Fiction Factory, a Holland-based builder, has unveiled its new modular home, which is made of layered cardboard.
According to architects on the project, while cardboard is not among the normal top choices for building materials, the home, called “Wikkelhouse” (which translates to “wrapper house”) will they claim will last for up to 100 years, and can be built in virtually any size that an owner wants.
Each home is built out of several modules, which are made of corrugated cardboard glued together by an eco-friendly adhesive.
Each module is approximately four feet thick and provides 54 square feet of living space, with a ceiling height of 11.5 feet.
The cardboard layer is wrapped around each of these modules 24 times via a large rotating machine. According to Fiction Factory, this ensures a strong, sturdy, and well-insulated module.
The cardboard layer is then wrapped in a waterproof, breathable film called Miotex and the exterior is finished with pine slats. Each module weights about 1,100 pounds and can be disassembled and moved easily. They are also fully recyclable.
Plywood is used for interior paneling, which according to Fiction Factory gives the home a warm and minimalistic feel.
MHProNews and MHLivingNews publisher L.A. “Tony” Kovach provided commentary on the Wikkelhouse, pointing out an important comparison even though the layered cardboard homes claim to be waterproof.
“I recall the elation of those who wanted to promote Masonite and other similar brands of siding. They too said it would last and last, but we found out the hard way that it deteriorated rapidly once the material below the surface was exposed to water,” said Kovach.
“What research, if any,” Kovach asks, “has been done on this process to prevent a similar multi-billion-dollar fiasco that occurred with those Masonite-type sidings?”
The question from Kovach is relevant, as the Daily Business News covered Fiction Factory earlier this year, where they claimed that their homes would last up to 50 years, not 100. ##
(Image credits are as shown above.)
Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.
