Innovative Composites to prototype housing for Haiti

TORONTO: Innovative Composites International Inc. (ICI) was named one of the winners of the first stage of the Building Back Better Communities housing competition for Haiti.

ICI partnered with 3D Global Solutions and Barclays Gedi Group, both privately held US companies, to enter the competition and qualified to participate in the prototype housing expo that will take place in Port-au-Prince in October 2010.

Building Back Better Communities is an initiative by the Government of Haiti to investigate alternative forms of permanent housing for displaced citizens.

ICI was established three years ago by a group of former automotive engineers and managers to develop Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (FRT) composite panels for the construction, defense and transportation industries.

Its Structure Lite panel is designed as an alternative to wood, plywood, particleboard, steel or aluminum.

“We’re prototyping our new patent design for affordable housing. Two people with wrenches will be able to put this house together in less than a week,” said Terry Ball, president and CEO of ICI in an interview with CanadianManufacturing.com in March 2010. “We’re also using the same material to construct and build portable or temporary emergency houses for areas that have seen a natural disaster.”

Re-building the damaged housing in Haiti is estimated to cost $4 billion. Specific contracts will be awarded by the government of Haiti in early 2011 based on the results of the expo.