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Arial Home OverviewFrom $1Table of contentsNo headersThe Humanitarian Challenge
According to a United Nations report, more than one billion human beings live in substandard, unhealthy conditions, such as the shelter shown above. Most governmental and philanthropic organizations are addressing the crisis with short term solutions that are unlikely to catch up with population growth. Traditional methods and materials commonly used to build houses are inadequate to deal with the scale of the crisis. The Arial Home Initiative provides a new way of addressing the problem of substandard housing for low income families around the world. Most charitable organizations have concluded that the best way to use their limited funds is to build the cheapest homes possible so that the maximum number of homes can be built with the money available. The Arial Home Initiative hopes to set an example of long term, life cycle thinking by building homes that may not have the lowest initial cost, but will have “the lowest cost per occupant per year.” The housing crisis is unlikely to be resolved if charitable organizations and government agencies continue to build what are often called “better shacks.” Instead of building tiny homes with no insulation, no running water, no sanitary or electrical systems, The Arial Home Initiative builds larger, all-steel homes with excellent insulation, running water, a sanitary waste system, and an electrical system, solar powered if necessary. Based on experience with steel homes built in the 1950's (Lustron Homes), Arial Homes are projected to have useful lives of 50 years or more due to their galvanized steel construction. This compares to an average 15 year life for lower quality, wood or mud brick homes currently being built.
With usable floor space ranging from 32 square meters (345 square feet) to 56 square meters (603 square feet), an Arial Home is also significantly larger than most poverty level houses which typically range from 120 to 280 square feet. This means that more of the extended family will live in the home. It costs less to house more people in one larger home than in two smaller homes. A higher quality home will also be able to qualify for a micro-mortgage, and that is a primary objective of The Arial Home Initiative.
Arial Homes are made from modular, metal insulated steel panels which fit together like LEGO’s. Each panel consists of a two inch thick “sandwich” of pre-painted, rust resistant, 24 gauge steel on the outside and on the inside, filled with polyurethane foam. Wall panels weigh an average of 65 pounds. Roof panels weigh an average of 95 pounds. Panels can be handled by two people with no lifting equipment. A team of ten unskilled workers can erect an Arial Home structure in approximately four hours. They can completely finish the plumbing, sanitary system and electrical system by the end of the day. Families with a few of their friends and neighbors can erect their own Arial Home in two days. This can be done with the help of an experienced Arial Home mentor to guide them and the loan of the battery powered screw guns that are used to secure the panels to each other and the concrete floor. Description of Technology
The key to the success of The Arial Home Initiative has been the development of an inexpensive, efficient micro-manufacturing plant to make modular home panels from sheet steel and polyurethane. Local workers are hired and taught how to use the specialized manufacturing equipment which is mostly manually operated, requiring no electricity.
In full production, each plant will be capable of producing enough panels for one Arial Home per work shift per day (47 panels). This production rate will require 5 employees working an 8 hour shift. With the single shift, an Arial Home factory could potentially produce components for 250 homes per year. By adding a second shift, each Arial Home factory could produce 500 homes per year. Due to the use of custom machines to make the metal insulated panels, the cost of the capital equipment for the factory can be kept under $100,000. Below is the fixture used to foam the metal pans into panels.
The Arial Home Initiative is designed to be replicated in as many of the poor neighborhoods of the world as funding will enable.
People Behind the Concept There have been dozens of thought contributors to The Arial Home Initiative. Paul Saydak, a general contractor from Deerfield, IL, was an early contributor to the design and on-going improvements to the Arial Homes. Sean Lambert, CEO of YWAM San Diego, has contributed many ideas based on his many years of experience building Homes of Home houses in Baja, Mexico. Aaron Ewerdt, our Arial Home General Manager has provided dozens of ideas to improve the Arial Homes over the years. Students from Princeton University’s Engineering School erected a research and development Arial Home on the University campus on May 28, 2008. We have received many useful design ideas from the students at Princeton as a result of this project. The principal designer of the Arial Home, and the Arial Home manufacturing plant, has been Tom Pirelli, with assistance from his wife and partner, Jane Pirelli.
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