While it may look unassuming at first glance, this house is truly revolutionary. The 430 square foot home is made from LEGO-like recycled plastic bricks, it cost 20,000 pesos ($6,800) to construct, and it was built by team of four people in just five days. While tackling the challenges of transporting materials to build his house in Cundinamarca, Colombia, Fernando Llanos decided to use recycled plastic to get the job done. So he teamed up with architect Óscar Méndez to create Conceptos Plásticos – an innovative system that uses plastic bricks to build homes in remote areas at an affordable cost.

To minimize the impact on the environment, the team decided to utilize recycled plastic, despite the fact that new plastic would have been easier to use. “[U]sed (plastic) requires more experimentation,” said Méndez.

To create the plastic bricks, the duo obtains plastic from local recyclers and factories, which is then melted and molded into the necessary shape. The molded plastic bricks have insulation properties, resist combustion, and meet local earthquake-resistance requirements.

Since its inception in 2011, the company has increased to 15 employees and recently completed the construction of a temporary shelter for 42 families displaced people in Colombia. The company was recently awarded $300,000 by The Chivas Venture to help it expand to a global scale.

Article from inhabitat.com

by Kristine Lofgren