When earthquakes hit, they can devastate entire cities. And rebuilding destroyed buildings costs a lot labor, time, and money.
Renowned architect Anupama Kundoo may have a solution — for homeowners, at least. The Indian architect, who is known for designing low-income buildings, has come up with a cheap, earthquake-resistant, easy-to-build home.
Kundoo tells Tech Insider that she has been commissioned to build 22 prototype homes in Auroville, India, and her firm, Anupama Kundoo, is crowdfunding to build more of the houses, called Full Fill Homes.
Much like Legos or Tetris, people can stack readymade plaster blocks to build the homes, which take just six days and $4,400 each. The blocks can form different rooms in the house — from the kitchen to the bathroom.
Take a look.
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India has a history of intense earthquakes. In the past two years, the country has suffered seven quakes and aftershocks — the highest hitting a 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Auroville isn't known for earthquakes, but if the first phase goes well, the team will build the homes in natural disaster-prone zones.
The Full Fill Home can resist earthquakes, Kundoo says. The team is, however, still testing what level earthquake the homes can withstand.
The home's strength comes from a material called ferrocement, a plaster painted over metal wire mesh and rod reinforcements.
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