A photographic print of Houses, Post War, Houses - Unusual Designs

Igloo-shaped home out of reinforced paper PAPER HOUSES are no longer just a flimsy idea. Prototypes, produced by the London firm of Tri-Wall Containers Ltd., have finished final tests and models should be on the market next year. The temporary houses are one-storey, igloo-shaped units made from a very tough reinforced paper called corrugated fibre board. They can be weatherproofed against most climatic conditions and will last for at least a year. Buliding them can be very quick. A team of four men can put up a paper house in three hours - and demolish it in minutes. Originally designed for emergency use in disaster areas, the houses are built by stapling together identical fibre board panels into hexagonal shapes. Each panel supports another so that when they are all in place the houses stand firmly without any other help. Larger buildings for use as schools and hospitals can be made by leaving out panels in a number of units and joining them all together into circular blocks. Single living units have a door with adjoining glass window at the front and rear. They stand 10ft. high at the centre peak and have a 20ft. wide floor space. Plumbing and electricity can be installed normally. Apart from disaster relief, the houses can also be used for workmen on isolated building sites. And in some cases they can even be cemented on the outside to become semi-permanent. The price of a paper house has not yet been worked out, but Tri-Wall expect it to be in the region of £150. Housing - Unusual