form found design's prefabricated steel homes provide relief for displaced families in armenia

home of hope: prefabricated humanitarian relief in armenia

Los Angeles-based architectural firm Form Found Design has completed a humanitarian housing project in Yerevan, Armenia, aiding impoverished families displaced by flooding. Equipped with solar panels and solar water heating systems, the Home of Hope showcases the realization of mass-customization using Light Gauge Steel, achieved by employing the FrameCAD software-to-machine-workflow (CAD-CAM).

Form Found Design’s President, Joseph Sarafian, also a Professor of Architecture at Orange Coast College, led an exploration of alternative materials and technologies. Though originally sought for its expertise in robotic concrete casting to aid in 3D-printing concrete housing, the studio instead identified how light gauge steel could serve the immediate need for housing. This material, augmented by the capabilities of a FrameCAD Machine, presented an avenue for rapid design and production of houses or other building types through a proprietary software-to-fabrication pipeline. This technology streamlines the process by unrolling steel coils and transforming them into custom-sized studs.

all images courtesy of Form Found Design

form found design employs light gauge steel construction

Initiated in collaboration with non-profit Armenian Relief and Development Association (ARDA), the project found its roots in identifying families in need following displacement after the Spitak Earthquake. Ariel Babikian, Director of ARDA, recognized Form Found Design’s potential to utilize a new wave of technology that could serve an immediate humanitarian need and assist affected families that are still living in temporary shanty housing 35 years after the disaster.

For the Home of Hope, the original plan to manufacture all studs at Orange Coast College (more here) and ship them to Armenia was modified to minimize costs and ensure an efficient workflow. Antioch Investment SRL (more here) in Romania utilized the machine file produced by CSteel to print all the necessary studs, and these prefabricated components were then transported to the project site in Armenia. Form Found Design co-founders Joseph Sarafian and Ron Culver aided in the steel erection process, alongside a team of construction volunteers from the ARDA trade school in Yerevan. Overcoming both language and cultural barriers, the team together framed the house in just three days. 

Orange Coast College architecture students were virtually joined by students in Armenia to aid in the early design of the project. The architecture studio also worked with an international team of experts, including Melbourne-based CSteel who adapted the 3D design into machine files, facilitating the manufacturing process of every stud and generating engineering cut sheets for structural integrity. Expanding the initiative, the team is set to design the next four Homes of Hope to be built in Armenia later this year.

Form Found Design aids impoverished families displaced by flooding in Armenia

Home of Hope showcases the realization of mass-customization using Light Gauge Steel

Light Gauge Steel framing

assembly process

posing rapid design and production through a proprietary software-to-fabrication pipeline

the team is set to design the next four Homes of Hope to be built in Armenia later this year

housing a family of five

the house was framed in just three days

section drawing

floor plan

project info:

name: Home of Hope
architecture: Form Found Design

location: Yerevan, Armenia

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom