T-walls could easily transition to become the side walls of one story homes, with the wide base buried underneath the ground acting as a foundation. The 12 ft T-Walls (also called Texas Walls) would then create a single story home with around 10 ft high interior ceilings. The exterior would be covered in a uniform cladding or plaster material and hide the fact that the homes are made from concrete barriers. Each T-wall has effective R-value of 14, (analogous to a conventional CMU cavity wall), and would provide thermal mass for the home helping to keep it cool during the day and warmer at night.
New World Design carefully studied traditional Iraqi dwelling patterns to come up with a home design that would fit the needs of the families. Each home is arranged in an L-shape with a kitchen and dining area at the corner placed between public and private rooms. The public sitting room incorporates a double height ceiling, which acts as a wind tower catching natural breezes and facilitating natural ventilation throughout the house.
The L-shaped home is coupled with another to form a private courtyard with its neighbor so children can play and women can freely interact with each other. This setup also has the potential to combine housing units for larger, extended families. New World Design was careful to incorporate traditional Arabic building typologies and desert architecture so that these homes would be readily accepted. Additionally, it would be excellent to see these precast concrete barriers put to good use rather than wasting away in a T-wall graveyard.
Via ArchDaily
