The Hummer House: A Better Use For Hummers As Prefab Housing

Posted By Bridgette Meinhold On July 27, 2011 @ 7:58 pm In Architecture,carousel showcase,gallery,Prefab Housing,Sustainable Building | 1 Comment

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Gas-guzzling Hummers ^[6] are pretty awful as automobiles, but if you think about it, their structural integrity could make them quite useful as prefab modular housing units ^[7]. After studying the structural quality of a Hummer's shell, Craig Hodgetts and HsinMing Fung of HplusF Design and Architecture ^[8] decided the body was strong enough to serve as the exterior for a home. From that point, they designed the Hummer House, which consists of eight identical Hummer body shells supported by a prefabricated ^[9] steel armature. The recycling of automobile parts coupled with other renewable energy and green building strategies makes this an interesting and sustainable project.

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Designed for the Prefab 20/20-An Open Ideas International Competition 2009 ^[10], the Hummer House is an exploration into the potential uses of the soon to be extinct monster SUV. HplusF researched the Hummer’s ^[11] body shell and determined that the sheet metal components that assemble into a body shell were strong enough structurally to be used as the exterior for a capsule style dwelling. By turning the body on its nose and joining 8 together, they created a family home with all the necessary amenities inside.

The home includes a 12 volt electrical system, OEM refrigeration, heating, media components, and a clever use of the nooks created from the cars shape. Solar photovoltaic panels ^[12], soy based insulation, grey water recycling, and geothermal heating and cooling help to push the recycled ^[13] housing concept towards greater sustainability. The Hummer House can also exist as smaller units utilizing only 4 cars, or it can be expanded with even more to create larger multi-unit dwellings. HplusF received an honorable mention in the prefab design competition for their concept in 2009.

+ HplusF Design and Architecture ^[14]

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/a-better-use-for-hummers-prefab-modular-housing/

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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/a-better-use-for-hummers-prefab-modular-housing/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/a-better-use-for-hummers-prefab-modular-housing/hummer-home-hplusf-1/?extend=1

[6] Hummers: http://inhabitat.com/hummer-h2-transformed-into-horse-cart/

[7] prefab modular housing units: http://inhabitat.com/tag/modular-housing

[8] HplusF Design and Architecture: http://www.hplusf.com/work.php

[9] prefabricated: http://inhabitat.com/tag/prefab

[10] Prefab 20/20-An Open Ideas International Competition 2009: http://prefab2020.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/winners-shortlisted-entries-announced/

[11] Hummer’s: http://inhabitat.com/raser-unveils-100mpg-hummer-h3/

[12] Solar photovoltaic panels: http://inhabitat.com/category/solar-power

[13] recycled: http://inhabitat.com/category/recycled-materials

[14] + HplusF Design and Architecture: http://www.hplusf.com/

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