honeycomb boardSwissCell walls are based on hexagonal structures similar to honeycombs: the technique results in lightweight but strong boards, typical used in the vehicle and aircraft industry. Usually honeycomb boards are made of aluminum – an expensive and energy intensive material. SwissCell, by contrast, is a cellulose product, impregnated by synthetic resin.
Due to the low commodity price the honeycomb boards are cheap - it’s just paper! The material is also an excellent insulator. Each comb works as a ‘mini’- vacuum (Vacuum Isolated Panels) and has very good insulating properties.
prototype of the "Universal World House"Accordingly the material will be first adopted for temporary homes in conflict area: "Universal World House"."From the very beginning, our goal was to create practical, environmentally sustainable, and, most importantly, cheap living quarters for the slums of the Earth," Gerd Niemöller, who developed the cellulose material the houses are made of, said in a recent statement. "Now, that is possible." (source: Der Spiegel - 01/13/2009). The price for 36 m² shouldn’t be more than $5,000. While the design of the “Universal World House” might be questionable, there's certainly potential in the paper-based building material.
8 comment(s):
We are interest in this type of house. How can I Be in contact with Gerd Niemoller.
jm-hi@telefonica.net
I check the link to Swiss Cell. It should work now. Maybe you can get in contact with Gerd Niedermöller there.
Its just paper!-
That sure sounds tempting. But I was thinking does anyone have any data on percentage of wood being used in its production. If paper is a primary product, the cheap housing solution for all the slums of the earth could be a disaster for the environmental condition of this earth, esp with all the existing issues already.
The cost to constuct this house will also top $5,000. Clearly there is a need for an easy to assemble product.
I'm wondering how stable this product would be in many different environments; tornadoes, monsune rains, etc., how does it hold up?
the product seems wonderful,perhaps the shape of the house is not storm proof,A dome shape would perform much better.
Namrata, it depends on different Honeycomb paper manufacturers. Most people manufacture it from Kraft processed paper. We manufacture them too, and ours is built from recycled newspaper. http://www.vasparhoneycomb.com/
- George
I like the idea, but I do have to ask: what about a fire? Which seems evermore likely in a conflict area or the close quarters of a slum.
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