Alternative Housing Technologies

PL ASTIC BOTTLE ISL AND

HOME
Spending twelve long years in his project, Richart Sowa revolutionized the idea of
reclamation with the use of recycled materials. The Yorkshire expats home
Joyxee Islandis an established 8,000 square foot garbage island home mainly
made out of plastic bottles sitting afloat in a lagoon in Mujeres Island in Cancun,
Mexico.
The inspiration of this project was drawn
from the idea of the water pollution with
piles floating in the water and with his
extensive
interest
in
ecological
engineering and his dream of living in his
own island, Sowa thought he need not to
break and take land but to make it himself
just like a long-term do-it-yourself project.
Although little is known the technical
aspect of the plastic bottle island, the
concept is not entirely complicated.
Thousands of plastic bottles are bundled
with mesh nets and held together
collectively by recycled plastic bags,
comprising about 50 centimeter-depth of
floating mechanism of the island. The
framing comes on top of this in the form of
recycled pallets (wooden containers of
fruits) and the finished floor is recycled
plywood and raised a raised sand bed. In
addition
to
that,
the
island
also
incorporated Mangroves which after some

time will grow with its roots binding the

island together.
The island in itself is a sustainable
development, boasting a three-storey
house equipped two bedrooms, a kitchen,
and a dry-compost ecological toilet. At the
moment, the island taps energy from a
hotel a hundred feet away through an
umbilical cord. As Sowa yearns to fully
disconnect the island from the constraints
of the shore, currently adapting a
rainwater harvesting system and solar
power as an auxiliary source of water and
energy which in the near future will
become the islands main source.
The funding of the project is done through
a kickstarter (a process of funding
provided from people around the world)
and despite having little knowledge on the
exact cost, the technology is assumed to
be relatively low-cost considering the fact
that most of its components are recycled
Strengths
The technology in itself is green as wastes are being reused instead of

producing more wastes. Plastic bottles are ironically indigenous worldwide.
Poses an alternative marine-oriented housing
The technology is cost-efficient.
Weakness
In need of a formal engineering study in terms of stability and adaptability

with climatic conditions.
Although this type of reclamation not as visually intensive, confirming its
impact towards the existing marine biology.
PALLET HOUSE: DISASTER

RELIEF HOMES
Being modular and structurally sound, pallets has inspired designers of the
possibilities of re-using them into housing ventures.
Pallets are pieces of equipment that
facilitates mechanical handling of stacked
(palletized) goods for fork-lift trucks. Made
usually of rough (undressed) wood and
commonly 4 x 4 feet (1.2 x 1 meter in
Europe) in dimensions, it can carry a
typical load of one metric ton (1,000
kilograms or about 2,200 pounds), and
serves as a base for assembling, handling,
sorting, storing, and transporting goods.
Being modular and structurally sound,
pallets has inspired designers of the
possibilities of re-using them into housing
ventures.
permanent home within a year or two.

Consequently, the Pallet House adapts to
almost every climate on earth and the
basic structure can be built in less than a
week.
Like for instance, New York-based firm, IBeam Architecture and Design, took this
inspiration as the dire need for disaster
relief homes for the refugees of Kosovo
and the victims of tsunami in Sri Lanka.
Thus, the innovative, efficient, and
inexpensive Pallet House came to be.
Walls consist of Standard 2-way pallets

nailed and strapped to each other, floor
and ceiling. They are covered in Wattle and
Daub (Wattle, flexible twigs or branches, is
woven into pallets to create a base for the
daub. Daub is a mixture of locally available
mud consisting of clay, lime or chalk as a
binder and earth, sand or stone as
aggregate with straw or grass used as
reinforcement. The daub mixture is applied
by hand to the exterior and interior wall
surfaces of the house.
The evolution of one 16' by 16' shelter into

