OSB SHEETS AND bamboo are the raw materials for architect Barberio Colella’s concept building ‘Just a minute’. Constructing it takes longer than that – but not much more, if the architect is to be believed. The home is Colella’s idea for resolving the situation left by the huge earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2014, rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless at a stroke.
The bamboo in the structural frame can be harvested locally. The gable ends are made from transparent polycarbonate plastic on a bamboo frame, while the centre section of OSB panels sits in the middle. A bamboo structural frame stretches out from each side of the core section, which houses the necessary functions such as a kitchen and toilet. The whole thing is covered in a waterproof plastic membrane before the structure is compressed together like a concertina. It can then be transported by helicopter or truck to the chosen site. The bamboo sides are then pulled out again and voilà: a two-room house with kitchen! The spaces between the bamboo poles and the waterproof membrane are insulated with wool, old clothes or whatever comes to hand.«
