P.O.P. Houses

Ongoing
P.O.P. (Paper or Plastic) House is an ongoing research proposal that investigates the use of material that is classified as waste for use in architectural construction. The goal is to use these materials to build full-scale prototypes and constructs that demonstrate the viability of waste. The P.O.P. House project requires collaborative material research. It also requires the development of new, and modification of existing digital and analog tools and techniques that allow designers to manipulate waste materials with refinement and efficiency. We intend test our P.O.P.Houses through prototyping. Students and student researchers will collaborate to design small construction projects to be executed on the UBC campus or at other locations in the region. This yearís P.O.P. Project will focus specifically on the use of wood pulp, recycled plastic, salvaged wood, recycled fabric, though other materials can be suggested.

The work on P.O.P. House will also address broader discursive topics in architectural design, including design agency (who or what has control over material production?), strategy (where is the point of control in a production sequence?), and efficiency (can materials be manipulated with limited energy and effort?). We are also invested in ethical construction practices, and the economic and cultural impacts of treating housing as a globally traded asset. The effects of the latter can be seen throughout cities like Vancouver, where soaring land values result in the destruction and disposal of nearly 1000 single-family homes annually. Throughout North America, it is estimated that roughly 20% of materials that enter landfills come from construction and demolition waste. We contend that much of this material, and other forms of consumer waste, are still viable for light construction. The production of P.O.P. Houses is intended to prove this is true.   

HouMinn with HiLo Lab - Stuart Lodge, Sébastien Roy, Neal Qiongyu Li, Daichi Yamashita