Title: Engineering, design and construction of quality and sustainable social housing from coconut fibre and coconut shell based panels and slabs.

Contributor: AIDICO (Instituto Técnico de la Construcción)

Years: 2008 – 2011

Objective:

To develop a construction system for social housing with all its requirements and needs, using as construction materials plaster-based enclosure panels with coconut products (crushed coconut shells, chips, fibres) and as a load-bearing structure concrete structural elements made of aggregate consisting of crushed coconut shells in a certain proportion together with normal aggregate.

Summary:

The following milestones were achieved during the project: 

• Development of a prototype enclosure and interior partition panel capable of meeting the necessary requirements for use in buildings using additions of products derived from coconut shells.
• Formulation of coconut-concrete in which the aggregate is replaced by coconut husk with a suitable granulometry to obtain an average structural resistance compatible with one or two-storey single-family buildings. 
• Study and design of a complete prototype of a one or two-storey building using and developing all the structural details and construction solutions necessary to make it habitable, stable and structurally strong.  

More information:

Project’s video.