Reusable Building Components | Fast, Flexible & Green Construction - woho

Buildings form the foundation of society – serving as residences, workplaces (typically, outside of situations like the COVID-19 pandemic) and recreational areas. However, the fundamental methods of designing buildings, planning their functionality, and ultimately erecting them on a given location have seen surprisingly limited evolution in recent decades. The expenses associated with housing and construction continue to increase, and most projects still follow a lengthy, sequential process from initial concept to completion. The question arises: why can’t this entire process be more adaptable and efficient?

This is precisely the question being investigated by a team of engineers and architects from MIT and Georgia Tech.

Israel Ruiz, formerly the treasurer at MIT, along with architects Anton Garcia-Abril of MIT and Debora Mesa of Georgia Tech, have collaborated to launch a startup named WoHo (an abbreviation for “World Home”). Their aim is to reimagine modern building construction through the development of versatile “components” that can be interconnected to form a complete structure.

WoHo intends to reduce construction costs, provide architects with greater design freedom, and deliver appealing spaces for occupants by creating components suitable for a diverse range of building types and enabling efficient factory production. All of this is pursued with the goal of creating more environmentally sustainable projects in a challenging climate.

The team’s concepts attracted the attention of Katie Rae, CEO and managing partner of The Engine, a unique venture fund originating from MIT known for its long-term investment outlook. The fund is providing WoHo with $4.5 million in initial funding.

Ruiz dedicated the previous ten years to overseeing MIT’s capital construction initiatives, including the ongoing expansion of Kendall Square, a district adjacent to MIT that has become a significant center for biotechnology innovation. Through this experience, he recognized the difficulties inherent in construction, particularly when creating the specialized spaces needed by pioneering companies. He also cultivated professional relationships with Garcia-Abril and Mesa, the founders of Ensamble Studio, an architectural practice.

Ruiz explained that with WoHo, “the focus is on integrating the entire process, from architectural design and conceptualization through to the assembly and construction phases of a project.” He further stated, “Our technology is applicable to buildings of varying heights, but it yields the most advantageous results for mid-to-high rise structures.”

What, then, constitutes these WoHo components? They can be visualized as thoughtfully engineered and reusable building blocks that can be connected to create a structure. These blocks are standardized and designed for straightforward manufacturing and transportation. A key advancement lies in an enhanced reinforced cement formulation that promotes superior building quality while minimizing environmental impact.

We have previously seen modular construction, often in the form of apartment buildings where each unit is a self-contained block integrated into a larger framework (such as a project in Sacramento). However, WoHo aims to go beyond this by developing components that offer increased flexibility in arrangement and also function as the structural elements themselves, granting architects considerably more creative control.

Although still in its early stages, the company has already achieved some success, establishing a partnership with LafargeHolcim, a Swiss concrete and building materials firm, to bring their ideas to fruition. WoHo is currently constructing a demonstration project in Madrid and plans to begin a second project in Boston next year.