Petro House °

DATE2012

LOCATIONBasra, Iraq

TYPEPrefab Residential

DESIGN LEADDavid Costanza

OVERVIEW The 100% Petroleum House is a Case Study House that utilizes associated gas, the byproduct of oil extraction, to produce a zero-waste, petroleum-derived house. The motivation of the Case Study House is to address the housing shortage in Iraq and demonstrate the capacity of petrochemicals as a building material.
In the Western hemisphere, abundant trees provide wood, an easy-to-work-with construction material. In contrast, Iraq currently lacks a pervasive natural resource for construction. However, Iraq boasts one of the world's largest oil reserves.
During extraction, the change in pressure causes natural gas to surface alongside crude oil. This type of natural gas is referred to as associated petroleum gas, which is released as a byproduct of petroleum extraction. With the proper facilities, these associated gases can be harnessed for energy and become a feedstock for petrochemical industries.

BCL

DCS