Build yourself an Eames house. Kettal and Eames Office revive the idea of the universal home

The Eames Pavilion System, developed by Eames Office in collaboration with Kettal, is a project rooted in an in-depth study of Charles and Ray Eames’ legacy. This is not merely a sentimental throwback, but a rigorously planned, modular variation on the concept of the universal home.

Author: IM

Published: 31.03.2026

Photos: Yosigo, Rocafort, courtesy of Kettal

Zdj. gł.: View of the Eames Pavilion with a variety of windows, solid panels, and a steel crossbar, 2026.

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During Milan Design Week 2026, Eames Office will present an expansive architectural project at Triennale Milano, centered around 'The Eames Houses' exhibition and the premiere of the Eames Pavilion System—a contemporary prefabricated architecture system developed in partnership with the Spanish brand Kettal. This launch opens a new, remarkably relevant chapter in the history of Charles and Ray Eames, shifting the focus from furniture back to architecture, which from the very beginning was one of the most vital pillars of their vision for modern living.

Two-story Eames Pavilion, 2026.

Prototype of a two-story Eames Pavilion with new panel sizes, 2026.

The new system stems from years of research into the Eameses' residential designs of the 1940s and 50s, including Case Study House No. 8—the famous Eames House—as well as other steel and timber residence projects, both realized and conceptual. It is from this archival landscape that an architecture emerges, understood not as a fixed form, but as a flexible backdrop for daily life: modular, lightweight, and ready for the evolving needs of its inhabitants.

The Eames Pavilion System translates these ideas into a fully developed, globally accessible construction system, based on repeatable structural modules and interchangeable elements for roofs, facades, glazing, textiles, and accessories. The system allows for the creation of everything from single-story, 16-square-meter pavilions to fully equipped, two-level homes. While the scale remains intimate, the arrangement possibilities are vast, ensuring the whole maintains that quintessential Eamesian balance between structural rationality and the freedom of living within.

One-story Eames Pavilion, 2026.

Row of aluminum windows with a view on the wood paneling, 2026.

Crossbracing detail of the Eames Pavilion, 2026.

The ground floor of the Eames Pavilion, with wall covering mirroring the tallowwood wall of the Eames House, 2026.

Behind the technical development of the project stands Kettal—a Barcelona-based company that for decades has been honing its expertise in modular architecture, aluminum structures, and systems designed for diverse climatic conditions. The new system features precision aluminum profiles, engineered decking solutions, bioclimatic roofs, integrated lighting, HVAC, and digital configuration tools. The result is far from a mere replica of modernist icons; it is a mature evolution where archival logic meets today’s technology and contemporary functional standards.

Detailed view of the entrance and metal stairs of the Eames Pavilion, 2026.

The system was conceived with longevity in mind. The aluminum, glass, polycarbonate, and timber structures are designed to be repairable, reconfigurable, and prepared for decades of use, with the core concept rooted in reuse and adaptation rather than replacement. This dimension of the project resonates deeply with today’s definition of luxury, where meaning is found not only in aesthetics and detail but also in durability, material responsibility, and architecture capable of aging with grace.

Running parallel to the system’s premiere in Milan, ‘The Eames Houses’ exhibition will open, spanning 800 square meters of the Triennale Milano and remaining accessible to the public from April 21 to May 10, 2026. The display will feature full-scale, walk-through pavilion installations alongside archival drawings, photographs, films, and newly commissioned models of eight Eames houses—some of which have never before been published or exhibited. This is a look at Charles and Ray’s oeuvre not through the prism of isolated objects, but through a consistently built world where architecture, design, image, and everyday life exist in a profound, intimate relationship.

View into the double-height space of the Eames Pavilion prototype, 2026.

The project is also accompanied by the book The Eames Houses, published by Phaidon. Authored by Eckart Maise, with texts by Catherine Ince and forewords by Norman Foster and Eames Demetrios, it is set to be the first such comprehensive compendium dedicated to the residential architecture of Charles and Ray Eames. Scheduled for release in May 2026, the 288-page volume featuring approximately 1,000 illustrations will round off the Milan presentation in a format that will surely captivate both design collectors and architects tracking the history of prefabrication.

What seems most compelling about the Eames Pavilion System is that the past has not been treated as a museum template, but rather as a point of departure for future design. Instead of merely recreating the well-known house from Pacific Palisades, Eames Office and Kettal propose an architectural language that preserves structural clarity, respect for materials, and a human scale, while simultaneously opening up to contemporary living scenarios—ranging from private studios and holiday homes to hospitality, workspace, and exhibition areas. It is precisely within this tension between the legend of modernism and the real needs of the present that the strength of the entire venture lies.