Last edited 01 Mar 2021

Wikkelhouse

In May 2016, Fiction Factory, a company of creative makers from Amsterdam, revealed a modular building system made of cardboard components.

Named 'Wikkelhouse', which translates from Dutch as 'Wrap House', the completed prototype comprises a series of interlocking cardboard segments that each weigh 500 kg and can be assembled in just one day.

Each of these tubular components is 1.2 metres deep which can be connected and disconnected to extend or reduce the length of a building. They also make it easily transportable.

Four years of research and development by the team has led to a pioneering construction technology that involves a rotating house-shaped mould, around which are wrapped layers of cardboard. A total of twenty-four layers are bonded together using an 'eco-friendly' superglue. The result is an incredibly robust sandwich structure that provides good insulation. The components are finished with a waterproof, breathable foil and wood panelling.

Each Wikkelhouse is tailor-made with windows, different finishes or individual colour schemes. Fiction Factory suggest the structure can be adapted to a variety of uses such as a holiday home, guest house or office space.

Fiction Factory claim that since each Wikkelhouse is sustainably produced and made of materials that have minimal impact on the environment, it is three-times more eco-friendly than traditional housing. As well as this, the segments can be reused and are 100% recyclable.

Wikkelhouse is currently only available in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, the U.K., and Denmark, although they hope this will change in the future.

Content courtesy of Fiction Factory.

Images credited to Yvonne Witte.

For more information, see Wikkelhouse.