PolyRoom by Cutwork, reinventing residential housing
Cutwork designed PolyRoom, a prefabricated modular studio unit that can be stacked like LEGO bricks and turned into a building.
At the start of the year, Curiosity is Keys had the chance to visit Cutwork’s new prototype that was on display for visits in Paris until March 2022. Answering the demand of Bouygues Immobilier for their new shared living brand, Cutwork designed PolyRoom, a new optimized housing solution that will be launched in France in 2023. The prefabricated modular studio unit reimagines today’s interior living space into a multi-use compact room. Adaptable to rural and urban lifestyles, it can be stacked to create an entire building: a PolyBloc. We warmly thank the two co-founders of the Parisian architecture and design studio, Kelsea Crawford, and Antonin Yuji Maeno, for taking us around as we were simply astonished by the concept! For real estate investors, such projects are critical as they revolutionize our approach to construction and reinvent our outdated family housing model. On top, the PolyRoom answers our century’s challenges of coping with increasing urban density, inhabiting a greener city, and embedding the customers’ lifestyle flexibility as an inherent feature of a building. Let us walk you through this exciting visit!
PolyRooms stacked as a PolyBloc: a revolution away from traditional construction
When arriving at Porte de Versailles where the prototype was on display, we were welcomed by Kelsea and Antonin in front of a singular black wooden module, the PolyRoom, designed by their studio, Cutwork, and fabricated by DMD Modular.
Hard to believe that such a stylish module is prefabricated and can be massively produced, right? It is often the case that the team from Cutwork faces such a surprise. There is a massive misconception about prefabrication that is critical to dismantle. In fact, Kelsea and Antonin are firm believers that prefabrication techniques could help address the escalating housing crisis as it answers several construction challenges:
01. Pace. According to Cutwork research, “the UN has projected that by 2050, there will be 3 billion more people living in cities than today.” The PolyRoom is a prefabricated module that can be produced industrially in bulks at a fast pace. Thus, it can tackle such a challenge by enabling “rapid, adaptive urbanization across diverse conditions, constraints, and contexts”. The time-lapse between permit approval for construction and occupancy could be significantly reduced.
02. Quality. Not only is it faster but industrial production also entails production up to certain standards which will decrease the risk of faults. If people can easily be convinced by the time gain of industrial processes, not everyone is aware of the enhancement it brings to quality control. On top, it is Cutwork’s choice to offer a distinct brand experience by using high-end materials.
03. Site management. Around construction, there is always the matter of site management. Haven’t we all wished that this new building under construction in our neighborhood would not produce that much pollution (environmental, visual, and noise) for that long? As the modular is assembled easily, the construction takes less time and less space than a traditional building site.
04. Insulation and longevity as good as any. The standards of thermal or noise insulation are as good as in any other building. In fact, the Japanese technique of shou sugi ban preserves the wood by charring it. Thus, the facade is more resistant to weathering, increasing its lifespan. And, all it took to reach such a result, was a natural process.
Not only do we need to offer accommodation to people, but there is a consistent concern to combine density with a respect for nature.
At the current rate, “more than 2 billion new homes will be constructed by the end of the 21st century.” Thus, the goal to house the new population is juxtaposed with limiting urban sprawl and artificial land take. The PolyRoom offers the option to be stacked like LEGO bricks. The studio calls this particular building a PolyBloc.
The PolyRoom also “activates biodiversity and local ecologies”, bringing nature to the city. All facades, balconies, and rooftops aim to be heavily planted. Cutwork has imagined catering to local contexts and climates to find the plants needed to support the local biodiversity from insects to birds.
Finally, this solution is adaptable to an urban or rural lifestyle. On one hand, it could become a rural tiny house. On the other hand, easily transported and stacked, it could become the unit of a coliving building in a dense city catering to the needs of “working people, between 25 and 40 years old”. This category of the population wishes “to access high-quality, affordable living and a socially connected life” in a stress-free rental market. In this direction, “Bouygues Immobilier plans to open up to 15 sites by 2025 providing 2,500 bedrooms”.
Inside a PolyRoom: combining a minimalist modern interior with everyday use
After discussing PolyRoom’s production process, Kelsea and Antonin led us inside. Based on the observation that “over the past 50 years in France, the size of the accommodation has shrunk by more than 20%”, Cutwork concluded that people need to do more in less space. Curiosity is Key(s) discovered how interior design is taking up this constraint of combining restricted space with new inhabitants’ requirements. In fact, when Kelsea asked us how big we thought the studio was, we would come up with numbers far too high. It showcased that perceived and real density can differ significantly, and the interior layout plays a critical role.
Without further ado, it is our turn to take you on a tour of the 21 square meters PolyRoom studio!
When stepping into the PolyRoom, to our right a door led to the bathroom. The interior contrasted light wood with the white tiles, grey floor, and the black metal of the sink, creating a modern interior. The glass door to the shower and the large mirror above the sink gave the room a bright and spacious feel.
Leaving the bathroom and invited to walk into the main room of the studio, we stepped into a cozy living room with couches and cushions.
We were impressed by the ingenious cupboard and wardrobe that can turn into a kitchen thanks to a folding cabinet and sliding panels.
However, it wasn’t long before we started turning around looking for a bed. Kelsea looked at us amused and drew down a bed from the ceiling. The living room had just become a bedroom, thanks to a simple but efficient counterweight technique. It wasn’t all: soon after a projector screen also rolled out from the ceiling, creating the perfect setting for the screening of an evening movie in bed.
Living in a studio does not sound very appealing to our renters. But this prototype is inspiring in that it changes such a perception by offering a real multi-usage room. Each bit of this studio is infused by the concept of the “washitsu”. The “washitsu” is the central room that has no single dedicated purpose in traditional Japanese homes. In the same way, this habitation is centered around the idea that a single space should constantly adapt to the renter’s needs.
If Covid-19 has made anything clear, it is that people aspire to experience the best possible quality of life. In fact, Curiosity is Key(s) was discussing two months ago whether such desire was viable with the challenge of urban densification. The PolyRoom seems to propose an innovative solution: a viable unit for the construction of a dense city that doesn’t fail people’s expectations. The PolyRoom is even adapted to new requirements:
01. The possibility to work remotely. A lot of companies now propose some level of home working. But not every apartment, and even fewer studios offer the space to do so comfortably. Cutwork thought about this when designing the last interior part of the studio by proposing a workstation that can turn into a dining room. Thanks to the smart design of a table, the inhabitant can completely disconnect and forget he had even worked on the same table a couple of hours earlier.
02. An urban life closer to greenery. Without even talking about the rooftop of a modular unit, why not juxtapose both with the 5 square meters balcony “designed to bring nature closer to residents”? To do so, an irrigation system is built in the prefabricated module to allow plants to grow, and a birdhouse is integrated into the balcony.
Our visit comes to an end! We want to thank again Kelsey and Antonin for their enthusiastic explanations and the vision they carry. We hope it will inspire our readers as much as it did us!
Visit the PolyRoom yourself, by checking out the video here!
