Tatami

Tatami takes inspiration from the gridded system of tatami mats at the heart of traditional Japanese architecture. Tatami’s rational, modular grid system allows a wide array of two- and three-dimensional arrangements, as units can be connected both vertically and horizontally. The Tatami system is designed with smaller grids and micro-modules within each building unit, which allows for precision and flexibility in designing interior layouts and exterior elements like the windows, doors, and skylights. Tatami is designed to save time and minimize costs at every stage of the building process, from design and permitting to shipping and on-site installation.

Simultaneously, the three of the most pressing social, environmental and economic problems facing the world today: the affordable housing crisis; antiquated building methods; and the environmental toll caused by traditional methods of building construction.

We are currently engaged in the sale of design services and the Tatami system to for-profit and non-profit real estate developers and housing authorities around the world; the in-house development of affordable Tatami houses; and expect to engage in consumer-facing direct sales of design and Tatami sales beginning next year. The California market for affordable housing alone is 7 million units. The worldwide market for affordable housing cannot be determined, but is estimated in the billions. Additionally, Tatami is also being engaged as a building system for other structures including temporary disaster relief and refugee housing; for luxury applications; and for commercial uses including office buildings.

The affordable housing crises we now face throughout the world require a similarly universal solution. Our proposition is that this solution lies in sustainability and adaptability. With a modular system that is completely customizable, programmable and recyclable, a building can be adapted for use in various climates, cultures, lifestyles, temperatures, and its lifecycle extended indefinitely through maintenance and upgrades rather than demolition. An adaptable mass timber modular system, sourced from sustainable forests, can adapt to climate change through reconfigurations of the building typology and a reorganization and reuse of individual modular components.

This same ease of reconfiguration would be a boon to shifting population demographics, in which studio apartments of single modular units could easily be expanded to 1 or 2 bedroom apartments of multiple modules, connected either horizontally, vertically, or through a combination of the two. Residents would be able to adapt for growing families and societal changes.

Each user can choose from a catalog of attachments to suit their individual needs. These attachments function as doors, windows, balconies, skylights, or “nooks” that house programmatic functions. These nooks feature custom designed furniture for the Tatami modules that function as bookshelves, beds, desks, etc. Users could upgrade these nooks as their lives change along with their space requirements.

The customization of the Tatami system is standardized, allowing users to select from a catalog which components they want to add on to the unit. Each component is related to program that can be added: for example, a bookshelf, desk, or bed. Unlike other modular or prefabricated housing solutions, this gives users a large amount of choice in their options, but their choice is limited so that they are able to not be confronted with too many options or require a designer’s input. The integration of the furniture into the housing module is also novel, as we are proposing furniture that fits into each plug-in so that users know exactly how and where to place their programs. The placement of program on the exterior of the envelope means that the interior square footage can stay as open as possible.

The logistics we are proposing minimizes the amount of time spent in design and on-site construction. While modular/prefab design already addresses this hurdle, we are proposing that in utilizing a catalog, users can select and customize their homes and simultaneously purchase their homes but also receive all of the proper drawing documentation to submit for permitting to the city. This strategy dramatically reduces the amount of time spent in design and would expedite the process of permitting with the city.

The three founding partners are all architects with extensive international experience across a variety of projects and typologies, each with one or two decades of cross-disciplinary experience. Additionally, each brings a unique area of expertise, whether it be real estate development or public sector experience or cutting edge research and design through Ivy League faculty associations. This allows for a disruptive take on how the architecture, construction and real estate industries can be aligned and reconciled to function together as one efficient and economical force greater than its individual parts.

An in-house team of ten including three founding partners.

The three founding partners are all architects with extensive international experience across a variety of projects and typologies, each with one or two decades of cross-disciplinary experience. Additionally, each brings a unique area of expertise, whether it be real estate development or public sector experience or cutting edge research and design through Ivy League faculty associations. This allows for a disruptive take on how the architecture, construction and real estate industries can be aligned and reconciled to function together as one efficient and economical force greater than its individual parts.