h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

While talking to a friend recently about the homeless people of Afghanistan living in tents in the bitterly cold and windy desert, I remembered a couple of programmes on TV in the dim and distant past that related to instant housing.

One, was a way of spraying an instant dome 'mud hut' made from, if I remember correctly, mud and glass or carbon fibre sprayed over a form. Trouble is, it must have been over a decade since I saw the programme and cannot now remember much about it.

The other idea I think I have a bead on, was cardboard survival huts used in the arctic. Everything was made from cardboard including the beds, tables and chairs. The only problem my friend could foresee was that the cardboard may not stand up to the weather in Afghanistan or Pakistan as the arctic is so cold there is little external humidity.

I was wondering if anyone out in h2g2 land thought these possibilities were a) feasible and b) could recall the programme or the inventor or anyone connected with it, in order to come up with a reasonably warm and dry alternative to tents and or bombed homes.

What do you think? Can you help?

the fiber glass huts sound interesting, we realy need to take more care of our fellows and keeping them out of site out of mind won't work

-- DoctorMO --

Hi DoctorMo

Thank you for your input. Life has been unexpectedly challenging for me since I last wrote and have been unable to keep up with h2g2 in addition to e-mails!! This is by way of an apology for the delay in response.

Unfortunately, I am having very little success with finding the inventor responsible for the idea. I have received some helpful suggestions and also some advice that glass fibre was a problem to rid the site of after its life/use was over. Nothing that was really helpful or useful in my search, except to a site which meant I had to buy into something for more information.

Know any inventors?

Mirror

I know lot's of inventors, me for one, probobly you too.

Can't say much about Fiber Glass huts, unless it's about Fiber glass living quarters, made in little squares that can easyly be built up. but I think the made thoughs out of steel and cement. never mind. mud huts arn't a lot of use anyway, because once people in the 3rd world get better pay, they will want better houses. and the huts will be thrown out and taken hundreds of years to decompose.

-- DoctorMO --