On the 12th, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) announced that it has developed a foldable modular system for temporary housing that can be installed within just a week after a disaster.
Recently, natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and landslides have become more frequent, leading to an increase in people who have lost their homes. Until now, gymnasiums and container-type disaster relief dwellings have mainly been used, but they have poor ventilation and serious condensation and insulation problems. The absence of bathrooms and kitchens has also caused significant inconvenience.
To address these limitations, KICT developed the foldable modular system. It is a method of quickly supplying the units to the site after a disaster by storing them in a warehouse during normal times.
The research team expanded the foldable modular system into a dwelling type, utilizing their experience from 2021 to 2023 in manufacturing Z-shaped foldable modules used as screening clinics. They produced the units in a size more than three times larger (3.2×6.3m) than the existing Z-shape (1.8×3.0m), allowing two modules to accommodate one household. The foldable structure, which rotates the walls twice, has reduced the volume by one-third, increasing storage and transportation efficiency. The installation and finishing time takes about 90 minutes per module.
The bathroom and kitchen were developed in a detachable modular form in partnership with Hyundai LIVART. They are equipped with electrical, heating and cooling, and water supply and drainage systems, enabling comfortable living in all four seasons immediately after installation.
Park Seon-kyu, the director, noted that this is "a key public technology to help citizens who have lost their homes due to disasters return to their daily lives as soon as possible" and stated, "It will play a significant role in quickly supplying comfortable temporary housing." This project was carried out with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT.