Modular Housing made of Recycled PET image
Modular Housing made of Recycled PET image

Modular Housing made of Recycled PET

Effective Waste Reduction, Recycling and Recovery

With greater energy efficiency needed in future, recycled waste is becoming an important source of raw materials, with towns and cities ultimately being exploited as urban mines. PET Plastics are recycled in ever more creative and varied ways, but it is often a challenge to recycle a mix of polymers. UHCS is an approach to upcycle PET which not only provides solutions for plastic recycling, but also introduces sustainable methods to the construction industry, an industry which faces a lot of challenges on its path to higher energy-efficiency and sustainability.

Modular Housing made of Recycled PET image

Valais-based start-up, Ustinov Hoffmann Construction System (UHCS) is developing modular housing made from recycled plastic waste, such as PET. UHCS is designed to be produced on an industrial scale through a process of extrusion, which compresses the material. The plastic bricks are assembled like lego to form a cubic post-and-beam structure, with load-bearing walls, which can be adapted to different cultural contexts. This system facilitates high-quality construction while reducing the impact of humans on the natural world and produces buildings with better environmental performance. The first functional house prototype has been built, and the creation of the pilot plant is planned. PET is the preferred UHCS building material. This material has been chosen because it is non-toxic and available worldwide, although other plastics may be used that are more appropriate to climatic or local conditions. The modular construction system lends itself to industrial production on a large scale and meets the highest architectural standards. UHCS is also easy to implement, which gives architects creative freedom to develop their own designs.