KICT Develops Foldable Modular Housing for Rapid Provision of Temporary Shelter to Disaster Victims

A foldable modular system, known as the Foldable Modular System, which enables the completion and delivery of residential facilities within seven days, has been developed. This is significant as it provides a foundation for the rapid provision of temporary housing to disaster victims who have lost their homes, especially in the current context where disasters and calamities have become more frequent.

The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (hereafter referred to as KICT) announced on August 12 that its modular research team has developed a foldable modular system for temporary housing facilities.

Foldable modular temporary housing unit developed by the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology. Provided by Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology

This system offers the advantage of being stored in a warehouse under normal circumstances and then quickly supplying housing to disaster victims when temporary accommodation is needed.

The research team developed the temporary housing module based on their previous experience from 2021 to 2023, when they created a 'Z-shaped' foldable modular screening clinic that was easy to store and transport for infectious disease response.

The temporary housing module has been expanded to more than three times the size of the previously developed Z-shaped module (1.8x3.0m), now measuring 3.2x6.3m, allowing a single household to be formed with just two modules.

Given the increased size of the module, it is also noteworthy that the wall panels can be rotated twice and the module folded, reducing its volume to one-third of its original size for easier storage and transportation.

Additionally, the research team explained that they collaborated with Hyundai Livart, a comprehensive interior design company, to jointly develop detachable bathroom (bathroom pod) and kitchen (kitchen pod) units, thereby enhancing the residential convenience for disaster victims.

The developed foldable modular system for temporary housing facilities is equipped with a bathroom, kitchen, year-round heating and cooling systems, electricity, and drainage piping, enabling comfortable living conditions once installed. Most notably, it takes only 90 minutes to transport, install, and finish each module on site.

Park Sunkyu, President of KICT, stated, "The foldable modular system is a technology developed for disaster victims who have lost their homes," adding, "By rapidly supplying temporary housing facilities with comfortable living performance, this will become a key public technology that enables disaster victims to quickly return to their daily lives."

Meanwhile, this research was conducted as part of KICT's major project, "Development and Supply of Immediate Response Modular Systems for Disasters and Establishment of Operational Systems (2024-2025)," supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT.