PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Paper tube structure can last permanently.
Paper Tube Structure is the structural system composed of hollow cardboard tubes made by recycled paper. PTS has been given the structural permissions from Japanese and German building authorities. Therefore these are permanent Paper Tube Architecture like Paper Church, Paper Dome and so on as well as temporary structures like Paper Loghouse, a temporary housing for Kobe earthquake 1995, and Paper Refugee Shelter, temporary refugee shelter system developed for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) 1995 99.
The Paper Loghouse is just basic prototype which can be designed for various series with and without facilities like kitchen and bathroom, depending on situation and the budget. The water protection can be done very easily by varnishes and films. A paper tube has passed the German fire retardant test for B1 grade. The efficiency can be improved by painting a fire-retardant paint if necessary.
It is inexpensive and made of local materials.
It is very inexpensive because the wall and beam are made of recycled paper tubes. Since it is very light weight, the foundation can be made of like a plastic beer crate, carriage pellet and so on.
Paper Tube manufacturers are located even in Kosovo and surrounding countries, Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece. Therefore Paper Log House can be made of local material.
It can be built by anybody quickly.
In order to build the Paper Loghouse, no special skill and machine are needed. When it was built for victims of Kobe earthquake 1995. One house was built for two days by eight students after all the parts are prepared.
It is easy to dismantle dismantled pieces can be recycled.
The big mistake of the temporary housing for Kobe earthquake was the fact that the Government did not think what to do with the housing after use. The government had to spend so much money to dismantle and look for the undeveloped company to donate to gloss over their un-planned waste. Thus we should not do the same mistake in Kosovo. Our paper Log House is very easy to dismantle by anyone as well as building. After dismantled, Paper Tubes and plastic beer crates can be recycled.
It is self-improvable.
This specification is basic one to make it inexpensive. However the efficiency of houses can be improved easily by residents. For example if more materials are applied on the wall outside and/or inside as drawing below the installation of the wall will be improved so much.
Architecture is supposed to provide shelter. In early 1999, nowhere was the need for shelter more critical than in the war-torn region of Kosovo. Hundreds of thousands were without a place to live. Their homes in ruins and the infrastructure of the region collapsed, the returning population needed immediate and highly-dispersed temporary housing.
Architecture for Humanity hosted an open competition to design five-year transitional housing for the returning people of Kosovo. The competition's goal was to foster the development of housing methods that would relieve suffering and speed the transition back to a normal way of life. Architects and designers from 30 different countries responded. We received more than 200 designs. From these, a jury selected 10 finalists and 20 notable entries. This proposal from Shigeru Ban was one of those ten finalists.
