While the pandemic proved that building uses can rapidly evolve, housing developers do not have the tools to adapt real estate to changing needs and in particular to adapt the interiors of the buildings they own and acquire. Building interiors are complex because of the different trades which have to be integrated on the jobsite. Wall framing, electrical and plumbing systems, finishes, and all other interior work tasks require different labor crews and complex on-site coordination which lead to high labor cost, uncertainties, and delays. This innovation space is largely untapped and the only solution available to developers is to se resoudre to traditional stick-built construction.

Modular construction strategies have mostly involved prefabrication of building structures, envelopes, facades, as well as full apartment modules, but few companies can deliver MEP-integrated 30" wide interior modules that can be fit and added to existing structures. Therefore, developers and their contractors have had to continue using traditional stick-built construction methods for interior work despite all the challenges involved.

A good illustration of this problem is the one faced by our early-adopters, developers who have been converting motels into multifamily residential by adding kitchens to hotel rooms. They have had to revert to minimalistic kitchen designs (partial-height kitchens, sometimes with no cooktop or sink), or purchase industrial-style compact kitchen products, which are not suited for their use case. In both cases, challenges with on-site coordination and labor shortages remain, driving construction costs up. This is why we are first commercializing the Kit-Kitchen, a plug-n-play kitchen assembly of three reconfigurable modules, in order to solve this urgent pain point.

Developers need change-of-use solutions that are more flexible than demolishing viable buildings. Kit Switch offers that solution by modularizing building interiors, hence simplifying design for architects, easing on-site installation for contractors, and offering developers quick returns on their investment in a more sustainable and durable way.

Kit Switch sells kits of standardized building modules to housing developers for them to create adaptable apartment interiors inside existing structures. Our first product line is a plug-n-play kitchen. Kit Switch kitchens are made up of 3 functional building blocks: the Kit-Cook, Kit-Clean, and Kit-Store which can be configured into various layouts. These modules are standardized for cost and time savings from design through to installation and specifically sized to fit within existing structures. They are produced off-site through a network of contract assembly shops, shipped, and assembled on-site in a matter of hours, replacing fragmented, costly, and lengthy stick-built construction methods with a standardized streamlined product. They include plug-and-play connections for tie-in to plumbing and electrical networks, which enables removability, flexibility, and circular remanufacturing.

Our digital tools and models also simplify design for the architect, allowing for upfront pricing and quicker project turnaround. The process is as follows. First, our customers start by designing with our digital 3D BIM (Building Information Modeling) components and can obtain upfront cost and time estimates. Once their purchase order is placed, manufacturing is streamlined through existing supplier relationships and standardized designs. On-site, installation begins by clearing out the conversion area and preparing the existing Mechanical Electrical Plumbing (MEP) tie-in locations. Next, the Kit Switch modules are brought inside using a hand truck, set in place, and connected to the MEP network through their Access Tie-Ins. Plug-and-play connections between the modules allow for flexible reconfiguration to fit the available space.

Use cases for our products apply to housing developers building supportive, low-income, or missing-middle housing through 1. conversions of existing buildings (hotel-to-residential, programs for garage conversions into ADUs, small commercial building conversions), 2. retrofits of existing multifamily buildings (electrification, tenant turnaround, affordable housing preservation, refinancing) and 3. ground-up multifamily (plug-and-play product for stick-built construction onsite, integration into prefabricated building envelopes in modular builders’ facilities, and reconfigurable/removable interiors). 

To accommodate the largest wave of urban growth in human history, we expect to add 2.4 trillion ft2 of new floor area to the global building stock every month for 40 years [IEA]. A large portion of this will need to be housing (300M housing units needed globally) in already dense built environments and within existing structures (⅔+ of the population in cities by 2050) [UN DESA]. Kit Switch modules are a rapidly deployable affordable solution for modular interiors.

Housing production through adaptive reuse has an embodied carbon that is 200kgCO2e/m2 lower than demolition and new construction [Atelier Ten]. Furthermore, our products’ recycled steel, sustainable wood, and low-waste industrialized construction methods have been shown to reduce GHG emissions by 20% (additional 50kgCO2e/m2). Overall, Kit Switch can deliver housing with a reduction of 12.5 tonsCO2e/500sqft of new units. Applied to the 2.4T ft2 of floor needed, it would represent savings of 1.1 GtCO2e/yr.

In addition, our modules include fully-electric and energy-efficient appliances, and design for end-of-life disassembly and remanufacturing, for lifecycle carbon savings. We are currently generating a LifeCycle Analysis in partnership with NREL through the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator.

Finally, through circularity and reuse, Kit Switch would avoid tremendous construction waste. U.S. construction generated 600M tons of debris in 2018, of which more than 90% came from demolition [EPA]. Worldwide, the volume of construction waste generated every year will nearly double to 2.2B tons by 2025 [Transparency Market Research].