Architecture studio Cutwork has developed a concept for low-cost, modular housing that could be reconfigured to facilitate twice as many people during a crisis.
The experimental architecture and design studio believes its ReHome concept could address the increasing demand for affordable housing around the world.
Rather than building emergency shelters to house people affected by conflict or natural disasters, it proposes structures that would be equally effective in times of stability.
ReHome units would be prefabricated to enable fast and cost-efficient construction
According to Antonin Yuji Maeno, co-founder and lead architect of Cutwork, these homes could be easily adapted to accommodate different volumes of people.
"The idea is not to build strictly emergency shelters that won't be used in the long term, but to build good quality affordable housing that can provide shelter and security in all environments and situations," he said. The project follows Cutwork's Cortex Shelter project, which was a design for flat-pack refugee shelters.
The 27-square-metre modules can be stacked "like Lego bricks"
The ReHome system is formed of 27-square-metre units that can be stacked "like Lego bricks" to create buildings of up to six storeys.
These units would be prefabricated off-site to enable fast and cost-efficient construction.
"Regarding the size of the challenge ahead, we can see how prefabrication reduces the cost dramatically for creating affo...