L a t i t u d e H o u s i n g S y s t e m
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Regional Considerations
When we discuss the potential for mass-customized net-energy producing housing, it is
essential that the breadth of considerations are conceived in terms of cascading scales,
by examining the full lifespan of production and delivery, and examining models of
emerging industrial and technological development that might be catalyzed through their
production, we can begin to understand the full range of impacts through the multiple
lenses of energy, economy and social equity.
The development of the Latitude system aims to address the specific climatic
characteristics within the temperate zone of the globe. This zone is characterized in
many places by extreme variations in annual temperature, sometimes ranging from
-30°C to +30°C, constituting both heating and cooling energy demand. While this zone is
also characterized by a reduced number of daylight hours throughout winter months,
annual solar irradiation is adequate to produce significant solar resources that can be
converted through a range of technologies into both electrical energy and heat, and
make it possible to deliver net-positive annual renewable energy production (Fig. 2, left).
The temperate climate zone also contains a concentration of highly populated, advanced
manufacturing cultures. Situated within this zone, the Great Lakes Megaregion (GLM) of
North America in particular is home to a confluence of conditions that have the
opportunity to expand the implications for mass-customized energy positive housing.
The region, rich in both raw material and secondary and tertiary processing supports one
of the largest manufacturing bases in the world. With portions of this area currently in
decline and seeking repurposing (most significantly, what is known as the "Rust Belt" in
the United States), this region already constitutes a site of significant governmental
investment in technology transfer to drive the production of new clean tech sectors
(White House Press 2010). Latitude is also, in part, a proposal to transform the housing
industry through specialized component-based manufacturing processes, making high
performance sustainable housing available to the average homeowner while at the same
time stimulating new industries and marketable products. Mass-customization practices
utilized in the automotive and aeronautical sectors already present in the region could be
translated to the production of housing (permanently or on an as-needed basis),
delivering the precision and quality demanded by high performance housing with
economic efficiency and integrating principles of design for disassembly and reuse.
This scale and model of industrial transformation is not without precedent. The Japanese
‘system built’ home industry was initially developed in the 1950’s to respond to a
massive national housing shortage, and by the early 1970’s was delivering high quality
product to the market. Support of the industry’s emergence in the form of economic
imperatives and policies, certification, building code modification and prizes have
reinforced its growth and reception in the market (Brown 2001). Major corporations have
entered the industry utilizing strategies of vertical integration and logistics specialization
to produce new markets for existing product streams. Examples include Panahome
whose supply chain was organized around the integration of technologies produced by
Panasonic, and Sekisui Chemical whose product lines of adhesives and coatings have
added value in the production process (Noguchi 2002, 2003). In a North American
context, government financial support aimed at specific clean tech sectors, and risk
distribution between established and emergent corporate partners suggests the potential
for a similar model for the delivery of high tech mass customized housing.
The recent partnerships of a company like Guardian Industries provide an example of
how existing industrial bases within the Great Lakes Megaregion are already attempting
