The Arial Home Initiative
A System for Building Low Cost,
High Quality, Green Homes
By Tom and Jane Pirelli
April 3, 2009
Location of the first Arial Home factory and the first 30 Arial Homes
The Need for Better Housing - The U.N. estimates that more than 1 billion
human beings live in “homes” no better than this one in Ensenada, Mexico
This outhouse is typical of what is used for human waste
This is how they cook, in the red barrel using any
scrap wood they can find for fuel
All six members of the family sleep on this one, dirty mattress
A single 120 watt solar PV panel and a battery powers an Arial Home
April 3, 2009
Objectives of the Initiative
• Provide warm, dry, long lasting shelter
• Provide electricity
• Provide safe drinking water
• Safe disposal of human waste
• Warm water for sanitary washing
• Inexpensive fuel for cooking
5.6 meters
6.5 meters
Arial Home Floor Plan, Total of 35 Square Meters
22
08
07
06
05
04
03
02
01
09
17
15
27
10
21
20
19
18
25
26
16
23
24
13
2.7m
12
11
Back & Wall
Front Walls
are 2.3m High
14
Middle Wall is 2.4m
High
Curtain Wall
2.7m
Red Arrows
Indicate Tongue
Direction
5.6 Meters Wide
9.9 Meters
Larger Arial Home with Three Bedrooms, 55 Square Meters
8’10”
Kitchen/Dining/Family
Room
Curtain
Walls
8’10”
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 3
Bedroom 2
10’10”
9’1”
Multi-function
Room
Advantages of An Arial Home
• Will last 50 years with minimal
maintenance cost
• Can be built in one day by 8 unskilled
family members guided by a mentor
• Are very well insulated
• Have indoor toilet, sink, and shower
• Have electrical wiring and can be solar
powered
• Optional solar hot water heating
Self Manufactured Metal/Foam Wall and Roof Panels
Arial Home panels are made from 24 gauge sheet, pre-
painted galvanized steel. It is originally 1.22 meters wide, but
the bends reduce the net width to 1.06 meters.
The lengths vary between 2.3 meters and 2.44 meters (for
the middle wall). The roof panels are 2.9 meters long.
A 5 centimeter thick layer of polyurethane foam is poured
between the two met