Architecture

Low-cost S House nears mass production

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S House will first be available in Vietnam, then worldwide
Tom Harris
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Vo Trong Nghia
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Vo Trong Nghia
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Vo Trong Nghia
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Vo Trong Nghia
Architectural plan of the current S House prototype
Vo Trong Nghia
S House will first be available in Vietnam, then worldwide
Tom Harris
For the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Vo Trong Nghia clad the S House in Vietnamese thatch and coir fiber sheets
Steve Hall
The sheets were fixed to the steel frame in several layers to ensure adequate insulation and protection from the weather
Steve Hall
The interior is made up of just one large room and measures 31.6 sq m (340 sq ft)
Steve Hall
The construction cost is expected to come in at under $1,000
Steve Hall
View gallery - 11 images

Vietnam's Vo Trong Nghia Architects recently displayed its latest S House prototype at the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Designed for low-income families, the simple home is nearing the mass production stage and is expected to cost less than US$1,000 to construct.

As we previously reported, it's been a long road to get the S House project to this stage. The current pre-market prototype comprises a concrete foundation and raised wooden floor, helping to protect against pests and minor flooding. It also features a galvanized steel frame, corrugated steel sheet roof, and a steel drainage gutter that looks like it has the potential to be rigged up to a basic rainwater collection system.

The interior is made up of just one large room and measures 31.6 sq m (340 sq ft). The exterior can be clad in whatever material the client chooses or is locally available, helping to reduce cost and ease transportation.

The construction cost is expected to come in at under $1,000
Steve Hall

Vo Trong Nghia clad the S House prototype shown in Vietnamese thatch and coir fiber sheets, which were layered to ensure adequate insulation and protection from the weather. Indeed, Vo Trong Nghia says the home will withstand severe weather, including typhoons and hurricanes.

It's flexible too, and two or more homes can be joined together in length and width to create a large building that would be suitable to use as a community center, or shared housing, for example.

The firm also reports that, while the main structure can be assembled in 3 hours, the expected lifespan for a typical S House is rated at an impressive 30 years or more. Construction is expected to cost less than $1,000, and while we've no word on an actual retail price, the original aim of producing a sub-$4,000 home is likely to be achieved.

S House will first be available in Vietnam, then worldwide, with a particular focus on developing areas in Africa, Asia, and South America. No availability date has been announced yet.

Source: Vo Trong Nghia

View gallery - 11 images
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5 comments
SubramanianGopalkrishnan
India will be equally interested.
IanGaffel
So it's a room not a home, no plumbing or anything?
Nik
A structure like this could just as easily be constructed from bamboo, which would be even cheaper, more flexible, in the true sense, and the renewable materials would be available locally in most cases. I think its a solution, looking for a problem.
oldguy
It seems that even after a huge storm the basic metal structure would survive. The exterior sheeting could be straw or sheets of plywood if they were available and could be afforded. I have seen places in Africa where this would be a really good solution, not perfect but like the '500 lawyers at the bottom of the sea', a good start.
Riaanh
@Nik,nope none of that stuff is required in the 3D world, just a roof and a door, those are the important criteria. Even windows is a luxury. You don't really need the other stuff to make a roof a home.
Unfortunately, a much too high percentage of our fellow human beings does not have anything close to this, to call home.
No use having plumbing and electrical sockets when there is no infrastructure around.