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'The $300 House' Challenge

Silungan

A house that was based on the vernacular. It may be simple and conventional, but it is sustainable, efficient, and still possible to build a house under $300 using the common construction materials.

Solution

INTRODUCTION

This design was based on the fact that most of the slums in the world are situated in the Tropics, particularly in the Sub-Saharan Africa andAsia. (http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=1156)

Although there are slum areas outside the tropical region, in which the house design is supposed to be different because of climate and other factors, I intend to provide first decent and affordable shelter for the majority of the people living in slum areas.

DESIGN SOLUTION

Referring back to the vernacular design is an immediate solution in house efficiency and sustainability issues. The vernacular structures in the ancient times were built and translated as an adaptation to the surrounding environment. These have survived for many years because of its efficiency and sustainability. For instance, the use of bamboo as a construction material in shacks and tropical houses has been proven efficient and sustainable because of its significant number of ways of utilizing it and because of its strength. Referring to the vernacular for sustainable concepts and ideas is a good solution for solving today's housing problem.

SILUNGAN was designed using some concepts from the vernacular architecture. Besides of being built at a low cost, the design has other features:

· USE OF CHEAP & READILY AVAILABLE MATERIALS. What is cheap and accessible/available in the nearest hardware store is one of the main concerns of the slum dwellers. The house is designed to use the available construction materials in the market such as lumber, aluminum roofing sheets, etc.. They are easy to find and practical.

· SUSTAINABLE. The house was designed to harness free, and natural resources for daily human activities. Maximizing the use of sunlight, air and rainwater effectively reduce damage to the environment.

· LOW-SKILL REQUIREMENT. The house is constructed by means of the conventional method. This is the choice of method of construction in urban slums because of its simple procedure. Hence, the owner of the house can build their own house, reducing the cost of labor. Even if it is conventional, it does not mean that the design cannot be sustainable and efficient. The newly-developed construction methods and materials of today may be the conventional ones in the future.