Looking for a way to develop cost-effective housing to meet social needs, architects in the late 1960s frequently turned to modular and prefabricated construction. It was a time of optimism associated with the government’s Great Society programs, several of which attempted to foster social change through low-cost housing. In the spirit, ARDEC (Architectural Research and Development Corporation) was created to develop new techniques in a design-build development of attached housing.

Composed of prefabricated panels, the units reduced both maintenance and construction costs by simple assembly and shared utilities and services. Cluster siting also made it possible to avoid sprawl and preserve the natural environment by creating a quasi-urban density in a rural setting and maintaining the common land in perpetuity.

To simplify the fabrication of an architecturally complex geometry, the construction documents consisted of shop drawings describing each wall panel in detail on a separate sheet of paper. Each one was keyed to the axonometric whole like a puzzle pre-solved for the builders who had only to follow the indicated sequence of installation of each panel. Even on the steep site, the panels were easily lifted into place by a crane, and the building was quickly finished with ready-made windows, dry-wall, and cabinetry.