BillionBricks Homes / powerHYDE is the world’s first carbon negative, self financing home for the homeless. Designed for the 200 million rural homeless in India, powerHYDE ensures that when these homes are built, they do not add negatively to the environment. Therefore they do not become a burden for other infrastructure provisions such as electricity, water and waste.
Each powerHYDE produces four times the amount of energy it needs for itself. A community of powerHYDE’s sells the additional energy to neighbouring industries and powers other communal facilities. This generates additional income for the inhabitants. A cluster of 75 powerHYDE homes is a mini power plant generating 1 MW of energy.
‘PowerHYDE’ combines through one solution:
1. the enormous demand for housing (40 million rural homes in India)
2. the increasing need of sustainable energy (300%) and
3. a sustainable financial model.
The daunting numbers and lack of financing have paralysed construction of homes for the poor. PowerHYDE is a self financing home conceived as a product. It is a product that produces more energy than its own usage and generates its own income. Since scaleability is essential for housing solutions, the house is designed in such a way that it is easy to assemble. Additionally the design is adaptable to different cultural, regional and climatic conditions.
PowerHYDE is modular. In order to meet the demand of growing families, the structural system of the house allows vertical and/or horizontal expansion. Moreover, passive and active sustainability measures meet the needs of fossil free energy production and zero impact water re-use and circulair waste treatment.
Project Name
powerHYDE
Location
Year
2019
Type
Themes
Sustainability, Innovation, Solar Energy
Status
In Progress
Design Team
bB Studio: billionBricks + Architecture BRIO + fUSE Studio
Size
3,4 Ha.
Program
Solar Power Community of 170 Homes
Awards
BillionBricks community is the world’s first self-financing community, that combines housing and clean solar energy into a single investible financialsolution. It presents an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future of our world, where everyone can be a homeowner while mitigating climate change.
The first prototype of powerHYDE is built in India
The solar roof extends beyond the house to create comfortably shaded verandah’s
powerHYDE is a cohesive model marrying housing demand and sustainable finance. It allows homes to become a passive income generator. Through design, construction and methodology it becomes an active contributor to a family’s income.
A community of 75 homes can jointly generate 1 MW of power. This ensures that solving the complicated puzzle of the enormous housing demand does not become a liability but an opportunity towards a sustainable future.
Unlike an average household, each BillionBricks home is designed to be self-sufficient and capable of being totally off grid. It removes itself from the greater system by producing renewable solar energy, harvesting rainwater, managing waste in septic tanks and supplementing food production with seasonal gardens. The benefits of this are exponential when these homes combine to form communities.
A BillionBricks home can achieve carbon neutrality in 6 years beyond which it becomes a carbon negative home as explained in the adjacent diagram.
Phase 1: How and where can impact be created?
Phase 2: Bringing together design and development
Phase 3: Building together
Phase 4: Homes for the people
Phase 5:Time for plans to turn into reality: the construction phase.
In order to optimise construction time and structural quality, BillionBricks is developing its own low cost
and hand-held pre-fabrication technology for structural and service systems. This will allow pre-fabricated components to be assembled on site without the use of specialised equipment or heavy machinery.
BillionBricks homes are constructed as a combination of prefabricated and localised elements. It’s unique combination of 30% prefabricated solar roof and structural systems along with 70% localised finishes allows the home to adapt to various cultures, climates, needs and contexts making it fit for a global market.
The design of a BillionBricks home can be broken down into a kit of parts. Designed with very few components, the house allows easy construction, maintenance, repair and disassembly.
Floor Plan
Sustainable Systems lower the Environmental impact of the Billionbricks Home:
1. Solar power generation and sale to smart grids
2. Rain water harvesting for use in the household
3. Seasonal Food cultivation
4. Stack ventilation for improved indoor climate
5. Machinery-free, tension-based column construction
PowerHYDE is expandable to allow for future growth and changing needs. The system is designed to be applicable for both urban and rural applications.
The framework of powerHYDE is universal, but the infill is flexible. It is customisable to the multitude of variations in climate, social context and geographies.
