In the mid-twentieth century, back when colonizing the solar system seemed imminent, people decided to save money by building homes out of plastic. You can see the results here. Some are mind-bogglingly awesome, and some are just mind-boggling.


The Monsanto House of the Future, built in 1957, displayed at Disneyland until 1967


(via brunurb)

A two-story house, built in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) in 1961


The ventilation and heating equipment were stored in the lower story made of reinforced framing filled with glass blocks, but the upper was fully made from plastic.



(via English Russia)

Das Kunststoffhaus, designed by Dieter Schmidt, 1963



(via Schmidsbauten)

Futuro Houses, designed by Matti Suuronen, composed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastics. Only 100 were produced, 50 of them are survived.


(via Steve Rainwater/Flickr, Elizabeth/Flickr and ttolk)

FG 2000, designed by Wolfgang Feierbach, constructed between 1968 and 1970 in Altenstadt, Germany





(via Moderndesign)

A prefab modular dwelling of six plastic pods, near the Col du Tourmalet, France, 1969


(Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

An Unidome modular house on display in Wulfen, Germany, July 1970


(Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Ubuntu-blox, houses built from plastic trash, cost only $250, built for Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas



(via Ubuntu-blox/Facebook and Jovoto)

Houses from 18 tonnes of plastic, as a material called Thermo Poly Rock (TPR), built by at the Swansea-based Affresol in the United Kingdom, and sold for $71,000.


TPR is stronger than concrete, fire retardant and waterproof.

(via Daily Design Idea)

The home of a retired Math professor in Serbia, named Tomislav Radovanovic, took five years and 13,500 bottles to build, 2001-2006


(via kurir-info and iblogn)

Eco Tec's Ecoparque El Zamorano in Honduras, with a house constructed with 8,000 PET bottles without using cement in the walls



(via Inspiration Green)

A late 19th century house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, converted into a home made with translucent plastic panels, between 2010 and 2013, by Alessandro Armando-Manfredo di Robilant Architects




(via DOMUS)

In Nigeria, three million plastic bottles are daily thrown out. But from 14,000 of them, packed with sand, you can build an earthquake resistant, comfortable two-bedroom house.


(via Design To Improve Life and Inhabitat)

A 3D printed canal house in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2014


(via 3D Printed House)