Puzzle Prefab

We created a nature-inspired way of making small dwellings- where one could live in a way that is closely connected to the outdoors.

The built environment continues to expand, systemically and architecturally divorced from its context. Attempts to remedy the rift include passive systems, glass architecture, and biomimicry - all with varying degrees of success in contextual sensitivity. While these concepts excel at minimizing ecological impact, they suffer from their innate insular nature. Designed to be exceedingly mobile, these small spaces focus on maximizing the interior spaces and neglect a formal and sensual connection to their surroundings.

Considering this problem, Wittman Estes imagined Puzzle Prefab - a flexible modular system that brings the two disparate remedies together by developing a prefabricated hyper-efficient system of modules, which can sinuously expand and weave into their environment. Ample glazing, large doors, and expansive interlocking decks and canopies invite the inhabitants to connect with their surroundings. Meanwhile, the architecture maintains a low profile, sources local materials, minimizes its footprint, and incorporates impermanent foundations - all of which leave a little physical or visible impact on the site.

Integrating architecture and landscape, the modular system sits lightly on the land. The modules are configurable system designed for long-term sustainability.