Cuby House construction technology

The new construction technology developed by EnCata’s engineers requires very little effort from both the architect's standpoint and needs no ancillary construction resources in the field.

The developed concept revolved around the paradigm to enable a Mobile Manufacturing Plants (“Cells”) to deploy in the proximity of a construction site.

Manufacturing house modules with jigs reduce tooling and labor costs incurred. Any construction project, embracing modular design saves time and costs for the transport and installation of individual building elements.

Such a shift from conventional "megafactories” with large fixed overheads and logistics challenges can be enabled by using new design and innovation management practices. In the CUBY project we build the whole concept around the LEAN manufacturing approach, borrowed from the automotive industry. It shares common characteristics and practices, such as:

• Quality control, conveyor approach, precision kit of parts design and manufacturing methods.
• The use of the single platform for all possible designs.
• Supply chain: not to compete with market participants, but to partner with them, democratize the industry and add value on every step of the manufacturing and assembly process. 
• Create an intuitive system of customer interaction based on 3D models and AR / VR approach to house design and sales process.
  

The technology combines custom hardware modules with construction design software (an artificial intelligence (AI)

and a custom self-learning neural network that helps the design, construction and operation process. These modules embed a series of standardized pre-manufactured elements and sub-assemblies that are put together as LEGO blocks.

COBY Module components include:

1. external and internal walls

2. floor / ceiling cassettes

3. communication infrastructure

4. bathroom and kitchen units

5. water and sewage pipes

6. electrics

7. exterior and interior decor

Such design allows these modules to be rapidly assembled on the construction site as a ‘kit’, decreasing labor input by around 60%.

The CUBY Light technology is ideal for the implementation of large neighborhood housing programs and for solving housing shortages quickly and affordably. Using the “factory on the wheels” paradigm one can produce a ready-to-install solution on site, outperforming traditional design and construction approaches time-wise, cost-wise and quality-wise.

The CUBY ‘house kit’ consists of a durable metal frame, which is completely encapsulated in a thermally insulated cassette of PIR panels. The floor infill slabs are made of wooden panels with the required sound insulation and structural performance. The engineering development fully complies with EU quality standards.

EnCata’s design also significantly reduced the construction cost for the client due to the manufacturing production model being deployed for these house-building elements harnessing standardization (although still capable of some external and internal customization) and with the added benefit of a constant factory quality being achieved.

The CUBY CONSTRUCTION technology brings a number of benefits and innovation:

• Faster house assembly (1 week).
• Sustainable design that has a 70% lower carbon footprint.
• No in-situ wet cement-based and plastering works.
• Higher thermal insulation (R = 60).
• Reduced costs for building maintenance.
• Higher corrosion resistance.
• Ensured quality and delivery time due to embedded LEAN manufacturing approach.
• Higher building fire-resistance.
• Pests and living organisms cannot infest the integrated pre-manufactured CUBY modules.