The Shell House was created to help the building industry to find better methods in construction, without sacrificing the flexibility of design and imagination and the integrety and quality of the structure. This example shows how quickly a house could be enclosed completely under one month of construction time. After that heating, plumbing, electrical and finishing work takes place in a protected environment.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Shell Housing
These are the main phases of the process to erect a Shell House:
PHASE #1
FOUNDATION SYSTEM
Any foundation system can be used for this type of structure. Depending on the location, it can be a full basement, a grade beam, a pile system, a concrete slab on grade, or others.
There are also different technics available in the market, from formed concrete, to concrete blocks, high performance wall systems, pressure treated wood foundations and many more.
Location and availability will play a role.
PHASE #2
HOOK&BUILD™ BUILDING SYSTEM
The prefabricated framing structure arrives on site. Every component is ready to be assembled with only a hand tool, a ratchet wrench. Depending on weight, size and height of the building, a crane or cherry picker is needed to lock all parts together in a very short time period. This type of frame can be assembled under normal conditions in two (2) days.
PHASE #3
FLOOR JOIST SYSTEM
Floor joists come in many variations. Engineered floor systems are widely available. There are I-joists, open web joists, wood, metal and concrete joists. The final decision will be made by the structural engineer and the owner of the new home.
PHASE #4
FLOOR SHEETING
T&G floor sheeting with OSB or Plywood sheets. Usually 5/8" or 3/4" thick, depending on the joist spacing, and the weight of the floor material (carpet, parquet, tiles, light crete, floor heating systems). Different types of decking made from wood, steel or concrete panels can also be used. The final decision will be made by the structural engineer and the owner of the new home.
PHASE #5
WALL AND ROOF PANELING
Panels come in Expanded Styrofoam (EPS), or in Urethane injected foam. Insulation values vary, depending on the insulation material and the thickness of the panel. Panels can have OSB Sheeting on both sides, or Plywood Sheeting, Gypsum Board, Fiber Board or similar materials. They come with the openings for windows and doors. Some panel fabricators also offer the panels with finishing material on both sides.
PHASE #6
WINDOWS AND DOORS
A huge selection of windows and doors are available in the market today.There is no limit in sizes and shapes. They come in wood, vinyl, plastic, fiberglass, steel and aluminum. One has to look at the quality closely, from the frame profile and sealing, to the hardware.
THE SHELL HOUSE
After the roofing is finished, the house is closed in, and the walls to the outside can be finished with any chosen material. Finishing work can start on the inside of the building now or
preferably in the cold months of the year. Plumbing and electrical is next.
Shell housing
I'm starting to get the picture now. It's sort of a design-it-yourself modular system based on the hook & build system!
Shell Housing
Well, this is certainly one way to use the system. The flexibility is much greater. Imagine to ask 20 designers and architects to design a 2,000 sqf home using this technology. One would get 20 different designs ............ we actually build the first dome house with this Hook&Build™ Building System. Wolf