U-Build is a modular building system developed by architecture practice Studio Bark, with consultation with Structure Workshop and Cut and Construct. It is designed to be easy to construct and quick to deconstruct at the end of its useful life.

U-Build was conceived as a low-impact building system consistent with circular economy principles, in which all its parts are fully demountable and recyclable. Many U-Build projects do not require concrete foundations, thus avoiding what is frequently the largest contributor to a project’s embodied carbon.

A simple DIY system, U-Build has a number of uses, from domestic garden studios to large-scale office fit-outs. U-Build uses flat-pack wooden panels which are produced using a computer controlled cutting machine (CNC) and are accurate to 0.1 of a millimetre.

It is designed to require a handful of standard tools: a minimum of a rubber mallet and an electric drill with attachments. All fixings are standard size bolts and screws, which can typically supplied with the system or easily sourced.

The process turns a designer’s design (or one of U-Build’s own templates) into cutting drawings, costs, and visualisations at the click of a button. Finalised cutting drawings are then sent to one of a network of CNC fabricators, and a kit of parts is delivered to site for assembly.

I'm interested in:

• Carbon
• modular
• panel systems
• Reuse
• Timber Frame