Introduction to industrialization with Fran Silvestre

DATE

26.10.2026

The MArch postgraduate program in industrialized architecture has kicked off under the guidance of Fran Silvestre, director of the program, who shared the principles of this innovative path with the students based on his experience as the creator of the systematized architecture brand NIU Houses.

This first session provided students with an immersion into the methodologies and processes that define contemporary architectural production. During this initial touchpoint, the focus was placed on the need to transform the traditional construction paradigm through precision, component systematization, and the optimization of workshop manufacturing processes.

The day began with a detailed analysis of a full-scale 1:1 construction detail. Through this breakdown exercise and tactile approach, students were able to study the conception of architecture piece by piece, addressing each assembleable element with the meticulousness, metrics, and tolerance standards characteristic of product design, where technique and joint resolution determine the overall quality of the assembly.

Next, the class moved toward the system scale through the production and prototyping process of the N160 model, analyzing the technical challenges of prefabrication and floor-plan modulation. Subsequently, the success story of the NIU Houses brand was presented, outlining the strategic, business, and design keys that have enabled the consolidation of a highly efficient, high-end systematized architecture proposal in the market.

To bring the theoretical-technical session to a practical close, the students traveled to a development composed of eight homes built entirely according to these principles of industrialization. This visit to the completed site allowed the students to contrast the concepts explained in the classroom with spatial reality, appreciating firsthand the solidity of the finishes, the quality of the joints, and the efficiency of the construction system applied at an ensemble scale.