REAL(ly) Affordable and Sustainable Housing Hits the Negev

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May 21st, 2008 by Michael Green

What’s the next challenge for the World Trade Center’s chief engineer?

Designing solar-powered houses in the Negev desert that can be built from scratch in nine weeks? Unlikely, but true.

Hy Brown is a man on a mission. Originally driven by the will to find a constructive response to the terrorists who felled his creation in Manhattan and the chronic shortage of inexpensive housing in Israel, the REAL (Renewable Energy for Affordable Living) Housing company was born last year (on 11 September, no less). Partly constructed from discarded shipping containers, the houses will be built with energy-conserving insulation as well as solar panels, Brown told me on the two-hour drive from Jerusalem to Ashalim, 40km south of Beersheba, where the first REAL home lives.

The lonely pilot house in the desert could be the first of many if the fledging company can get investors to help it match demand. Watch this space.

:: REAL Housing.

Photo: Michael Green.

Tags: green building

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4 Responses to “REAL(ly) Affordable and Sustainable Housing Hits the Negev”

on 21 May 2008 at 9:31 am1Rebecca

How much will one of these houses cost?
on 21 May 2008 at 6:34 pm2Michael

Between NIS 360,000 and 720,000 ranging from 120m2 to 240m2. Includes solar panels and all household appliances e.g. washing machine, which the company says are ‘energy efficient’. They say there will be no electricity bill too.
on 17 Jun 2008 at 12:47 am3Jack Delaster

Is this product available for export, posibly to Latin America ???
on 17 Jun 2008 at 9:29 am4Michael

Jack - yes, they are exporting. Their website is on the article above.