Hex House: an innovative and affordable shelter for short and long term needs

With the prevalence of refugee displacement across the globe, Architects For Society has embarked on designing housing solutions that help alleviate and overcome many of the problems associated with current temporary refugee shelters. The Hex House is not only low cost and can be shipped in pieces to be easily assembled by the end user, equally as important, it is also long term and dignified! Design strategies A- Urban Planning Flexibility The 40 SM hexagonal plan can be combined into various combinations of clusters that enclose shared exterior gardens or green space. Whether linear or radial, these clusters can be oriented to allow for accessible drives and pedestrian walkways. B- Building Components The walls, roof and floor are fabricated from rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two sheets of steel known as Structural Insulated Panel (SIP). All exterior wall panels have the same dimension 3M (9’-10”) x 4M (13’-2”) with some variations for door and window openings. The roof and floor panel sizes are also standardized, insuring efficiency in fabrication, packing and transportation. C- Wall Panel Assembly Each 150mm (6") thick insulated metal wall/ roof panel is locked together using a built-in tongue and groove locking joint. The panels are designed to be self-supporting and don't require additional structure. The exterior walls can then be clad with cement render (stucco), wood cladding, or other materials using typical mechanical fasteners. The 150mm (6") panel has a U-value of .054 (R18.5). D- Foundation Assembly The walls are supported on a hexagonal steel frame with six perimeter and one center support. The supports which are height adjustable are anchored to concrete pier foundations. The structural steel base members are connected with steel bolts through predrilled holes. The floor panels are then fixed on top and span from one horizontal support to the other. E- Passive Cooling & Solar Panels There are two ventilation shafts on opposite sides of the house. Air is diverted by operable baffles into floor openings, travels up the shaft and out through registers in the space. The air then moves up though the space via the stack effect and is allowed to circulate above interior walls and out through an operable exhaust vent. Solar panels provide supplementary power for lighting and small electronics. The Hex House is designed to be a scalable solution which is rapidly deployed and erected by non-builders. With passive and low tech features and durability of exterior shell and base, it can endure extended occupancy form 15 to 20 years. To read more about Architects For Society and the HEX HOUSE project, and /or help fund us to reach our goal, please click here gofund.me/g7bdy