Prefab Homes Design for Tropical Environments

Great homes design made from insulated shipping containers and bamboo has been developed by design and construction firm located in Costa Rica 'Bamboo Groves'



This great prefab house design developed for the tropical climate, these prefab homes are different from the designs we are accustomed to — those designed for temperate or cooler climates. Many of these prefab and shipping container homes focus on passive heating and cooling. But in warmer climates, such as Central America, construction requires a different tactic - insulating from the heat and providing lots of natural ventilation to help cool.



The designer at Bamboo Groves uses Intermodal Steel Building Units (ISBUs), which are insulated shipping containers, in creating the framework of the home. Then Guadua Bamboo, which is one of the fastest growing bamboos, is harvested from nearby Costa Rican bamboo plantations and used as the structural beams for the roof. Current designs range from 100 sq meters with one ISBU up to 250 sq meter split level villas with three ISBUs. Construction should take less than 5 months and be very affordable.



Concrete is a very common and accessible building material in Central America, so it is used for countertops and other built-in pieces of furniture like benches and bed stands. Other sustainable elements could be added to these homes, such as a greywater recycling system, rainwater collection, and wind or solar systems. Green building supplies like low-VOC paints, formaldehyde-free cabinets are not easily accessible there, but as the demand for these items grow, they will surely be available soon.