Location de l' hotel a BenidormMonocoque Framing, on the Right Track

five star hotel in AlbuferiaModel of a monocoque house showing the rigid exterior frame.

Spaceframe foundations are one solution to maintaining structural integrity in northern houses. A different approach is to create a strong house frame so the building can withstand foundation movements on unstable soils. Monocoque is a structural system that functions the same way as the unibody of a car. The long, exterior house walls are rigidly connected to the floor and roof, forming a unitized framework. The main load stresses are carried by the surface shell of the house, instead of studs or posts. This means the house is stable and not subject to shifting and buckling. The monocoque system is equally stable in areas subject to tremors or earthquakes.

Two prototypes (Monocoque I in Vancouver and Monocoque II in Whitehorse) proved the structural concepts. A third prototype, Monocoque III, will test a cheaper, simpler-to-build system.

Comments during the September meeting of the NoRTH Committee emphasized that the concept is good but not yet commercially viable. Committee members indicated that currently, there is limited Canadian interest. The Monocoque III project will help expand public support for the concept. Builders are pleased with the emphasis on developing a more builder friendly less costly system. All agreed that the technology is badly needed and offers a solution to a major problem in northern housing.

For more information contact:
Rob Duncan, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(613) 748-2349