General panel system
The General Panel System is a prefabricated house system developed by Konrad Wachsmann in collaboration with Walter Gropius , which became known as the "Packaged House System ".
It first appeared in Lincoln, Massachusetts in 1941 . The individual structural elements prefabricated in a factory, including the mechanical installation, could be assembled on the construction site ready for occupancy in a short time.
It was revolutionary that not only a certain type of house could be built with it, but the developed prefabricated elements could be used for the construction of any one or two family houses.
With the so-called universal standard knot developed by Konrad Wachsmann - a four-part, steel connecting element - the individual components of the outer shell could be assembled both vertically and horizontally.
The building elements consisted of load-bearing wooden frames, which were clad on the outside with vertical wooden formwork. Windows, doors, glass, fittings and the mechanical installation were included in the variable components.
In the years 1942–1943, Wachsmann developed a partition wall system especially for the interior construction of the prefabricated house system, which could be put together in a durable manner without any mechanical connection.