Pitch
Build For Change aims to focus on challenging ideas with intuitive and simple solutions while also prioritizing sustainability, the local economy and the safety of its residents. The project focuses on St. Maartin which faces various challenges such as an expensive housing market, facing frequent natural disasters like hurricanes and produces 300,000 tonnes of general waste (of 30% paper waste) per year. Build for Change aims to solve these by incorporating a shipping container that holds all of the necessary materials to build a hurricane-proof, affordable house and utilizes the container as a safety core. The housing promotes the conditional construction method of timber frame structure and minimizes the imported material by reinforcing it with locally produces cardboard blocks making it affordable. These blocks promote the local economy by producing an easy-to-make construction material but also decrease the amount of cardboard waste that is left in landfills.
