Villages of portable houses to be built in earthquake hit Christchurch

The New Zealand city of Christchurch which was devastates by an earthquake earlier this year is to get a stock of light weight, low cost mass housing able to withstand aftershocks.

The city needs hundreds of temporary houses as winter approaches. Now villages of portable properties are to be created in parks so that those who have lost their homes have somewhere suitable to live in the coming winter months.

The new portable houses with three and four bedrooms will be provided by Jennian Homes for families who have been living in garages, motor homes or camping after losing their properties.

The houses are small by New Zealand standards, just 83 square meters and all the bedrooms flow off the main central lounge. They are also double glazed.

These houses have no garages but are designed so they can be shifted a number of times, fast. They will all be fitted with smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. The first 20 will be up very soon, Jennian said.

They are plywood clad on the exterior and interior, using the building material which has strength and flexibility to cope with future expected earthquakes and ongoing aftershocks.
Jennian explained that it normally builds these models as farm cottages but they have all the facilities you'd expect in a small house.

There are no bricks, tiles or concrete floorpads, all of which can be destroyed easily in an earthquake and the roof is corrugated iron and the walls are wood to cope with any shudders.
It said carpet on the floors of bedrooms and the central living area will keep the floors warm. Under floor, ceiling and wall insulation is part of the package and heat pumps will be installed too.

Two Jennian Canterbury franchises are ready to begin building the kitset style homes which will be put up in parks. ‘Sites for villages where the portable dwellings will be placed have been chosen working with local councils and Civil Defence. Sites include Linwood Park, Rawhiti Domain and a site yet to be confirmed in Burwood,’ a spokesman for the Department of Building and Housing said.

‘Discussions are underway with Waimakariri Council regarding possible sites in Kaiapoi that would be suitable for temporary dwellings. These could be made available on these sites for a longer period if necessary,’ he explained.

‘The portable dwellings will be of varying sizes and configuration. Some will be fully self contained units with kitchen and laundry units and sleep up to six people. Others will be sleep out, laundry or bathroom units only which could be placed on private sites so that people could stay on their property,’ he added.