Emergency House Can Be Built In 5 Hours

In the wake of a natural disaster, whole cities must commence rebuilding. The challenge for social entrepreneurs in countries like Haiti, who want to help in the aftermath, is to deploy a housing design that would require only minimum time and effort for its construction so great quantities could be produced and quickly distributed to the homeless.

A recent graduate cum laude from Delft University of Technology, Pieter Stoutjesdijk, came up with an elegant solution.

Writes PopUpCity.net: A CNC milling machine that laser-cuts the required 2484 parts out of fiber board for a house that can be assembled without any external material as the parts are simply slid together thanks to friction fit, a technique somewhat similar to Lego blocks or click furniture. To make the fiber board more weatherproof it receives a special coating in order to ensure a lifetime of at least fifteen years.

Best of all, Stoujesdijk’s open source emergency shelter is in every way designed for the tropical climate in Haiti. It comes with a large overhanging roof for extra shade, a high ceiling for good ventilation, a porch and a parabolic roof that can collect rainwater. The structure can also heat the water.

(READ the story from PopUpCity – WATCH the timelapse of construction below)