Students Design Movable Flood-Proof Houses That Cost Only Rs. 100,000

Students from the University of Karachi (KU) have designed a model for lightweight houses that are capable of sustaining floods by staying afloat.

Architecture students at the university’s Department of Visual Studies presented the economical, environmentally friendly, and mobile design of houses that can be utilized in flood-affected regions and particularly in villages.

The model houses can reportedly be built at a cost of Rs. 50,000 to 100,000 as their construction only requires materials like bamboo, floor mat, mud, and recycled plastic bottles. Also, they will not affect the inhabitants’ way of living in any way.

These houses can easily be transported to different places along with everything inside them like furniture, crockery, etc. in the event of a flood. Meanwhile, students have raised the walls of the houses up to 15 feet in cognizance of the recent floods that inundated under 10 feet of water.

Here are the pictures of the model houses:

KU’s Engineering Department has declared this model practical and has asked to have it executed as soon as possible.

The students explained that harsh weather conditions and floods had influenced them to develop a lightweight model of a house which they designed considering the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of the displaced flood victims.

It is mainly made of bamboo, and several frames were combined to form adjustable and detachable walls that can be removed and converted into a floating boat to rescue lives in crisis. The construction material is also easily available, which facilitates even flood victims to build the houses themselves.

Over 30 million people have been displaced by the recent monsoon floods and only 4,000 have been given temporary tents that are not even safe and do not protect the rescued people from the elements.

A lecturer from the Visual Studies department, Wajiha Siddiqui, remarked that Pakistan will experience the consequences of global warming in the form of natural disasters, which is why it is essential for the country to be prepared for more floods in the next 30 to 50 years.

She added that a workshop to spread awareness about humanitarian and flood-related situations among students was also held and a number of foundations and NGOs are in touch with them.