake resistant and extremely strong. Then they're fitted with floors, ceilings, and walls that have built in electrical wiring, and packaged up to go out. Everything is fire resistant, so these buildings should withstand earthquake, fire, typhoon, and sandstorm. Additionally, they all have photovoltaic panels, so they provide their own energy.
It was unbelievable. But the catch is that they are not cheap. So, maybe it's not time to export this awesome method around the world yet...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment