After a personal or a natural disaster, people can find themselves in a terrible situation. Losing a job and loosing a house generate a scar that goes far beyond the material loss. It brings down self-confidence. As a result of social and economic pressures, the most unfortunate and modest households are isolated and without means of redress.

In this test, whether the owner is a family or individuals, self-building their own house would help regain confidence. What if it was possible to use everyday objects to build this house? Objects and materials easy-to-use, with the possibility of implementation by everyone: standard objects of trade, twisted and reinterpreted.

Let’s imagine, no more than three people being able to build a housing unit in three days. They wouldn’t need any technical knowledge in construction, just a manual and someone to help them.

In connection with the dynamism of the Darwin Ecosystem, the residential area of the “Rive Droite” and the A line tramway of Bordeaux (France), the implantation site offers a central location. It is a mixed area with both constructed and deconstructed urban landscapes, a unique place of possibilities. Local partners will be solicited to support and participate in the project: Darwin Ecosystem for inventiveness and professional dynamics, Emmaus for social support and equipment, the Urban Community of Bordeaux for political support and site concession.

The unit will be transported on a small truck. Dismantled, it fills a volume less than 30 m3 (less than 10 m3 for the primary and secondary structure, less than 20 m3 for the insulation).

It will consist of:

– Walls made of foldable boxes for fruits and vegetables, plastic HDPE L30xl40xh18cm
– Bulk insulation placed inside the boxes, made from clothes in storage, provided by Emmaus Partner. Or others materials like wood fibers, recycled cotton, paper, …
– External tubular structures such as scaffolding assembled by adjustable clamps, made of steel, 4.8 cm diameter and height-adjustable feet
– OSB wood, 200x90cm, decking and siding
– Covering plate for cladding and roofing (here for example, the onduline)

The module offers a free plan of 21,6m2 (6,00mx3,60m) and a free internal composition. Presented here as a family home, it could also be a dormitory or a single configuration with workshop. The scaffolding structure and interlocking boxes allows extensions and additions of modules. The composition of the openings on the outside is also completely free according to the internal composition module (connection to external networks, natural ventilation, views). Adaptable to any topography, the adjustable feet allow leaving without environmental print.

This module is removable, transportable, compact, and on top of that: reusable. It allows the use of everyday products and guarantees the circuit of materials. It’s implementation aim to be a social valuation tool as well as a solidarity chain.