From September 20 to 23, the 2024 World Manufacturing Convention, themed “Intelligent Manufacturing for a Better Future,” was grandly held at the Hefei Binhu International Exhibition Center. As a premier global summit for the manufacturing industry, the convention gathered industry elites and showcased innovative products from around the world.
At the event, the Royalstar Group, in collaboration with our College of Architecture and Arts, the College of Civil Engineering, and the Design Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., unveiled two remarkable products: the “Cultural and Tourism Space Capsule” and the two-story prefabricated “Smart House.” These products are the result of in-depth cooperation between HFUT's research team and the renowned Royalstar Group. After nearly a year and a half of close collaboration and relentless efforts, the team overcame numerous challenges to turn their concepts into reality, showcasing the powerful synergy of interdisciplinary collaboration and deep integration of industry and academia.
The exhibited “Cultural and Tourism Space Capsule” is a compact single-unit product with an area of 38 square meters. Its mobility and non-occupancy of construction land indicators make it widely applicable in various scenarios such as guesthouses in scenic spots, camping sites, resorts, and for rural tourism. Designed around the concept of “nesting,” the capsule features a hexagonal “honeycomb” shape, embodying contemporary characteristics while being rich in local elements. Its unique appearance, excellent environmental adaptability, and warm, comfortable interior space meet people's aspirations for high-quality living, making it “a scenic addition to the scenery.”
The other product, the “Smart House,” is a two-story smart residential building with a footprint of 140 square meters and a total area of 220 square meters. Constructed with a full steel frame, it possesses strong seismic resistance. The design and development team achieved multiple breakthroughs in aesthetic design, structural light-weighting, application of environmentally friendly materials, reliability of assembly joints, and waterproof performance. The overall design and manufacturing process adheres to the philosophy of “building houses like making cars,” deeply implementing the concept of “modular prefabrication” by dividing the entire house into eight functional modules for factory production, allowing for an installation within a 12-hour time frame. Its interior space can be freely combined according to different living scenarios, enabling a customized design. Additionally, this house utilizes an intelligent control system that enables visual monitoring of indoor temperature, humidity, PM2.5 levels, and negative oxygen ions, thus fulfilling the pursuit of a quality lifestyle in a safe environment.
During the convention, the launch of the “Cultural and Tourism Space Capsule” and the “Smart House” attracted extensive media coverage, quickly becoming the focus of attention for both the media and the public. The successful display of these two products not only reflects HFUT’s technical advantages in interdisciplinary fields but also marks a significant new achievement in university-enterprise collaboration and the integration of industry and academia.
(Text/Photos by Chen Xin, Reviewed by Guan Qian)
