Sustainable Housing in Moorea

The archipelagos which make up the Territory of French Polynesia were hit by a strong tropical storm and five tropical cyclones which caused extensive material damage and fifteen fatalities between December 1982 and April 1983. As a direct result of these cyclones and the devastation to residential housing that followed, French Engineers designed the Fare MTR Bioclimatic (MTR) as an emergency housing solution. The main features of the MTR were is sturdy modular design that could be erected cheaply and quickly and was cyclone resistant.

The current design of this prefabricated kit house—now provided as subsidized housing for thousands of low-income families throughout French Polynesia—appears, in many respects, more appropriate to a mild European climate than to the tropics and is in large part built using imported materials.

The initial project (Spring 2006) determined the magnitude and principal sources of undesirable thermal conditions within the house and tested modifications to the design that would alleviate undesirable capture, transfer, and retention of thermal energy. This stage of research has been successful completed and the findings are now incorporated into the new kit home design.

The second stage of the project (Spring 2007-present) is the incorporation of sustainability ideals into the kit homes. Through collaboration with local authorities and the UC Berkeley Gump Station, the researchers at Berkeley sought out possible local materials and alternative production scenarios for increased sustainability in the kit homes. The initial idea had been to focus solely on sustainable materials (e.g. bamboo), but after a reconnaissance trip to Moorea, the project widened in focus to include the topic of sustainable livelihoods and global climate change.

The results of the work were published in a peer-reviewed journal found at: http://www.engr.psu.edu/IJSLE/currentissue.htm

The research revealed coir binderless boards to be the most appropriate material to meet design, performance, economic and sustainability criteria in French Polynesia. Implementation remains a critical stage yet to be undertaken. A testing program would be necessary to win the support of local builders and ensure the material is appropriate. A pilot scale plant would facilitate technology transfer among communities and ensure all technology, economic and social concerns have been sufficiently addressed.

Project mission:

• Drastically reduce the carbon dioxide associated with kit homes through local production.
• Implement a pilot scale plant that would allow for the local production of sustainable building materials.
• Work with the local government, builders and policy makers to further develop the support for locally produced materials.
• The improvement of the dwelling comfort, by the incorporation of sustainable techniques.

• Identification of the ways that imported construction materials can be replaced by local resources. (Completed)
• The acquisition of data on climatic performance of the existing MTR construction (Completed)
• Usage of these data for the research of the modifications to improve the existing MTR with focus on consumer savings of energy and water. (Completed)

Potential impact:

Reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from the import of materials. Reduce the dependence on imported material for low income family homes. Provide a means of sustainable livelihoods in the outer islands.

The impacted population would be thousands of families. 6000 units have already been built, and 7000 families are on the waiting list in French Polynesia. Project could potentially expand to other island groups outside French Polynesia.

Required resources:

1. Total project needs: $5,000

Links to external blogs or wikis:

• http://www.engr.psu.edu/IJSLE/currentissue.htm