AIROH
Post-WWII: When the requirement for military aircraft diminished, but aluminium was abundant, the Bristol Aeroplane Co made 'AIROH' pre-fabricated houses and schools, many of which were exported around the world in kit form.
The AIROH (Aircraft Industries Research Organisation on Housing) house was a 675-square-foot (62.7 m2), ten tonne all-aluminium bungalow assembled from four sections, each to be delivered to the site on a lorry, fully furnished right down to the curtains. The proposed rate of production of complete houses was to be one every twelve minutes. This was possible because the completely equipped and furnished AIROH could be assembled from only 2,000 components, while the aircraft it would replace on the production line required 20,000.
The parents of future Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock were allocated an AIROH, on which he commented: "It had a fitted fridge, a kitchen table that folded into the wall and a bathroom. Family and friends came visiting to view the wonders. It seemed like living in a spaceship".
Although impressive, the AIROH by 1947 was costing £1,610 each to produce, plus costs of the land and installation. However, as the design was so easy to produce, 54,500 AIROHs were constructed.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Bristol Built