Abitazioni per gli anziani e industrializzazione delle tecnologie costruttive: Il caso giapponese = Homes for the elderly and industrialization of construction technologies: The Japanese case

In Japan, since the early 1990s, prefabricated homes made of cold formed steel or wood cover one-fifth of the national residential housing market and offers both independent homes and apartments in residential complexes. The market is dominated by ten large companies: among them the Sekisui House, the Misawa Home and the Daiwa House are the greatest. The annual Sekisui House business and planning reporting documents carefully monitor the demographic changes in Japan. This nation has the highest average age in the world while Italy is the third in the world ranking (Germany is second). The Sekisui House offers housing solutions that comply with the principles of “Slow & Smart” which is a research and experimentation plan about inclusive living shared with Toshiba Corporation and Honda Motor. Misawa Home and Daiwa House are not far behind. The safety and inclusiveness of homes dedicated to the elderly, together with environmental compatibility, represent the terrain on which a few large companies that build prefabricated houses challenge each other while expanding their market beyond national borders (Sekisui House operates in Australia, Russia and China. Misawa Home has been headquartered in Finland since 1994. Daiwa House from early 2018 also operates in the United States ...). A look at the magazines and publications with which big companies such as Asahi Kasei and Misawa Home challenge, reveal idealistic tendencies for housing solutions that, to date, can be considered futuristic or almost unrealizable. The paper analyzes these documents and projects with the aim of offer an analysis that highlights the range of skills and the network of knowledge and collaboration necessary for their development. A particular reference will be made to the network equipment: information technology and robotic supports are related to design solutions, and characterize the accessibility project and the experimental nature of the Japanese proposals.