Guerdon Taps CAZA for Modufy

Modular construction firm Guerdon has teamed with award-winning architecture firm CAZA to launch Modufy—a company dedicated to solving the American housing crisis by using artificial intelligence and modular design to quickly and efficiently deliver housing projects. Modufy interprets thousands of data points for a particular site, develops building designs that optimize for usable square footage and user experience, and then rationalizes the scheme into a set of components that can be manufactured off-site, shipped, and easily assembled.

The partnership brings together one of the United State’s oldest and most successful modular construction companies with an architecture firm that has long been at the cutting-edge of computational and parametric design. Guerdon has completed over 200 modular projects to date, and CAZA has developed AI-driven designs for modular buildings for sites across the Americas and Asia.

“The American housing crisis demands a new way of designing and building. Parametric design and modular construction are the key to building the homes Americans desperately need,” says Carlos Arnaiz, Founding Principal of CAZA. “Guerdon brings world-class experience delivering great modular homes around the country.”

“We are thrilled to partner with CAZA, an architecture firm at the forefront of using computational approaches to deliver extraordinary buildings,” says Tommy Rakes, CEO of Guerdon. “By combining their visionary design talent with our proven-track record of modular construction, Modufy is poised to revolutionize the American design and construction industry.”

Leveraging the Full Potential of Modular Construction through AI

Modular construction has long promised a revolution for the building industry. The approach breaks complex designs into a set of basic, mass-producible components assembled on-site. This means faster construction timelines, less waste, and lower labor demands. 

Modufy leverages newly developed artificial intelligence-powered design to make modular construction viable for large projects like housing developments. Using a custom-developed, and patent pending algorithm, the company designs buildings that reconcile three critical parameters: the developer's needs, site conditions, and manufacturing capabilities. The algorithm produces a design that fulfills the developer's brief on a given site and lends itself to construction from custom mass-produced modules.

Integrated Solutions from Site Analysis to Design, Cost Analysis, Fabrication, and Construction

Modufy is a full-solution package for the entire development process, handling everything from site analysis to design, early-stage cost analysis, fabrication, and construction. n iterative algorithm interprets user-generated data to produce and refine designs that can be analyzed in real-time. 

During site analysis, the user enters design variables that power the algorithm including site setbacks, unit requirements, floor heights, and many others. The algorithm iteratively produces design options optimized and allows simultaneous change between these variables in lockstep so that all the data is linked and self-correcting. 

It then generates information about the buildable area, parking spaces, massing options, cost estimation, unit mix, and module parameters. This information is used to develop an optimized design for the site.

Modufy is powered by proprietary modular designs developed by CAZA in tandem with the Guerdon team. Modufy’s design standards for multi-family living include studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom typologies that range from compact, standard to full-size units. Modufy units are the first of their kind to be fully outfitted as net-zero ready. 

A patented cost-estimating software offers an unprecedented early-stage view of costs. The software analyzes the design in real-time, tracking up-to-the-minute prices for materials, products, and subassemblies like bath and kitchen components.

Once the design is final, Modufy translates it into direct-to-fabrication drawings that the Guerdon assembly line use to produce the modules in collaboration with local contractors. The modules are made, finished, and prepared for transport before being installed and clad on-site.

World-Class Leadership Team

Led by Carlos Arnaiz (Founding Principal, CAZA), Tommy Rakes (CEO, Guerdon), and Vijay Patel, a modular construction specialist, Modufy’s team brings over 50 combined years of proven success in the construction industry and expertise in architecture, manufacturing, and real estate development. Modufy combines the team's massive database of built work to develop modules standardized for multiple asset classes, ranging from hospitality and assisted living to market rate and supportive housing. The services offered to clients cover everything from feasibility study, complete architectural design, costing analysis, on-site quality control, and contractor supervision. 

With several projects in the pipeline, Modufy is on track to deliver over 1,200 new units in the next 24 months with the capacity to double that output.