Prototyping

Shelterhood is a spin-off of a research on digital fabrication and DfMAD started in 2013.
We have been slowly testing our products by making numerous physical prototypes. This has allowed us to perfect the design and fabrication process, in order to ensure the highest precision, durability and robustness of each model and every part.

There is always room for improvement. We are constantly iterating on modifications to each part, model and process. Some models get new parts quite often, most parts get updated on a monthly basis. A dynamic and iterative revision, refinement and reframing.

A methodology:

Our long experience conducting research in academy and with industry, has allowed us to develop a prototyping methodology. Shelterhood is a consequence and a test ground of this methodological development to streamline the design and production of prototypes for the building industry.

Building is very expensive. It is also extremely risk averse. All components and building systems need to be reliable. Nothing can go wrong. This often reduces the development and application of innovative solutions to new or unresolved challenges. Our methodology eases the innovation process making it swift, steady, robust and affordable.

A chronology:

It all started in 2012 when we recycled some plywood boards from a house we had lived in the mountains into the furniture for a house by the sea. It was the first time we ever used a CNC router. From the offcuts we made toys for our future kids.

Sitting in these first chairs, in the summer of 2013, instead of going on holidays, we spent a month designing a family of small shelters. In order to do so we had to learn the basics of digital fabrication. A few months later we made our first 1:20 and 1:10 models, and 1:1 prototypes. We’ve been improving the designs ever since, but most importantly we have developed a methodology that allows us to constantly optimise the digital fabrication process. Although our shelter family is aimed to live indoors, we place all our prototypes on the outdoors to monitor their aging process under the elements. Before sharing a new model with you, we test it in our homes for at least two years, to make sure they will stand the test of time and misbehaving rascals.

In 2017 we relocated to Australia and we realised that these little shelters actually could fulfill the needs of thousands of expats and wanderers, who move from place to place, having to get new or second hand furniture every time. So instead of having to buy and sell furniture for each apartment or house, these shelters can move on with you and your kin, over the towns, continents, decades and generations.

In 2019 we migrated to Denmark, where learning from their strong design tradition and impecable manufacturing quality, we have refined our shelter family.

We keep improving the design and fabrication process, researching and developing innovative ways to source, make and send our products, by constantly prototyping them before bringing them to you.