Fixing Asia’s slums: bamboo house that takes four hours to build wins future cities contest
- Earl Forlales from the Philippines took inspiration from his grandparents’ bamboo hut
- ‘Cubo’ is low-cost, sustainable and easy to construct
The creator of a house made of bamboo that can be put together in four hours has won a £50,000 (US$64,000) top prize to develop cities for the future.
Earl Forlales, 23, a graduate in material science engineering, came up with the design to help solve the chronic shortage of affordable accommodation in the Philippines. He took inspiration from the bamboo hut his grandparents lived in outside Manila.
Forlales was awarded first prize by Britain’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for his use of low-cost, sustainable material, and the speed at which his house – known as Cubo – could be constructed.
“The world’s cities are growing all the time and there is a real need to make sure they are safe, clean and comfortable places to live for future generations,” said John Hughes, the competition head judge and president of the institute.
“There were many exciting, original designs among the submissions. However, Earl’s idea stood out for its simple, yet well-thought-through, solution to the world’s growing slum problem. As we look at our entrants, who are our next generation of leaders, I believe that real progress will be made in tackling the world’s biggest issues.”
