LEGO-Style Homes Fuse Innovation and Environmental Design

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: HIB-System
Why It’s a Gem: DIY homebuilding comes of age with a LEGO-like solution that’s as simple as it is environmental

Most every kid who has played with LEGOs has dreamed of living in a house of her own construction. Now that dream has come closer to reality, with the innovative design from Germany’s HIB-System, a company that produces wooden tongue-in-groove building blocks that most anyone can assemble into the house of their dreams, minus the bumpy green lawn and plastic pine tree.

After building more than 100 homes in Germany using this system, HIB has now come to the United States, where it hopes to make a splash in the eco-competition being held in Greensburg, Kans., a town devastated by a tornado in 2007 and now looking to rebuild its community with affordable, sustainable housing. While the HIB system still requires some help from construction professionals such as plumbers and electricians, the overall frame of the home can be done in just a few days by one person, and with the building blocks weighing no more than 55 pounds each, you can even forego the traditional heavy machinery. Welcome to the new age of DIY.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)

Lynda Resnick: In this week’s Ruby Tuesday, we’re speaking with Jan Hoetzel, who is heading the North American activities for the German-based HIB-System. For our readers, Jan, could you please describe your company’s business model and its unique selling proposition?

Jan Hoetzel: The building blocks for our business model were invented by Dieter Junker, who grew up in a sawmill in the Black Forest area. He always thought about building houses with wood, [but at that time in Germany,] all houses were built with stones and mortar. Ten years ago he had the idea of making the HIB building elements, so to speak. Then eight years ago, the first [HIB-System] houses were certified by German authorities, and the building blocks were further developed. Today, we can design the house on a computer [and] send the file to an industrial wood manufacturer, [who] can take the data [and designs and] cut the blocks to our specifications. Then a licensed partner can take those precut blocks and build the houses.

Jan Hoetzel, head of North American activities for HIB-System

LR: So, it’s LEGO for grownups.

JH: Yes, and all the blocks have numbers so they are very easy to assemble.

LR: And your method of distribution plays a large role in your company’s environmental commitment. I was impressed to hear how you accomplished this.

JH: Yes, we’ve eliminated much of the mileage that might otherwise be associated with distributing our product. Rather than have one factory that ships to all corners of the country, we can instead partner with local sawmills, to whom we send the design plans for a particular home. They can then use existing technology to cut the blocks to our specifications and deliver the blocks to the local customer. This eliminates much of the cost and waste associated with many traditional building methods, which often involve shipping over great distances.

LR: Fabulous! Now, is this the sort of thing a person could assemble themselves if they’re handy, or do they need a middleman?

JH: This building system has won several prizes from the do-it-yourself organization in Germany. It’s definitely something where you can [do much of the work yourself,] but we recommend that you have a specialist provide guidance.

LR: How do your houses differ from those of a traditionally built home?

JH: The whole purpose of our design was to be energy efficient and environmentally sound. We use no chemicals in our building, so there is no off-gassing or other potentially harmful materials. The building blocks themselves are all made from completely sustainable resources, so if they do end up in a landfill, they won’t cause any harm to the planet. But in order to be environmentally practical, the homes also must be energy efficient. We’ve designed the HIB-System to cut down on heating and cooling costs, to the point where a properly constructed HIB-System structure would use roughly one-tenth the energy.

And, in order to be truly practical, our buildings are far sturdier and structurally sound than traditional wood-frame homes. The blocks have been tested by Karlsruhe University and proven to provide greater security in storms and earthquakes.

Another distinguishing factor of our homes, compared to other prefab structures out there, is that ours don’t look like prefab homes.

HIB-System homes come in a wide range of styles that favor design as much as practicality.

LR: Truly great design incorporates both style and structure. I can see that you understand that, because there’s a far greater sense of aesthetic to your designs than I’ve seen from other prefab homes. How many of your houses are there now in Germany?

JH: There are roughly one hundred houses today. Two years ago, in 2008, the initial company was acquired by an investor, so we now have a much bigger network and have a greater capacity than ever before.

LR: Have you built any houses in the U.S. yet?

JH: No, we have not. The idea was to develop the software tool and get everything ready in Europe and then roll it out overseas. However, with the Greensburg design competition, we have created [a great deal of] momentum for us, and we are now going to be in the U.S. market a little bit quicker than we thought.

LR: In the 19th century, if you lived in the rural parts of America, you could buy a home at Sears & Roebuck — they would put the pieces on a train and send it to you. Today in Aspen, these same homes, which were purchased for as little as under $1,000, are still standing. So the idea isn’t all that new, but it’s especially important for today.

What exactly comes with your home kit?

JH: That depends on [which kit] you request. [You can purchase] just the wall system, the wall system with ceilings, or the wall system with ceilings and the roof. Then the customer has a plumber and an electrician finish the interior.

LR: I’m a single family and I want to buy a modest home. What does it cost to buy the shell of this home, approximately?

JH: Depending on the style, it could be between $20,000 and $40,000. For the Greensburg competition, the homes must be designed to not exceed a price of $154,000. More than 37 HIB-System Design homes have been submitted, all with an estimated construction cost of $154,000. Even if the system is more expensive up front, you’re going to have [outstanding] long-term savings. If I’m living in a house where the temperature goes up when the oven is on and then goes down [when it's off], there’s a lot of fluctuation, [which is inefficient]. We can eliminate or diminish these inefficiencies [through proper] design.

LR: So, efficiency issues that come with the old kind of construction are gone with the HIB System.

JH: Yes, because the building blocks are very, very precise. When we build houses today here in the United States, we have to do a blower door test [used to measure a house's air tightness and, therefore, energy conservation], and our blocks are rated very, very good.

HIB-System homes are environmentally friendly, energy efficient, soundproof, and virtually allergy free.

LR: Who is your demographic is? Who are the people who would be most interested in building their house this way?

JH: I see two groups. It’s the Baby Boomers, who are often first adapters and very conscious about the environment, and they are looking to downsize and live a sustainable lifestyle. Then there are young families, who are looking for a home for the next 40 years and want a very energy-efficient home, [a safe, chemical-free environment] for their children, and so on. I think people in this country are more aware now that energy efficiency is key. So, for a new energy-efficiency concept, there’s always room for new business.

LR: Now, do you supply solar panels for the roofs?

JH: Well, I’m personally a fan of solar energy. The value of solar energy is totally underestimated, all over the world. So, I’m working with a company on the solar panel side, yes.

LR: Do you think you’ll have efficiencies of scale if you build a lot more homes? Will you be able to sell them for less?

JH: Absolutely. I remember the first house I bought [in the United States]. It was like a mansion, and it was much less money than I would have paid for the smallest house in Germany. So, it’s difficult to compare apples and apples, and we can’t do it until we’ve built the first house.

LR: I wish you luck. It would be wonderful if we could do this more in our country. You know, it might be the answer for a long-term living condition that’s allergy-free and efficient. There are so many children, because of all the problems in our environment, who are suffering with allergies and asthma, and this sounds like living in a beautiful bubble that is allergy-free and efficient for energy. It sounds like a wonderful idea. It sounds like the future.

JH: Yes, and it is from a renewable, eco-friendly source. Wood actually captures CO2. Because technology allows our method of distribution to use short delivery distances, the net effect of our homes is a CO2-positive building.

LR: Wonderful. You can’t ask for more than that.