The Delve — Meet Murphy O'Neal

Profile in The Delve. The Adaptable Structures founder's path from construction site helper to modular system inventor.

The Delve

“We are on the cusp of having a globally significant sustainable evolution in architecture being led by New Zealand manufacturing and talent,” says Murphy O’Neal, Founder and Development Director of modular building company Adaptable Structures. “This is something the industry needs in order for us to be better stewards of the land and its uses.”

Adaptable Structures develops cost-effective, zero-waste products and housing solutions that are multi-use and futureproof. Their fully modular system can be reconfigured and repurposed like kitset furniture as its owners’ needs change. “You can add or subtract rooms, change fit-outs, reconfigure layouts, recycle and resell. Almost anyone can build an Adaptable Structure with materials that can be containerised and are light enough to be helicoptered to site; buildings can also be remotely manufactured. The design works in commercial and industrial fit-outs including cleanrooms, paint and blast booths, sound and safety machine enclosures, disaster response and recovery, and studio and film sets that primarily tear down and landfill everything. We’ve even had people tell us it could be used for giant 3D printers.”

The objective, Murphy says, is to industrialize a method of construction. “It’s a proactive versus reactive approach that allows us to engineer out waste and carbon. Currently, architects are designing things that will 100% end up in landfill, eventually. The question is why. Why not fix it from the outset? Right now, that is because of a material and process entrenchment logic. We’re disrupting that mindset by combining existing materials and methods with something new.”

Read more at Teulo Delve https://teulo.co/delve/meet-murphy-oneal/