The project addresses problems of stagnating
construction industry, scarcity of affordable
housing and plastic pollution. Innovative production
technology is introduced, which uses industrial
waste plastic, more specifically polyoxymethylene
(POM). The manufacturing process
combines continual extrusion and additive
manufacturing.
Corner supported modular system with
stiff modules is adopted. The modules are
fully produced, assembled and outfitted offsite,
in controlled environment. This allow
mass production and mass customization of the
modules, which decreases manufacturing costs.
More affordable houses of superior quality can
be produced.
Several versions of multi-story buildings
are designed and analysed. Load acting on
the structures are calculated and their effects
analysed. Based on that, structural elements
are designed. Emphasis is put into stiffness
of the structure, due to relatively low stiffness
of the POM material. Therefore, serviceability
limit state is determining. For taller buildings,
steel bracing rods are used to provide structural
stiffness.
Joints between the structural elements and
modules are designed so they allow complete
disassembly. This provides a benefit that the
modules can be reused, used as self-standing
structures, reallocated and at the end of the
lifetime easily recycled.