At the Cuckoo Hostel in Bangalore, a new project is in progress, that’s surely going to change the way of sustainable housing. The project is being brought up in order to reduce the ecological footprint of our built-up spaces. And let us tell you that these houses are a mere 100-square foot structure on a hostel’s terrace.
Giving a quick look to the numbers, the last census has brought the grave problem of affordable housing in India. There is shortage of 1.8 crore homes and 96% of these houses are required by low-income populations. The conventional houses are beyond the reach of economically backward people. Plus, they leave a large carbon footprint behind. So, what's the solution?
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The tiny houses are the next ‘Big’ thing
These tiny houses have already emerged in Western countries due to lack of space. It focuses on rampant consumerism and facilitates people to switch to the environmentally and financially sustainable homes. These houses are just like ‘Lego Homes’. They can be a brilliant solution in case disaster strikes or to provide temporary housing to people in places like Kumbh Mela. These houses use lesser construction material as well as lesser energy. Due to their smaller size, they require fewer light bulbs and less water for cleaning.
Cuckoo Hostel’s rooftop popup house is the brainchild of Sampath Reddy, who’s an aerospace engineer who turned urban system designer. Sampath aimed to develop a low-cost sustainable housing to address the problem of homelessness. He along with Rajat Kukreja has developed this innovative idea to make housing more sustainable.
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Here are some facts you would like to know about these houses cheaper than an iPhone
- The first prototype of this house is 8-foot -8-foot cube which is made up of reused slotted angles, recycled woodchip board panels and the roof of corrugated metal.
- No nails are used to assemble the house. All the unites are held together by nuts and bolts.
- It is completely customisable and modular. They can be disassembled, folded and packed. You can transport them anywhere in the world.
- The home makes optimum use of natural light and ventilation. The walls are free of paint.
- New designs are being developed which will have water connection, sewage connection and other amenities.
- These houses are strong enough to last 5-6 years with proper maintenance.
- The team is trying to develop new houses that would be solar-powered and fitted with rainwater harvesting systems.
- The construction cost of these houses is between INR 30,000 to 50,000, which is less than the cost of an iPhone!
The team is looking for crowdfunding to further this project on a larger scale. They require INR 2 lakhs to sample more sustainable building materials and build more prototypes in different sizes.
“We want to show that it is possible to address the housing problem in a unique, environmentally and financially sustainable way. It will encourage people to relook at the spaces around them and put them to better use.” says Rajat Kukreja, founder of the hostel.
