PREFAB FRIDAY: Door House by Cubo Arquitectos
by NK
Not all prefab is created equal. Some, like Rocio Romero’s LV Home, are made for middle-income, modernist loving homebuyers. Others, like Ray Kappe’s Living Home, are a super high-end version meant for the well-off client. At the other end of the spectrum, we have Cubo Arquitectos‘ prototype for emergency shelters – definitely not the most permanent home around – but by far, a true take on building “prefab.”
Cubo Arquitectos‘ shelter is not just made from a kit of parts, but for the most part, a kit that is readily available from a typical building supply store. As you may have guessed, hollow core doors make up the primary building component, forming the walls, ceiling, and even rudimentary furniture. What we love about this project is that the architects have focused not only on the need to house victims of natural disaster, but harnessed a way for it to be easily achieved and reparable.
The standard kit would contain 36 doors, 24 pallets, 8 sheets of OSB plywood, and various steel tube sections, plastic sheets, screws, and fasteners. With a construction time of only 8 hours (by 7 people,) the structure would be ideal when immediate response shelters are needed. And since no third-party assembly company is required, a mass of these could be assembled by volunteers or other untrained workers. While they aren’t sturdy enough to last a lifetime (3 months is what is recommended) these “Puertas” would offer shelter, privacy, and a sense of place for families in need.
(thanks Hugo!)
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I am presently undertaking a research project on an old house built by an architectural student in the 50’s. The house is made entirely of salvaged windows and doors. I appreciated seeing a modern interpretation. It seems as though the futility of home depot etc. can be put to constructive and thoughtful use. Thanks