This carbon-neutral house comes as a kit and takes just 2 weeks to build

As the number of homeless people continues to rise around the world, an American start-up is determined to make housing more accessible by creating inexpensive and environmentally friendly houses.

Credit: NODE

The founders of NODE believe that access to affordable housing should be a basic right. They are striving to find a lasting solution to this current crisis. For this, they imagined a house that can be built in just two weeks and whose carbon footprint. And icing on the cake, the latter will cost much less than a traditional house.

The CEO of the start-up, Don Bunnell, explains: “Why are we still building houses like 100 years ago? Why does it take a year to build a house? It is fundamentally an engineering and industrial design problem. » Building a brand new home can be an incredibly expensive and time consuming process. But NODE's model is a flat-packed system, shipped to a construction site and designed to be assembled quickly. Much like IKEA's model, pre-made home materials are packed in compact boxes, making shipping much less expensive.

NODE's goal is to have its houses assembled by just four people in two weeks. If you can build IKEA furniture, you can also build your own home thanks to this initiative. Compactly packed building materials can be put in a container, loaded onto a train and shipped anywhere. Two people can easily unload supplies. No specific permit or license is required and assembly is made easy.

Credit: NODE

Don Bunnell explains: “One of the things we do is try to make good design accessible to people. We understood early on that it has no impact if you can only build buildings for the 1% of the population. » What really sets NODE's affordable, easy-to-assemble homes apart is that they're designed to be carbon neutral, some even negative. Currently, buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of carbon emissions worldwide. The toxic nature of the construction materials used and the lack of consideration for energy efficiency create a large, but avoidable, carbon footprint.

NODE manufactures the supplies for its energy-efficient homes from non-toxic materials. For example, they use recycled denim instead of fiberglass for wall insulation. They also use sand and recycled glass for ceiling insulation. By doing so, they manage to significantly reduce the carbon emissions of their homes. Their homes also have other green features like solar panels, composting toilets, and water storage and collection.

Credit: NODE

Credit: NODE

Energy neutral homes

NODE houses are not only unique because of their affordability and durability, but also because of their sleek and modern design. They currently offer a number of design options that can be customized to suit the tastes and aesthetic needs of the buyer. The cost of such houses can reach 150,000 euros for 50 square meters. A more affordable option is their house of about 25 square meters, equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom, which costs 90 euros.

“I think it's always been assumed that you can build very cheaply or very sustainably, but you can't do both. Our argument is that you can actually have well-designed, beautiful and durable homes that are affordable for everyone” told Don Bunnell about the NODE project. The start-up tackles both the housing crisis and the crisis of the environment with its affordable and energy-efficient homes. They are forcing the entire industry to rethink the process of building and buying homes. Maybe one day, this type of housing will be the rule and not the exception.

Credit: NODE

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