These days we have been hearing a lot of talk about sustainable houses and communities that are more friendly to the environment.0:02
Joining me today is Karen Wells, who has not only come up with an environmentally friendly house, but one that is portable and can be moved from place to place.0:09
Karen, from what I understand, your design is not a mobile home or holiday caravan, but an actual home that you build and can take apart again.0:21
There are lots of movable houses, but the problem is the high cost of moving them.0:30
My basic design is a one-room house that comes in a box that can be constructed or taken down and moved inexpensively.0:36
My house can be built in just a few hours using just a few simple household items such as a screwdriver.0:46
But is there a demand for such houses?0:55
Yes, there certainly is.0:58
I am an engineer, and 10 years ago I had a lot of business building large, expensive homes.1:00
Then the housing market fell, and building slowed down dramatically.1:07
I thought with such economic problems I should focus my work not only on inexpensive houses, but portable ones as well.1:12
My homes are both inexpensive and durable, which many people around the world are in need of.1:21
Okay, affordable housing is important, but why portable?1:27
Well, these days more and more people are being forced to move around, whether it's because of economic troubles, natural disasters, or even weather problems such as drought.1:31
My Portable Homes allow these people to take their houses with them at a very low cost.1:43
They also function as excellent emergency shelters in disaster-stricken areas, for instance, after a hurricane.1:49
I can see their purpose as temporary shelters, but are they really suitable for living in long term?1:57
Well, my basic design is, like I said, a one-room home of about 12 square meters, but it has a high ceiling that gives the illusion of a lot of space.2:03
There is also the option to add on other rooms to the house and expand it to a more comfortable living space.2:14
What about heating, water, and electricity?2:21
Well, if one can't or doesn't want to rely on local electricity or water supplies, the homes can be equipped with solar or wind power systems and water collection equipment.2:24
The homes are made of unique plastic panels that are weather-resistant to extreme heat, cold, wind, and rain.2:37
So, your homes can be independent of local electricity and water providers.2:46
I'm even working on an idea to eventually make a portable village with my houses.2:52
As a result of climate change, natural disasters, and economic crisis, people are moving around more than ever.2:58
Often now, whole groups of people have to move and set up new homes elsewhere.3:06
Imagine how practical my homes would be in such situations!3:12
Yes, they would be very useful.3:17
Some of your homes are already being used in some villages in Kenya.3:19
The people there are very happy to have strong and comfortable homes that they feel safe in.3:24
But not only that, they even turned some of the homes into schoolhouses.3:30
Sounds like there is a lot of potential for your portable homes.3:35
We look forward to seeing and hearing about them in the future.3:39
Thanks for joining us, Karen.3:42
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