Sustainable Design Update

A model of the prefabricated paper house

Designers at Bauhaus University have developed a low cost paper house that could be used to provide housing for slum dwellers. From the article in Spiegel:

Niemöller is a co-founder of the Swiss company The Wall AG, which holds the patent for material used in the construction of the mini-homes. But, he says, he envisions the houses — called the “Universal World House” — ultimately being produced in the countries where they are needed. And, he says, the sticker price for the 36 square meter (387.5 square foot) structures won’t be more than $5,000 each.

The material used in the construction of the houses mimics the honeycomb pattern used in the manufacture of airplanes and other products for which both weight and strength are important factors. But instead of using aluminium or other alloys, Niemöller used resin-soaked paper processed to form thin, light — yet strong — panels. The material is also an excellent insulator, and is flexible, making it appropriate in areas at risk of earthquakes.

At a price of $5,000 the house is out of range for some of the poorest of the poor.  None the less, Nigeria has already put in an order for 2,400 houses.

-Ben Connor Barrie

Photo via: Spiegel

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 24th, 2009 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Appropriate Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.