Master’s Thesis · 2024–2025

1:2 Structural Model

The prefabricated system was tested through a 1:2 physical model, pairing a WikiHouse floor block (SKYLARK250-XS) with a 2700mm XFrame wall panel and carrying it from digital model to cut file to CNC router to assembled structure. Developing the cut files deepened my understanding of digital manufacturing.

Working directly with XFrame, I refined the digital model and organised the components into sheets for efficient CNC cutting, before sending the files to Te Whare Hangahanga to fabricate and assemble the structure independently. That handover required assembly instructions for the XFrame panels that communicate each step clearly to a first-time builder, and it confirmed the central lesson of the thesis: simplifying complex construction processes is what makes prefabrication an efficient and equitable route to self-build housing.