Hex House Flat Pack Shelter
If I were Architects for Society I might consider renaming the Hex House something that sounds a little less like the witchcraft or evil forces that many who have had their homes destroyed by disaster believe caused said disaster in the first place. I know, I know the flat-packed, rapidly deployable housing pops up into the shape of a hexagon. But who wants to move from a hex of a flood or an earthquake into a hex of a new house? A hexagon is also a polygon, how about Poly House? At least the double entendre there is a sexy one.
Awkward branding aside, the Hex House design and intended use are brilliant. While most other forms of relief, off-grid, and affordable housing lean towards the flimsy, poorly ventilated, poorly lit, unsanitary, insecure, and privacy-free, the Hex House aims to be a dignified, long-term solution. It would arrive boxed in pieces for assembly by its end users (with simple tools, no prior construction experience necessary), and include most of the amenities of an apartment or small house: private toilet; shower; kitchen; separate sleeping spaces; and a living space.
Galvanized tube steel would serve as the Hex base, with Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) walls, flooring, and roof. Owners would customize interiors and exteriors with conventional finishes. The basic Hex House is designed to provide 506 square feet of living space, but this area can scale to larger families, as well as link up with other individual units to form clusters, encouraging community through the natural creation of common courtyards or gardens.
Nonprofit firm Architects for Society is currently raising funds on IndieGoGo so they--a 12-strong group professionals and academics from the US, Canada, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, India, and Jordan--can partner with engineering firms in Frankfurt and Minneapolis to build a Hex House prototype. If you'd like to support the project, click here to check it out.
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