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A community of 120 two-story houses completely made of recycled PET, which improves thermal insulation and earthquake resistance.
An eco-residential community with 120 houses completely made of plastic bottles: it’s happening in Panama, the Central American country known more as a tax haven than as a circular economy hub. This new experience, however, might give a new fame to the Canal nation.
Each residential unit is made with 10 thousand to 25 thousand recycled plastic bottles. According to the website of the project, a two-story 100 sqm house can be built with 14 thousand plastic bottles, the average quantity consumed in 80 years of life by an adult born after 1978. This creative construction-aimed recycling allows to neutralize in one shot the negative effects of the plastic bottle consumption in the whole life span of a human being.
Plastic bottles, in addition to being a noble recycled material, are a great insulating agent if used as central layer between walls: they make the inner space fresher than the outside and allow to save energy. The structure, according to the builders, is also earthquake resistant, because the plastic panels have a good degree of elasticity and release the energy they receive.
In its three development phases, the community will create parcels of 120 houses, a little boutique and a common garden with fruit, vegetables and herbs for the whole community. The first phase was started in 2015 with the construction of the first one-story house. Sales have already begun and the business seems to be going well: only 36 parcels are currently still free.
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