THE Americans are considering building polystyrene homes in Afghanistan.
Q: You can't be serious. It sounds like that sketch about the guy who claims he grew up in a paper bag.
A: Not at all. Many Afghans lost everything during the war. Their traditional mud-brick houses were death-traps during the frequent earthquakes. Now some American scientists, engineers and architects believe polystyrene panels may offer a cheap, energy-efficient, quake-proof alternative.
Q: Is it the same stuff we use to hold hot drinks?
A: Precisely. It's a member of the class
of synthetic organic polymers. Large-scale manufacture began in the late 1930s. It's best known for its use in foam coffee cups, but most polystyrene is used to make rigid durable products such as
television and
computer cabinets.
Q: How could it be used as
a building material?
A: Foam would be wrapped in something like chicken wire, then covered with a thin skin of concrete.
Q: Is this a new idea?
A: No. One HH ''Hoot'' Haddock of Florence, Alabama, has spent 20 years and millions of dollars on developing a polystyrene building system. He contends that its strength, insulating qualities, resistance to moisture and mould, and tolerance of extreme conditions makes it ideal for Afghan homes. The Federation of American Scientists is currently conducting tests. A
two-room starter unit has been designed.
Q: How do the Afghans
feel about the idea?
A: They will need to
be convinced that
they are safer than
their traditional adobe homes. That will require a major pilot project.
Q: What's the timescale?
A: The first foam houses could appear in Kabul
by the end of this year, although ongoing violence continues to disrupt the work of non-governmental organisations. Polystyrene may be tough, but it isn't exactly bombproof.
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