Portable home

Sheltered among the trees of College, Laguna is a 21-square-meter-house that can be put up in less than an hour, given four workers and simple carpenter’s tools. The house includes a toilet and bath and a kitchen.

"We call it the F-shelter because it is fast to build, firm, and can be folded to a fifth of its total floor area when not in use," said Forest Products Research and Development Institute head Florence Soriano, who was very much involved with the project that was initiated in 2000 during her tenure with the FPRDI’s Material Properties Evaluation Division. "Using the F-shelter is like buying time when a comfortable and safe refuge is needed most. A typical low-cost, site-built shelter would take two to three months from planning to construction."

To date, FPRDI, a subsidiary of the Department of Science and Technology, has built four prototypes in collaboration with the Laguna Chapter of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers. A timber-framed prototype is currently undergoing simulation loading tests with the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Two steel-framed prototypes have been donated to the provinces of Albay and Palawan.

Concept

"We conceptualized the F-shelter as an alternative emergency shelter to schools, churches, and other public buildings during natural disasters and flooding. The use of many F-shelters as an evacuation center would not disrupt the normal activities or livelihood of the community involved," said Soriano.

The self-contained shelter rests on adjustable footings and is delivered to the site, using a detachable metal chassis. On site, the roof panels are unfolded from each side of the packed and folded rigid case. The floor panels are then unfolded and the accordion-like walls with its built-in door and windows are pulled out and fixed in place. The shelter is connected to the community’s existing water and electricity supply.

The patent for the F-shelter is still pending with the Intellectual Property Office.

Commercialization

"We are now looking for technology adopters who will mass produce the shelter. We have already prepared construction jigs as guides in the fabrication of the different house components as well as an electronic manual for the fabrication, construction, maintenance, and storage of shop-fabricated houses," said Soriano.

FPRDI has also prepared a technology and commercialization plan that contains a business plan for private sector partners. Based on its prototypes, a shelter will cost about P170,000 to build.
"Production cost could be substantially reduced during mass production due to savings from more efficient material cutting schedules and more efficient use of equipment and workers," said Soriano.

From its initial market of local government units and organizations that conduct relief operations, the market for F-shelter has expanded to include construction firms in need of field offices that can be quickly installed and moved from one site to another and real estate developers targeting low-income families. The F-shelter can also be converted into resort cottages and vacation homes.

"There is no doubt that the technology is good. If it is not marketed and adopted by the intended end-users, however, the technology becomes a waste of resources and opportunities for economic growth," said Soriano.