low cost house

A generic affordable housing option
Designed for hot or cold climates
Variety of window and cladding treatments to suit local industry, skill levels and resources.
Designed to be sustainable within the context of the local environment.
Sloping roof is ideal for mounting solar panels and collecting drinking water



		Single Story Eco-Villas

		Two Floors Eco-Villa

		The Eco-Villa is long lasting and durable The galvanized frame is termite proof and corrosion resistant The Eco-Villa will withstand cyclones, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters


			Foundations Mega-Anchor footings are laid out and piers driven into ground Stirrups to hold bearers are attached and heights checked Bearers are screwed into stirrups 6 anchors can easily be installed within an hour by one unskilled or semiskilled operator.
			Walls Wall frames can be pre-fabricated or constructed on-site Diagonal bracing straps are applied on-site quickly and easily Walls can be clad with locally sourced material at any time after construction, allowing flexibility in resource acquisition.



		Roof Rafters are placed across the top of the walls with top plate Steel roof sheeting is laid on rafters and screw fixed
		Fit Out Internal fit out and furnishings can be whatever is appropriate for local conditions


		Build an Eco Villa Unit in 4 days
			Day 1: foundation inc finished floor. Mega-Anchor footing are laid out and piers driven into ground.
			Day 2: columns up to roof frame mezzanine floor
		•	Day3: roof frame
		•	Day4: roof cover and wall cladding



		Advantages of the Eco-Villa Sustainable Lightweight Compact Uses less material Easy to erect Long lasting Uses local materials Unskilled labour

The main strengths are the value-adding of the Top-Hats(right) and Mega-Anchors(left)

the buildings are based around a rolled steel 'top-hat'(image right) element that is used for floor, wall, and roof support, significantly reducing construction time and material costs, and are made in Canberra. As a result, the entire building can be transported easily and assembled quickly on-site, as all the elements fit into one another
the whole structure can sit on 'Mega-anchors' (image left) - another Australian innovation that uses a triangulated pipe system as footings. Strong galvanized pipes are simply driven through the anchor into the soil. They support huge loads, and resist movement fantastically - the soil itself becomes the footing,. In recent testing, over two tons force was required to move a single anchor.

Eco-Villa Cost (One Unit)