Prefabrication experiments - 219 - oddities - 10 - GFRP earth covered houses

The evolution of hardening resins reinforced with fiberglass fibers moulded on a variety of shapes is usually associated with boat and naval construction but it was also marginally but iconically adopted by building construction during the twentieth century; branded as the future of construction. The precisely formed panels could be easily bolted together and consequently disassembled to be reassembled in any setting. The glass fiber reinforced polymer construction could furthermore be transported to any context as the panels were lightweight and could be made to be stackable. Many systems employed these panels as both a monocoque structure and skin in an integrated kit architecture. The fiberglass panel technique never percolated into streamlined construction as one could argue that the housing shapes architects developed were more akin to futuristic space-age imagery than longstanding acceptable housing types. The technology however is still used in many products as the panels are simple to manufacture and offer both flexibility and durability.

Green magic homes (see https://greenmagichomes.com)  has repurposed the twentieth century technology as the basis of an earth covered housing structure where the shell topography onto which the berms are formed is assembled from waterproofed GFRP panels. The panels are moulded and crafted to any shape. Each arched panel is manufactured for a specific design and juxtaposed in all manner of vaulted configurations, from the simple barrel vault open on each end to the very complex organic vaulted structures that could lead to various directions like a network of natural cavernous spaces. The process is quite straightforward. The shaped panels are bolted and glued together over a raft reinforced concrete foundation to create an overall berm shape. Subsequent to their extrados surface’s waterproofing, an arched berm structure is stepped and filled with cellular lightweight concrete to reinforce the shell structure and minimise backfill. Any type of vegetation could be planted over the structure as it is covered with conventional green roof compositions. Essentially, a berm mould, the panels’ intrados surface could simply be painted and exposed on the inside or layered with other finishing materials. Combining the thermal resistance of earthwork with vegetation, the green magic kit, reimagines the archetypal pit house for contemporary living. 

Green Magic Homes GFRP panels and green roof