5th April 2021
Colombia is one of the largest global coffee producers and yet according to census data 35% of the population in Columbia lives in monetary poverty. This has led to a housing insecurity throughout the country. one which construction company Woodpecker is working hard to solve.
Woodpecker, a construction start up in Bogota, Colombia, has been building sustainable homes and other buildings for the past decade. Their mission is to provide low income housing solutions for Colombia’s improvished areas. Woodpecker uses coffee husks to manufacture lightweight, prefabricated buildings for home and classroom use.
The company saw the need for low cost, DIY lightweight construction systems in rural and islolated places. They combine the coffee husk with recycled plastic to create a more durable and environmentally-conscious material for buildings. This not only reduces waste from coffee farms that would inevitably end up in the landfills but helps to build a simple construction that anyone can do.
Coffee husks are stronger and drier than other fibres and this wood plastic composite material (WPC) is pest resistant, withstands moisture and self extinguishing. The large scale use of recycled waste means that the Woodpecker tiny houses are affordable. The plastic components clip together onto a steel frame. The prefab construction cost $4500.
Woodpecker were instrumental in helping the Colombian Government during the recovery phase of Hurricane Iota which hit Colombia in November 2020. The lightweight structures could be moved to inaccessible areas with no energy supply. On the island of Providencia 98% of the infrastructure was damaged.
