Pitch
A solution for plastic waste: use it to make homes that are low emissions, low-cost & easy-to-build.
Description
Summary
Key environmental problems we face today are the high energy cost of bricks & cement, serious damage to shores from extracting sand for construction, & disposing of ubiquitous plastic waste. Making low-cost, easy-to-build housing available for low-income families is a related social problem.
A potential solution to all of these problems is to use plicks, bricks made from recycled plastic that have:
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Hexagon-shapes, about 30cm across& 6cm thick, &are hollow except for spokes joined at the centre by an axle: lightweight & strong!
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Sealed tops on either face, enclosing a vacuum: the best of all temperature- & sound-insulators!
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Male/female “slide-&-lock” clasps alternatively on the six side edges, to attach the plicks firmly together without glue or cement & create honeycomb configurations. Easy!
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Slots built into the front & back ends of the axles that will accept a range of “insert-twist-&-lock” accessories. Anything goes!
Using plicks would make “building-it-yourself”, low-cost homes accessible to all. Building would simply involve:
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Pouring foundations (where using concrete & getting some outside help may be unavoidable).
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Anchoring galvanized steel frames into these foundations for the walls & roof, & locking them tightly together to provide the house structure. These frames would also feature built-in, alternating male/female “slide-&-lock” clasps.
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Sliding& locking the plicks – first into the frames, alternating plicks with “half-plicks”to fill in all the spaces along the straight edges – and then into each other, until the frames are completely filled (leaving space for doors & windows).
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Finally, fixing the desired “insert-twist-&-lock”accessories into either side of the plicks' axles. Outside accessories could include decorative panels, grids for hanging plants & solar panels connected (on special plicks) by wiring built into the axles. Inside accessories could include shelving, decorative panels & fixtures for easy-access plumbing & electrical installations.
What actions do you propose?
I am submitting this proposal very late, and unfortunately do not have time to complete it. But at least the summary is there. Thank you.