Smarter Habitat at the Zukunftssalon of The Future Circle e.V.
Datty Ruth (CEO of Smarter Habitat) impressively presented his concept of building constructions made of renewable, plant-based raw materials at the 3rd Zukunftssalon of The Future Circle e.V. At the Fraunhofer Institute in Halle there is already a model house with panels made of hemp and flax. Thermal insulation made from popcorn (corn) is also new. Thus, the cradle-to-cradle approach is wonderfully implemented. Building materials made from renewable raw materials can be composted after use and bind CO2 from the air during the use phase (hemp, flax and corn require CO2 from the atmosphere during the growth phase, this is stored in the building material). Some figures: The building sector accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. The cement industry alone generates 8% of CO2 emissions. Approximately 10 million tons of gypsum are produced in Germany every year. 30% goes to drywall. Approximately 280,000 tons of gypsum plasterboard end up in the trash every year, mostly in landfills. There are only five recycling locations in Germany. There is also no return system so far.
However, Datty Ruth's motivation arose from social need. During a visit to Haiti after the terrible earthquake disaster in 2012 and contact with American engineers who were developing affordable "paper" houses, he decided to give up his successful film fund business. He saw the opportunity to create decent and affordable housing for the growing need in the world with new sustainable constructions and thus make a positive impact. The World Bank predicts that 500 million new homes will be needed for 3 billion people by 2030. The current 65 million refugees are not included in the calculations. According to the UNHCR, refugees live in camps for an average of 17 years.
The financing phase of Smarter Habitat has started (crowd funding) and the expansion of production capacities is planned for the end of this year. The development network with the Fraunhofer Institute and the University of Göttingen is in place. The global sales network (license model/franchising, training center in Munich) is under construction. We wish Datty Ruth and the Smarter Habitat team every success!