Gregg Fleishman's Flatpack House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.27.07
We do get excited about flatpack furniture, downloadable designs and CNC machines; California architect Gregg Fleishmann has brought them all together in his DH1 Distaster House and his Shelter system. All of the pieces are router cut from sustainable European birch plywood with phenolic resin on both sides. Pieces just fit together without fasteners or glue. It doesn't look too waterproof, but the architect says a plastic canvas or other skin is required. Fleishmann combines "fun and functionality to create innovative designs for shelter systems, play structures, furnishings and more." and considers his mission "to continue developing ways to make building easier."
Imagine a future where you go to the local router shop and walk out with a stack of plywood that you just piece together to build your home, no tools or training necessary. It might look like this.
It is available from Swarm Studios for US$ 22,000.
A larger version is this prototype for the Shelter System.
"This particular model is a plywood sheet prototype made from 55 5' x 10' sheets of 3/4" European Birch plywood. The plywood is cut into 276 panels or parts of 28 types. This amount of material provides 370 square feet in three rooms, two 9' cubes and a larger 15' wide beveled module. The cubes have a structural floor while the beveled module is truncated at 80% and open to existing ground surface." ::Gregg Fleishmann via ::Shedworking
I wonder how this compares to a yurt or geodesic dome for efficiency of materials and ease of assembly...
Something like this looks like it would be ideal to use as the internal or external structure for a rammed earth or straw bale house. Thick, non-structural, inexpensive insulation to supplement the simple structural elements. It would still need something for waterproofing in most places, but it could be practical...
Thats bigger than my apartment was last year. Pretty cool design, but window glass might be a problem.
Its bigger than the apartment i live in now. Will it handle an upstate NY snow load though?