Great Materials for Innovative Affordable Housing Solutions
One man’s waste is another man’s gold. To come up with great and Innovative Affordable Housing Solutions, it is important for organizations to understand how to make use of low-income housing materials to counter the housing crisis.
Materials for Innovative Affordable Housing Solutions
Rammed Earth
This has been a low-cost, sustainable material since the ancient ages. This is one of the reasons why rammed earth has become increasingly popular with low-income housing projects. These walls are majorly composed of natural raw materials such as aggregates which includes clay, sand, and gravel.
During the construction process, the mixture is generally placed in between flat sheets known as formwork. For saving costs, this formwork is generally made of steel or lumber on the basis of the location and can even be used multiple times.
These earth systems offer excellent thermal mass and act as natural, cost-effective insulators for both sound and heat. But in case of extreme weather conditions, chances are that the surface of the wall might be weak because of erosion.
Earthship
It is pretty hard to believe that a house made of abandoned plastic bottles and recycled materials can look classy, right? The good part about this material is that it isn’t just environmentally friendly but can also help in saving the world from excess waste materials.
Generally known as a hybrid material that is made of both natural and upcycled materials, ever since its launch in the market and has been addressing six principles. Such homes focus on achieving solar cooling, solar heating, wind energy, solar energy, and self-sufficient sewage treatment.
Cob
Cob is heavily regarded as one of the most sustainable materials for innovative affordable housing solutions. As opposed to popular belief, these aren’t made of cobs. They are produced out of sand, straw, and clay.
It has natural thermal mass properties and can help in protecting the home from passive solar gain. It can naturally absorb moisture without any side effects, unlike wood.
What makes the material stand out is its sculptural nature which offers beautiful interiors with artistic and organic geometries.
Recycled Tires
In the state of California, a group has made use of recycled tires for building an off-grid community with the use of these low-income materials. This eco home is made out of recycled tires as building blocks which happen to be sturdy in comparison to normal housing against natural disasters.
These are usually cheap, soundproof, and offer great thermal insulation. The greatest challenge with low-income housing materials such as car tires is that electricity cannot be installed in a conventional manner. This is why it is best to use renewable energy resources which include solar energy since panels can be easily installed on the roof.
Bamboo
Whenever low-income housing materials come into the equation for aiding the concept of innovative affordable housing solutions, it is important to keep in mind the special considerations of the site in question. Let us help you better understand with an example.
In most Asian cities, bamboo is considered one of the most sustainable, cheapest, most durable, and easy to recycle materials. Not to mention that the tensile strength of bamboo can even be compared to materials like concrete and steel.
The most notable example of this can be seen in an eco-community that is designed with bamboo for disaster resistance. The project has a series of bamboo living units to counter the need for innovative affordable housing solutions. The basic structure consists of bamboo trusses, but the foundation has to have reinforced concrete footings to make sure that the design is disaster-proof.
0
