|
Suppose
we build a home that is only a big empty room, 2240 square feet, as
shown in the diagram on the upper left. Plumbing fixtures for a
kitchen and two baths are clustered near the center; the outer walls
have regularly-spaced windows and doors; but the rest of the space is
empty except for a grid of soffits hanging down from the ceiling to
break it into four-foot squares, with little sockets set into the
carpet every four feet.
We
give the homeowner 50 or 60 columns that will fit into these
sockets, plus a couple hundred insulated metal wall panels (some with
doors in them) that can be bolted onto the columns. With some
planning and about a day's work, he can use these columns and panels
to erect interior walls wherever he wants. If need be, he can
even change his home's floor plan from week to week.
The
diagrams at center left and lower left show only two of the possible layouts.

|