Walter "Way"

In a broader aspect, humans evolved from monkeys by training periodically to get three basic needs consistently in their lives, they are Food, Shelter, and Clothing.  In the 21st century all of us have (I believe) the freedom to cook our own food, stitch our own clothes. We know our tastes and comforts, and manage to suffice as per our moods. Why can't we just build our own houses? 

I got inspired by Walter Segal's solution for affordable housing. He designed everything considering material available in local Lumber stores, which decreases a significant amount of labor. Customization can be done with basic constraints. This could be the purest form of prefab. 

   Alejandro Aravena had taken this idea to solve affordable housing again. He built half of the house with a full structural frame and left the other half for residents to develop on their own when they have money and time. He made sure they stick to the budget and designed to build what families cant build on their own. In this way, the budget is not compromised and residents are happy. They could lead a reasonably decent life. 

The main objective of these designs is not just the budget but the user. Giving freedom to the user to design, build and modify their own dwellings. The very core principle of democracy.  

I agree, it's way complicated than cooking and weaving. But what if we(Architects) make things simple for society by reducing the complex process of building a home into combining prefab components in a step by step procedure by a family in few weeks. This could just give them a chance to lead a quality life, which I believe should be a basic human right. I don't suggest all the houses to be built in this particular way, but affordable housing can involve the public in its construction by strategically constraining what they can and cannot do with the given options. 

Self-builders may make mistakes in designing their house, they might not get it on the first attempt. But, it's not the end of the world, they can modify it with very little effort. Who else can know/understand their needs than themselves?