Wikkelhouse: The cardboard house from the Netherlands

The Wikkelhouse, an alternative to traditional housing, is an eco-friendly, sustainable, unique, and modular home made of cardboard. A closer look at the undeniable advantages of this new concept for the future of living.

A unique, eco-friendly, and sustainable concept

The Dutch company Fiction Factory is revolutionizing the housing sector with the development of the Wikkelhouse, a home made entirely of cardboard. This Dutch firm utilizes cardboard sourced from sustainably managed forests. This innovative housing concept is engineered from modules consisting of 24 layers of recycled cardboard, bonded and stacked using eco-friendly adhesive. This process results in a shell that is both robust and highly insulating. For more on sustainable, eco-friendly, and high-performance insulation, discover on this site a wide selection of panels’cork insulation. As for the Wikkelhouse—a recyclable, sustainable, and eco-friendly home—it requires no foundation, is extremely lightweight, and is designed to last at least a century. The Wikkelhouse is fully customizable in terms of decor and layout, offering great flexibility and ease of transport. The Wikkelhouse concept is based on a modular construction system using cardboard elements that can be assembled in a single day. Once the components are put together, it is possible to create a variety of structures, ranging from a workshop or office to a fully equipped residence. According to the Dutch company behind the concept, the choice of this cardboard provides a new sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to the wood currently widely used in the industry. The Wikkelhouse can be installed anywhere, whether on a rooftop, at the beach, or in a garden.

Technical specifications of the “Wikkelhouse”

By assembling various cardboard modules, it is possible to create the Wikkelhouse, an affordable home costing approximately €3,900 per 5 m² module. This innovatively designed house is ecological, sustainable, robust, and fully recyclable. The construction technique relies on using 90% cardboard. This material is highly valued for its thermal, electrical, and acoustic insulation properties. To create a fully furnished home, including essential modules such as a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen, an investment of approximately €70,000 is required. Each module features walls made of 24 layers of recycled cardboard, bonded together with eco-friendly adhesive. The entire structure is coated with a waterproof finish and paneling to ensure complete weatherproofing. Each module covers an area of 5 m², stands 3.5 m tall, and weighs 500 kg. The number of modules that can be assembled is determined by each buyer’s specific needs. Furthermore, these modules can be assembled on any type of terrain. This cardboard house offers numerous advantages: it requires no foundation, provides excellent insulation, and delivers exceptional acoustic performance. It is also three times more eco-friendly than traditional housing, boasts a long lifespan of 100 years, and is manufactured using entirely recyclable materials. Its robust construction ensures it can withstand all weather conditions.