MODULAR

COORDINATION
-Tessa Alexander
• Modular buildings and modular homes are prefabricated buildings or
houses that consist of repeated sections called modules
• Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure
in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete
assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the
structure is to be located.
 MUJI Hut
Muji is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide
variety of household and consumer goods. Muji's design
philosophy is minimalist, and it places an emphasis on
recycling, reducing production and packaging waste.

Structure
Timber framing construction
Foundation
Reinforced concrete construction with raft foundation
(with damp-proof sheeting; no under-floor ventilation)

Price
¥ 3,000,000
• Small but spacious
• The interior is compact at 9m2, but the porch and the high shed
roof create a space large enough for 3–4 people to relax in. The
large window at the entrance was originally made to be a shop’s
sliding door. Light and wind visit through another smaller window.

• Traditional craftwork
• All of the wood used for the hut is from Japan. The outer walls are
given enhanced antiseptic properties and durability by applying
burned hardwood cladding. This is borrowed from the traditional
art of Japanese shipbuilding, where builders burn cedar wood to
increase its strength and add an oil stain finish. The inner wall
surfaces are left untreated so you can design the interior any way
you like.

• Simple design makes everything easy

• The MUJI Hut has a raft foundation, which is the type used in
ordinary homes. It provides strength and guards against ground
moisture. The mortar floor surface is left as is. Even in dirt-prone
environments, the floor can be used freely like an earthen floor.
Since the floor surface is nice and smooth, cleaning is easy, and
Ground plan Side view
Front elevation
Materials
• Frame: Structural lumber, laminated
structural timber (coniferous wood for both); Outer walls: Burnt cedar (oil stain finish)
• Outer walls: Burnt cedar (oil stain finish);
• Inner walls: Structural plywood (core),
Japanese cypress veneer (surface);
• Floor: Mortar finish;
Inner walls: Japanese cypress
• Roof: Structural plywood (foundation), plywood (surface
asphalt roofing (foundation), galvalume
(surface);
• Sliding door and small window: Aluminium
sash (single-layer glass);
• Insulation material: Polystyrene foam (attic
only) Floor: Mortar finish