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That's nice, but if they're so affordable why have they only built one or two so far? Why is it that so far they've been built by rich Western volunteers for ri
by hugh3 16y ago
That's nice, but if they're so affordable why have they only built one or two so far? Why is it that so far they've been built by rich Western volunteers for rich Western volunteers?
The article could really use a lot more detail. How much does it cost to build one, and how many man-hours are involved? What kinds of tools do you need? If I woke up tomorrow and found myself penniless and uneducated in a Jo-burg slum, how would I get started on building myself a tube house?
- mcantelon 16y agoGood point. The Slumtube creator's site is even worse. Housing design hackers could learn much from the open hardware movement.
- brudgers 16y agoSee all the plywood sheets? The open hardware movement has nothing on the construction materials industry.
- mcantelon 16y agoHumanitarian housing designers don't design construction components, they design with construction components. Open hardware designers do the same thing with electrical components. My point is that if humanitarian housing designers want to actually see their designs used they should open source the designs as open hardware people do.
- brudgers 16y agoWhile it might be possible to patent a system for building with shipping pallets, generally architectural designs are covered by copyright where they are protected at all, e.g. the US. Unlike hardware, good housing design tends to be site specific. It responds directly to the geography, micro-climate, solar orientation, and culture of the place. The slumtube is novel, but not particularly innovative. It's a slightly hipper version of the beer can house: http://www.beercanhouse.org/ http://www.beercanhouse.org/