The ways we live and work have changed dramatically in the last few years, to say the least. With unprecedented numbers either working from home or remotely, and real estate prices soaring, the team at French design firm Cutwork wanted to know: "How can we design a habitat that addresses the need to do more in less space?"

"One of the most critical changes we are seeing in residential living is the fact that costs are going up while our spaces are shrinking," says architect and Cutwork cofounder Antonin Yuji Maeno. To provide a solution, Maeno and firm partner Kelsea Crawford designed PolyRoom, a stackable modular unit with flexible interior space.

Their answer is PolyRoom, a roughly 280-square-foot prefab module featuring interiors that can be reconfigured throughout the day to accommodate various activities—eating, sleeping, working, or socializing, for example.

"This design takes direct inspiration from a Japanese washitsu," says Cutwork cofounder and architect Antonin Yuji Maeno, who’s half-French, half-Japanese. A washitsu, or tatami room, is a central room in traditional Japanese homes that serves as an adaptive space.

Starting with a single basic unit, many different types of residential blocks can be built—from 10-story slabs in city centers, to low-rise townhomes in more rural areas.

"This kind of adaptable architecture could open up liquid territories and ‘grasshopper lifestyles,’" says Maeno. "People could live part of the year in the city and then seamlessly move to another more remote location for a change of pace and to recharge."

A single unit can stand alone as a cabin-like retreat.

Similar to LEGO bricks, the modules are designed to be stacked (a block of units wouldn’t require additional support, says Cutwork), making them suitable for a variety of implementations.

Cutwork has partnered with real estate developer Bouygues Immobilier to realise the project, and Bouygues Immobilier plans to open up to 15 sites by 2025, providing 2,500 bedrooms. A first site for the full modular construction is in early discussions and planning.

Cutwork’s units will serve as building blocks for a new co-living concept in Bordeaux. The modules can be joined with other kinds of shared living and working spaces to provide residents with a vibrant and versatile experience.

Cutwork was initially drawn to prefab construction because they saw its potential to cut down on costs and build times while improving the overall quality of a design. But at the same time that prefab has made it easier to complete projects like the one in Bordeaux, for firm cofounder Maeno, the technology comes with a greater responsibility.

"We need to meet this incredible demand for housing," he says. "But what does that mean for our natural resources and local ecosystems? How can we rethink urbanization to not only help preserve local ecology, but enable us to activate biodiversity and help establish thriving, multispecies habitats, even in dense urban areas?"

Cutwork has partnered with Poland-based DMD Modular to produce the units. The company specializes in prefab systems and off-site construction with a focus on hospitality and resorts.

The siding features a shou sugi ban finish, a Japanese technique of charring wood to make it weather and pest resistant.

To address those concerns at least in one small part, Cutwork designed PolyRoom to accommodate plantings on its balcony, facade, and rooftop, and the balcony will even feature a built-in birdhouse.

PolyRoom is designed to give residents spatial flexibility. "Take a balcony," says Maeno. "You might only use it about 1 percent of the year, but the fact that you can use it as you wish makes the space rich. It helps it not feel tiny or prepackaged."

"Buildings could be planted like trees to give back more to local ecologies than they take out in spaces and resources," says Maeno. "The key is marrying this idea with our need to urbanize and build more homes."

Despite its small size, PolyRoom feels generous thanks to the large glazed window at the front of the unit and modular furniture. The bed, which typically takes up the most room in a studio apartment, has been designed to lift up and nest in the ceiling, opening up space below.

When the bed is raised, the area below can be used as a lounge area.

The bed is mounted on a counterweight system that allows it to be raised, opening up the space below as a place to socialize or relax.

Putting the bed in a lowered position creates storage space underneath.

The kitchen area features plenty of concealed storage, and a generous kitchen sink is hidden beneath a fold-down section of the bench. There is also built-in storage, bookshelves, and cubby holes throughout the studio.

Cutwork anticipates providing a variety of finishes and fixtures to appeal to residents’ varying tastes.

Shelving surrounds the transition between the kitchen and living area. "The big challenge was rethinking compact storage so as not to consume living space," says Maeno.

The linear entrance block features integrated folding cabinets that can be lifted up to reveal a sink and transform the block into a kitchen.

"We constantly wondered: How can we fit a comfortable kitchen and a generous sink into such a compact space?" says Maeno. "And how can we hide the tap and sink away from having it always in sight? This hideaway sink was the key to our solution. When you’re done making food, you can fold down the tap and close the sink to open up more counter space."

Ahead of the 2023 co-living launch in Bordeaux, a prototype of PolyRoom has been installed at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, and visitors can view the concept until February 2022.

"Three types of people have been visiting," says Maeno, "real estate professionals, architects and designers, and the general public—and everyone has been very excited. It’s becoming clear that there's more potential here than we had ever anticipated."

Modules are currently being installed in Bordeaux to create a co-living arrangement the size of a city block.

Modular sofa cushions can be broken up or pushed up to a wall. "It’s totally surprising how comfortable and relaxed the space feels even when you’re sharing it with six other people," Maeno says.

Antonin Yuji Maeno and Kelsea Crawford, cofounders of French design studio Cutwork, believe in the power of prefab.

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Architect of Record: Cutwork / @cutwork

Developer:  Bouygues Immobilier / @bouygues_immo

Builder: DMD Modular / @dmdmodular

Photographer: Pierre Châtel-Innocenti / @chatelp

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