Zipflat's Story

In early 2009, a small group of professionals came together with the common goal of ‘giving back’ by building and donating houses to shelterless families in Central America.   They set a goal of building ten houses.  Soon a volunteer team of over a dozen was assembled and work on ‘how’ to get this done was begun.  Scott Jewett’s team, that included three aerospace engineers, developed a new construction method specifically for these houses and the project was born.

It was soon discovered that their new invention had huge potential.  A global chemical company developed proprietary materials and a major relief organization recommended the technology to a global consortium of first responders.  Donations for supplies and support have positioned the team to realize their dream of helping those in desperate need of shelter.  Portable Composite Structures was incorporated in October, 2009 and the product is now patent pending.

In the backyard of Founder Scott Jewett, they built their first two full scale houses, 100 square feet of living space complete with integrated doors.  These houses are folded flat for shipping, popped open at the home site (like a child’s pop up book), and are filled with expandable foam.  In a total of a few hours, a permanent house is born; with better strength and insulation than a typical American family home.  This transitional house is trademarked ZipFlat.

The global first responder partner has identified the need for ZipFlat in Honduras, Nepal, and China.  Installations will begin in mid 2011.