a permanent home requires approximately
100 palettes nailed or strapped together
and lifted into place. Tarps draped over the
basic structure or plastic corrugated sheets
prevent water penetration until enough
debris,
stone,
mud,
earth,
wood,
corrugated metal or any other materials
from the immediate surroundings can be
gathered to fill the wall cavities and cover
the roof. Pallets may be pre-assembled
with styrofoam insulation, vapor barrier,
plywood or corrugated sheathing prior to
shipping. As infrastructure is restored and
cement or other materials become
available the filled pallets can be covered
with stucco, plaster, or roofing tiles
transforming the makeshift shelter into a
The variant in Sri Lanka is a 2 story

structure with 5 rooms including 2nd floor
bedroom/veranda,
indoor/outdoor
porch/kitchen plus a central courtyard. It
uses approximately 300 pallets in total and
has about 1200 square feet of floor area
built on a continuous foundation wall of
locally quarried granite stones and mortar.
The Roof is made of solid surface pallets, a

layer of building felt is applied to the
exterior surface of the pallets. Locally
available clay roofing tiles are nailed to the
roof pallets. In the case of long span roofs
pallets should be attached to trusses made
of long timber beams to maintain rigidity.
Built-in pallet furniture such as closets,
countertops, seating, tables and beds can
all be easily assembled out of pallets.
In a Philippine context, pallets cost around
a 150 Php thus, a Sri Lankan variant of the
Pallet House would cost more than 45,000

Php.
Strengths
Pallets are modular and structurally sound. It can be built as a semipermanent structure in itself or can be made permanent by reinforcement
and plastering.
Pallets are flexible and may also be used in installing built-in furniture.
Cost-efficient and easy to install.
Weakness
Life-span is still questionable. Pallets are organic thus, prone to decay.

Relatively light and may be vulnerable to severe weather conditions.
Re-plastering is required in particular intervals. High maintenance.
EARTHSHIP HOUSES
Due to the extreme pollution in the 1970s environmentalist architect Michael
Reynolds started a movement of an alternative home design addressing the
severe environmental challenges the world is facing now. Garbage Warrior
Reynolds became Earthship Biotecture is an alternative housing technology uses
the materials indigenous materialsboth natural and recycledin creating
environmentally sensitive homes.
An earthship house is made up of rammed
earth and tires. The tires are stacked
(staggered) like bricks. Each tire has earth
pounded into them until firmly packed.
Once the tires are packed, they are very
difficult to move and form quite a dense
wall. The walls are load bearing and
provide thermal mass which is an
important attribute to any energy efficient
house. Thermal mass stores heat and
releases the heat slowly. This keeps indoor
temperature
constant
while
outside
temperatures fluctuate. Once the walls are
in place, the walls are quite often plastered
over and appear very similar to an adobe
style house. For non-loadbearing walls,
plastic and glass bottles are plastered
together as they function well as walls but
also provides an opportunity for making a
nice lighting ornament, creating patterns
and playing with the colors. The
architecture style of Earthship houses
borders the organic architectural concept
of Frank Lloyd Wright. Earthship homes are
very much engrossed in the concept of
freedom and being one with nature, and
Strengths
typically the design of the houses are very

much earthy as it incorporates itself in
the existing environment of the building as
if the house is an extension of the grade of
the
ground.
Contrary
to
the
misconceptions of being too primitive,
Earthship houses are highly customizable
and can come in various shapes and forms
be it organic or conventional.
In line with being green, earthship homes
are equipped with sustainable features
such as an indoor garden, micro solar and
wind energy installations, water recycling
system, and passive climate adaptive
systems.
Earthship Biotecture is not just a mere
alternative housing technology but also a
humanitarian movement and providing an
inexpensive option of housing and active
participation in disaster relief. Like for
instance, an earthship emergency shelter
in Batug, Tacloban has been erected
recently by the efforts of both volunteers
and the residents of the area.
Environmentally sensitive and sustainable

Various cost options
Not labor intensive and can may be considered as a do-it-yourself project
and can be built in a short span of time.
Design is very flexible to fit both organic and conventional aesthetics
Climate adaptive
Weakness
Reselling the earthship homes can be difficult

