saint etienne biennale 08: sustainable housing

‘pallet-house’ is made predominantly of pallet boards which are typically used for shipping goods image © designboom

included in the ‘habiter demain’ exhibition at the musée de la mine, are the results of a sustainable architecture competition that was held for european students. the brief was to design a minimal, multifunctional home for work and leisure. the designs were to be a maximum of 60 m² in size and designed to fit into an existing urban or natural space. one of the first prize winners was the ‘pallet-house’ designed by gregor pils and andreas claus schnetzer from the vienna technical university in austria.

the form of the pallet allows for natural light to flow through the house image © designboom

the ‘pallet-house’ is constructed from 800 pallets, a material usually used for transporting large quantities of goods. the house can be adapted in various conditions, from a weekend home to a cell for refugee camps and slums. recycled pallets are used as a basic support structure, front panels, blinds and sun screens with cellulose and local natural or recycled material used as heat isolation. the space between the pallet wall layers is meant for the installation of heating, lighting and water. rain water is collected on one point of the roof from where it is drained into a cistern (container for liquids), recycled and used for toilets.

image © designboom

saint etienne biennale 08: ‘habiter demain’ at the musée de la mine

saint-étienne international design biennale: http://biennalesaint-etienne.citedudesign.com cité du design: http://www.citedudesign.com