Hexagonal System

HEX-SYS is a flexible, demountable building system developed by OPEN Architecture in response to the vast number of temporary structures produced by China's recent construction boom: a rapidly buildable, reusable system that extends building life and achieves genuine sustainability. Prefabricated production and assembly make batch production possible, while different combinations of modules can evolve into many versions suited to varied sites and functions. The system is part of OPEN's long exploration of mass customization and architectural sustainability. Inspired by demountable historical Chinese timber frames and by the Zurich Pavilion through which Le Corbusier pursued modular construction systems, HEX-SYS integrates structure, MEP, envelope and interior finishes into a flexible hexagonal unit controlled by strict geometric rules. The basic building unit is a roughly 40-square-meter hexagonal module whose inverted-umbrella steel roof is supported by a central hollow column that doubles as a rainwater downpipe, harvesting water for landscape irrigation or courtyard pools. Three module types—transparent, enclosed and outdoor—address different functions, and omitting one hexagon from a cluster creates an interior courtyard, adding a Zen-like blank space to an industrialized system. All connections are bolted rather than welded or glued, so the whole system can be disassembled and reconfigured. OPEN holds the patent, and the first built prototype, near Guangzhou South Railway Station, is a showroom combining exhibition, negotiation rooms, a multimedia hall and a café, demonstrating one application of a system intended for many programmatic uses. Local collaborating design was by CAB Technology.