Alternative constructions may conflict building codes, therefore getting
permits can be difficult
As earthship is not considered a conventional type of construction,
financing the house through loans may not be possible.
PLASTIC
BOTTLE
ISLAND
HOME
The Yorkshire expats homeJoyxee Islandis an established 8,000

square foot garbage island home mainly made out of plastic bottles
sitting afl oat in a lagoon in Mujeres Island in Cancun, Mexico. (Left to
right: View from shore, Floating Mechanism Concept , Cross Section of
Floating Mechanism)
PALLET
HOUSE:
DISASTER
RELIEF
HOMES
Being modular and
structurally sound,
pallets has inspired
designers of the
possibilities of re-using
them into housing
ventures. (Left to Right:
Pallet House Prototype, 3D Model of the Sri Lankan Plastered Design,
Wooden Pallets, Pallet House Prototype).
E A RT H S H I P
HOUSES
. Garbage Warrior Reynolds became Earthship Biotecture is an
alternative housing technology uses the materials indigenous materials
both natural and recycledin creating environmentally sensitive
homes. (Top to bottom 3D Model of the construction phase of an
earthship, View of an earthship house with photovoltaic panels and
wind turbine systems, Michael Reynolds and his experiment Beer Can
House in Taos, New Mexicoled
him to the establishment of
Earthship Biotecture
References:
Simple Survival. Earthships Biotecture. Retrieve Aug 7 2015 at
http://earthship.com/simple-survival
Sterbenz, C. (2014) How An Environmentalist Architect Made An Incredible
House Out Of Garbage Business Insider. Retrieved Aug 7 2015 at
http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-reynolds-beer-can-thumb-house-20147#ixzz3iJsK0iRO
I-Beam Architecture and Design. Retrieved Aug 8 2015 at http://ibeamdesign.com/projects/refugee/refugee.html
Embrey, M. (2008). Recycled Pallet House Disaster Relief Housing. Green
Upgrader. Retrieved Aug 8 2015 at http://greenupgrader.com/2387/recycledpallet-house-disaster-relief-housing/
Michler, A. (2010) Eco Emergency Shelter Built Entirely From Shipping Pallets.
Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building.
Retrieved Aug 8 2015 at http://inhabitat.com/eco-emergency-shelter-builtentirely-from-shipping-pallets/
Liszewski, A. (2014). This Manmade Island Floats On Over 150,000 Recycled
Plastic Bottles. Gizmodo. Retrieved Aug 8 2015 at http://gizmodo.com/thismanmade-island-floats-on-over-150-000-recycled-pl-1575154298
Awford, J. (2014). No man is an island: British DIY Robinson Crusoe builds his
own floating paradise off the coast of Mexico out of 150,000 recycled bottles
and now he's found his Girl Friday! Mail Online. Retrieved Aug 8 2015 at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2825071/British-DIY-Robinson-Crusoebuilds-floating-paradise-150-000-recycled-bottles.html#ixzz3iJt90kTr
Far Eastern University

Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts
MODERN HOUSING
TECHNOLOGY
A Review of Various Selection of
Housing Technologies
Practiced Around the World
Submitted by:
Perez, Yrral Jaime C.
AR57 Housing and Human Settlements
MTH 7.30-9.00 AM
Aug 10 2015
Submitted to:
Architect M. Sampan

Alternative Housing Technologies

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PL ASTIC BOTTLE ISL AND

time will grow with its roots binding the

The technology in itself is green as wastes are being reused instead of

In need of a formal engineering study in terms of stability and adaptability

PALLET HOUSE: DISASTER

permanent home within a year or two.

Walls consist of Standard 2-way pallets

The evolution of one 16' by 16' shelter into

The variant in Sri Lanka is a 2 story

The Roof is made of solid surface pallets, a

Pallet House would cost more than 45,000

Life-span is still questionable. Pallets are organic thus, prone to decay.

typically the design of the houses are very

Environmentally sensitive and sustainable

Reselling the earthship homes can be difficult

The Yorkshire expats homeJoyxee Islandis an established 8,000

Far Eastern University

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