ClickHome – homes that address the refugee crisis and the lack of social housing

 
You may have already read about the idea of solving the refugee crisis with simple houses from ClickHome in Novinky or Právo. What reactions did these articles provoke and where is the project currently headed? We asked the project's spokesperson Pavel Griz from Molo architekti.

Several articles have recently been published about the project, what stage is the ClickHome project currently in?
Pavel Griz: It is a project that arose at a moment when we felt we needed to come to terms with the reality of the war conflict, which affected us greatly with my colleagues. We were afraid that a larger influx of people could result in tent cities, ghettos. So we started thinking about how to address this problem differently.
About two weeks ago, with the help of two colleagues who are skilled in PR, we completed a basic document intended for external communication (especially with governors and mayors, where we see great potential for quick and effective action), which we expanded into the media. Occasionally, we receive emails indicating that mayors or private companies are interested in the project, to whom we subsequently send detailed information.
We know that this is not the only possible solution, but perhaps one of five. The goal of the project was to materialize the idea and spread it among as many people as possible, so they could consider whether our solution is interesting to them. For instance, for mayors who do not have municipal apartments available and would need to quickly acquire accommodation capacities.

In the article for Novinky, you mentioned that the houses are not intended for permanent residence as they do not meet construction and fire regulations. Has anything changed since then?
The project has undergone an analysis of fire safety solutions, so we will meet the fire safety requirements. The module from which the houses are built allows for a lot of configurations; we originally thought we would create sets of buildings. However, we encountered that for such a large house, we must legally address the requirements for the building envelope, energy consumption, heating, and so forth, which significantly increases construction costs. Assuming that the floor area of the house does not exceed 50 m² (which corresponds to the size of apartments 3+kk, where half of Prague currently resides), we also meet building regulations. Then the house falls under the documentation regime for notification of construction, allowing us to obtain a building permit within a month.

What are the requirements for the building plot, networks, foundations, and so on?
Originally, we planned to lay the foundation beams freely on the ground on leveling pads, which are ideal for temporary buildings. For houses intended for permanent residence, we typically use point foundations – most commonly concrete footings. These ensure that air flows under the house and moisture does not accumulate there.
The biggest problem for construction is utilities; we need the cooperation of mayors who identify suitable plots near existing networks. The primary issue is with sewage, but we can use chemical toilets known from caravans and off-grid houses, or channel waste into a cesspool, which is a solution still used in some villages. However, it is ideal to find a serviced plot and permanently place the houses, including the solution of their urbanism.
The problem lies with our building law – in Austria, you can build houses for 6 months during a refugee crisis without any problems, and if you subsequently provide certifications, they can receive permission for up to 5 years. We do not have anything like that. We have to adhere to the law, so mayors are now sitting over zoning plans and figuring out where these buildings can even be constructed. Our project is challenging in that it needs to consider its subsequent use even after the refugee crisis ends, e.g., as housing for socially disadvantaged citizens.

Are mayors considering the further use of these buildings, e.g., in the form of municipal apartments?
The houses are designed to be disassembled or used differently later, such as changing rooms, facilities at sports venues, etc. However, the thoughts of most mayors and governors primarily lean towards creating permanent accommodation capacities. We expect that units of buildings will ultimately be built here; society is not inclined towards developing accommodation capacities for refugees, which became clear after the publication of the article in Novinky.
After getting an understanding of the state of society, we began to focus more on the idea that these houses could be built directly in Ukraine, for example, in Lviv. We spoke with local developers – in the current situation, they have halted projects even though they have resources, materials, and workers. They liked the idea, even though this American method of construction using timber-frame structures (treated with OSB boards), which we have been doing at Molo architekti for 15 years, is not traditionally employed there. Container housing is not an option due to the lack of materials and available capacities of companies. We were also approached by a Czech charity that has begun operating in Ukraine and wants to help directly in the Transcarpathian region in addition to providing material help. They plan for locals to build our houses themselves from local resources based on instructions and video tutorials, so we would only pass on certain know-how.

So this is a solution that develops the concept of tiny housing and is suitable for young families who cannot afford to build a larger house?
I guess the project will develop in this direction within our republic. Various organizations have contacted us; for example, the Wood Industry Research and Development Institute, which certifies timber constructions, offered to certify the ClickHome panel at a favorable price, after which these panels could be used for building affordable housing.
We have been addressing the topic of affordable housing for about 6 years, and it is becoming increasingly relevant. We anticipate the return of self-help construction, as was the case in 2008 when we started, which can reduce costs by up to 30%. Therefore, we are long-term developing kits that can be assembled by unskilled individuals following the instructions. We take inspiration from IKEA and Lego. We see our advantage in the fact that we are familiar with the issues and know where financial and technical problems arise; we need to address those places and deliver them completed (electrical distribution, waste, technical room, etc.). Individuality then resides in designing non-technical rooms. The war has actually pushed us to crystallize ideas we have had for a long time.
I believe that a 3+kk for a reasonable price will be the holy grail; even now, people are approaching us saying they would like to build such a house in their garden. We will probably now be looking for a partner who will lead this project with us and will not just want to get rich from it.

Who is involved in the project?
About 15 people worked on the project in peak times – for free and in their spare time. We are located together with Esté architects and Světlík Šedý Štefl on one floor of a building in Holešovice, so cooperation arose spontaneously. Molo Architekti handled the structural principles of the building, logistics, legislation, and utilities. Esté architects then dealt with the layout, building design, bathroom, and urban planning in the case of constructing multiple buildings together. Světlík Šedý Štefl focused on strategy, creating texts and visualizations. Ondřej Hoffmeister (Projektil Architekti) was our mentor and consultant, supporting the overall idea of the project. It was like a reminiscence of school assessments, where everyone did everything.
We are now mainly collaborating with Charita ČR, which has linked our project with its grant. We are waiting to see who else will approach us, which will determine the future direction of the project. I primarily remain with the project – I negotiate with interested parties and seek funding for the production of prototypes, finishing drawings, etc. We have a lawyer who is working with us on the regulatory framework, as well as an energy performance designer who calculated the energy loss of the house and an electrical designer who created complete documentation for us.